South Korean smartphone company, Samsung, has officially announced the Galaxy S21 series globally. Samsung has launched three models in the series- the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S21+ and the Galaxy S21 Ultra, as successors to last year's Galaxy S20, S20+ and the S20 Ultra. Like the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, Samsung has saved major upgrades for the Galaxy S21 Ultra; The premium model in the Galaxy S21 series now has S-Pen support and the only device in the series with Quad HD+ display. Samsung has downgraded the display on Galaxy S21 and S21+ devices to Full HD+, and the former even has a plastic back. Samsung even removed the microSD card slot on all the phones. As usual, the Galaxy S21 series are powered by Snapdragon 888 5G in the United States, whereas the global markets will get Exynos 2100 SoC.
Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+: Specifications and Features
Starting with the Galaxy S21, the phone sports a 6.2-inch Full HD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio and HDR10+ support. The S21+ gets a 6.7-inch Full HD+ display with the same 120Hz refresh rate and 20:9 aspect ratio. At the heart of the phones, we have the Snapdragon 888 5G/Exynos 2100 5G chipsets, depending on where you live. Both the phones come with 8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Samsung has included the same triple camera setup on both the phones. The primary 12MP sensor has an f/1.8 aperture, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). The secondary 12MP sensor has an ultra-wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture, and the third sensor is a 64MP one with f/3.0 aperture and 5X optical zoom support. The phones can record 8K videos at 30 fps and 4K videos at 60 fps. To the front, there's a 10MP snapper with f/1.7 aperture.
Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC and GPS. They run Android 11-based OneUI 3.0 out of the box. The Galaxy S21 measures 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm and weighs only 172 grams thanks to the plastic body. The Galaxy S21+ measures 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8mm and weighs 202 grams because of the glass body. Both the phones offer in-display fingerprint scanner, IP68 water and dust resistance, stereo speakers and a USB Type-C port is present on the bottom of the phones.
Lastly, the Galaxy S21 has a 4000mAh battery and the S21+ gets a bigger 4800mAh battery. Both the devices offer USB-C PD3.0, 25W fast charging and wireless charging features.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Specifications and Features
The S21 Ultra is the premium phone in the series. It flaunts a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED screen with 20:9 aspect ratio, HDR10+ support and Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The phone comes with Snapdragon 888 5G/Exynos 2100 5G SoC, paired with 12GB/16GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. This phone also lacks a microSD card slot.
As for the cameras, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a quad-camera setup on the back comprising of 108MP primary sensor with f/18 aperture, 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, 10MP telephoto shooter with 3X optical zoom, and another 10MP telephoto shooter with 10x optical zoom support completes the setup. The Galaxy S21 Ultra can record 8K videos at 24 fps and 4K videos at 60 fps. There's a 40MP selfie snapper on the front.
This phone also runs Android 11-based OneUI 3.0 out of the box. The Galaxy S21 Ultra measures 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm and weighs 228 grams. It is backed by a 5000mAh battery and supports 25W fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Series: Pricing Detailed
The Galaxy S21 comes in various colour options- Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, and it starts at USD 799 (approx. Rs 58,700). The Galaxy S21+ will retail for USD 999 (approx. Rs 73,300) in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver and Phantom Violet colour options. The Galaxy S21 Ultra will be available at a starting price of USD 1199 (approx. Rs 87,800) in Phantom Black and Phantom Silver colour options. India pricing details are not yet revealed as of this writing.
