Samsung kickstarted 2021 with the highly anticipated launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. Since then, it has proved to be a winner. Shortly after January's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event which took place during CES, we got our hands on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra which picked up a 5-star rating, it was later crowned the Best Phone at the T3 Awards 2021. Not long after that, I tested out the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus which I rated 4 stars. Both had plenty to boast about including stunning screens and feature-packed cameras, as well as eye-watering price tags to match.
Not everyone wants to fork out $1,000 or more on a phone though, and I can’t blame them, especially considering most of us keep a phone for a couple of years before upgrading again. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is the cheapest in the range, and while it may not be the leader of the pack, it has certainly been one to watch this year. It's a scaled-back version of the phone, which ultimately makes it cheaper and much more accessible.
PRICE AND WHAT’S NEW
Directly from Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is available with 128GB of storage for $799.99 in the US, £769 in the UK and AU$1,099 in Australia. You can also buy it with 256GB storage for $849.99 / £819 / AU$1,199.
Samsung has refreshed the look and feel of the phone, getting rid of the curved screen and standalone rear camera notch on the back of the Samsung Galaxy S20, replacing it with a flat display with a camera module that's integrated into the frame. I’m not convinced it actually looks better, I prefer the design of the Galaxy S20, but that’s for you to decide. Elsewhere, the resolution of the display is lower than it was before going from 1440 x 3200p (QHD) down to 1080 x 2400p (FHD+) although Samsung has kept the 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support.
Other than that, the phones are largely the same. The camera hardware is pretty much identical, and despite having different chipsets, their processing power is similar too. Both phones use a 4,000mAh battery and 25W charging, as well as having the potential for wireless charging. So whether the newer handset is an improvement on its predecessor or not is debatable.
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