The lineup hasn't really changed from last year in terms of the trio of devices hitting different price points and specs preferences but there are some important upgrades to the last year's models.
All the new Galaxy S21 models have a new and improved display panels that offer better peak brightness and now also offer 120 hz refresh rate at maximum resolution.
The S21 and S21+ feature a Full HD+ display and the Ultra has a QHD+ panel. All of them feature a more durable Gorilla Glass Victus on top of the panels, and peak brightness hits 1300 nits on S21 and S21+, and 1500 nits on the Ultra.
As you might guess, there are some size differences. The S21 display is 6.2" while the S21+ display is 6.7" and the Ultra measures at 6.8", which means that S21 and S21+ display size remained the same while Ultra got tiny bit smaller from last year. It is worth mentioning, however, that the Ultra does now support S Pen.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and S Pen
All the models got a larger, 1.7x to be exact, fingerprint sensor underneath the display.
The S21 is the only model to rely on polycarbonates in construction, while the other two have a glass and metal build. All of them have IP68 waterproofing.
Battery size varies from 4000 mAh of the S21 and 4800 mAh of the S21+ up to 5000mAh of the Ultra. To improve battery life, Samsung has also implemented a variable refresh rate that automatically adjust the display from 10hz all the way to 120hz depending on the needs of the application and system.
SoC has been upgraded to 5 nanometer chips, Exynos 2100 (international variant) or Snapdragon 888 (US variant), depending on the market. As for the storage and RAM options here's what you've got:
- Samsung Galaxy S21: 8/128GB, 8/256GB
- Samsung Galaxy S21+: 8/128GB, 8/256GB
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: 12/128GB, 12/256GB, 16/512GB
Unfortunately there is no microSD slot anymore, so you'll have to do with what you've got in terms of storage.
In terms of the camera, the setup changes quite a bit between the S21/S21+ and the Ultra, quite like last year. The former two have a triple camera setup including a 12 MP regular shooter (f/1.8, OIS), a 12 MP ultrawide with 120 degree view, and a 64 MP telephoto with 3x hybrid zoom.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra camera setup
Ultra on the other hand replaces the default shooter with a 108 MP (f/1.8, OIS) camera and adds another 10x telephoto to go with the ultrawide and 3x telephoto.
In terms of selfie cameras, the first two have a 10 MP camera and Ultra features a whopping 40 MP selfie shooter.
Pre-orders have started today and the sales start officially on the 29th of this month. The prices start at $799 (S21), $999 (S21+), and $1199 (S21 Ultra).
Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung Galaxy S21+
Written by: Matti Robinson @ 14 Jan 2021 14:20
