Samsung unveiled the flagship Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup on February 09, 2022, which consists of 3 models: the base Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and the flagship Galaxy S21 Ultra. As usually Exynos-based processors are sold in Europe, while Snapdragon-powered ones are in USA. The storage subsystem got a minor upgrade to UFS 3.1 from last year's UFS 3.0, but for the price of an external MicroSD card slot, which is not supported anymore. The entire line runs on the Android 11 operating system with the updated One UI 3.1 shell which can be updated to version Android 13 and One UI 5.0 respectively. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the specs, reviews, and prices of the Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup and see what sets it apart from its predecessors.
Samsung Galaxy S21
Platform
OS: Android 13CPU: Exynos 2100 (Global)
CPU: Snapdragon 888 (USA)
Memory
8/128, 8/256External card: no
Size
6.2", 171 g, 5.96 oz151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 in
Battery
4000 mAhMain camera
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm
Video modes
8K@24fps4K@30/60fps
1080p@30/60/240fps
720p@960fps
Selfie camera
10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µmVideo modes
4K@30/60fps1080p@30fps
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is the next iteration of the popular S20 lineup. It builds on the foundations of the S20, with a sleek and stylish design, featuring a 6.2-inch display. This year Samsung decided that 12GB of RAM is not needed in the base model and instead offered less RAM and more storage option: 8/256GB.
Compared to the S20, the S21 is slightly heavier and has slightly different dimensions, but keeps the same screen size.
Samsung Galaxy S21+
Platform
OS: Android 13CPU: Exynos 2100 (Global)
CPU: Snapdragon 888 (USA)
Memory
8/128, 8/256External card: no
Size
6.7", 202 g (7.05 oz)161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm
6.36 x 2.98 x 0.31 in
Battery
4800 mAhMain camera
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm, 1/1.72", 0.8µm
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1/2.55", 1.4µm
Video modes
8K@24fps4K@30/60fps
1080p@30/60/240fps
720p@960fps
Selfie camera
10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µmVideo modes
4K@30/60fps1080p@30fps
The Samsung Galaxy S21+ is a bigger brother version of the standard Samsung Galaxy S21. It has a slightly larger 6.7" screen, compared to the 6.2", which is allowed to use a 4800 mAh battery, while S21 has only 4000 mAh battery capacity due to its smaller phone size.
When comparing the Samsung Galaxy S21+ to the previous year`s Samsung Galaxy S20+, there is only a difference in battery capacity. As already mentioned S21+ uses a slightly bigger 4800 mAh battery, compared to the 4500 mAh battery in the S20+. Overall, the S21+ is a slight upgrade from the S20+ with improved battery and storage capabilities.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Platform
OS: Android 13CPU: Exynos 2100 (Global)
CPU: Snapdragon 888 (USA)
Memory
12/128, 12/256, 12/51216/256, 16/512
External card: no
Size
6.8", 229 g (8.01 oz)165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
6.5 x 2.98 x 0.35 in
Battery
5000 mAhMain camera
108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm
10 MP, f/2.4, 72mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm
Video modes
8K@24fps4K@30/60fps
1080p@30/60/240fps
720p@960fps
Selfie camera
40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1/2.8", 0.7µmVideo modes
4K@30/60fps1080p@30fps
The Samsung S21 Ultra is a top-of-the-line company flagship. When comparing the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra to the Samsung Galaxy S21+, there are several key differences to take note of. Firstly, the S21 Ultra features a larger 6.8" display, compared to the S21+ which has a 6.7" screen. Additionally, the S21 Ultra has a more advanced camera system, including a quad-camera setup with 100x Space Zoom capability, while the S21+ only has a triple-camera setup with a lesser zoom capability. Another difference is the S21 Ultra has an option for 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the S21+ has a max configuration of 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
If we compare Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra to the previous year`s Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the biggest difference is the camera system. The S21 Ultra features a more advanced camera system, including a quad-camera setup with 100x Space Zoom capability, while the S20 Ultra only has a triple-camera setup with a lesser zoom capability. Additionally, the S21 Ultra has a slightly more compact design, with a 6.8" display compared to the S20 Ultra`s 6.9" screen.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Platform
OS: Android 13CPU: Exynos 2100 (Global)
CPU: Snapdragon 888 (USA)
Memory
6/128, 8/128, 8/256External card: no
Size
6.4", 177 g (6.24 oz)155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm
6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 in
Battery
4500 mAhMain camera
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm
Video modes
4K@30/60fps1080p@30/60/120/240fps
720@960fps
Selfie camera
32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µmVideo modes
4K@30/60fps1080p@30/60fps
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a more budget-friendly version of the high-end Galaxy S21 series. It has a 6.4" display, while the S21 has a slightly smaller 6.2" one. The bigger phone size allowed to use larger 4500mAh battery, compared to the 4000mAh battery in the S21.
When comparing the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, the only difference is a bit smaller 6.4" screen, compared to the 6.5" used before.