With the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, Samsung is clearly aiming at buyers who want a well-rounded phone without too many compromises. Here is our take on what it brings to the table. Announced in 2021, January 14, it arrives at a time when the competition is as tight as ever.
Design & Display
The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G comes with a 6.2 inches, 94.1 cm 2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio) display, pushing a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density). Colours look punchy and text stays clean, so you will not have much to complain about here. In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G keeps things modern and comfortable to hold. You can pick it up in a few finishes, including Phantom Gray.
Performance & Software
Under the hood you will find the Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - International Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China, paired with 6GB of RAM. That combination should handle day-to-day multitasking and most games without breaking a sweat. It runs Android 11, up to 4 major OS updates, One UI 7 out of the box, so the software experience feels current.
Camera
On the camera side, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is led by a 12 MP main sensor (12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (teleph…). Expect solid detail in good light, with the usual softness creeping in once the sun goes down.
Battery
Keeping the lights on is a Li-Ion 4000 mAh cell, and that is a healthy number that keeps range anxiety at bay.
Our Opinion
After spending time with the spec sheet and what Samsung is promising, here is where we land. Samsung has clearly gone for substance over gimmicks here, and we respect that approach. It gets the basics right, offering 5G connectivity, a dependable main camera, a crisp display, which is exactly what most buyers are really after. For someone who simply wants a dependable daily driver that will not let them down halfway through the day, this ticks a lot of boxes. There are rivals that beat it in one area or another, as is always the case in this segment. But taken as a whole, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is a sensible, well-judged choice that should keep most users happy for a good while. If you have used this device or are planning to pick one up, do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
