On January 14th, Samsung presented its new flagship models of the Galaxy S series. I have summarized the five most important innovations in the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra for you below. Where did Samsung put the correction pen?
From 10 to 21 in just three years - Samsung has introduced the latest iteration of its Galaxy S series and presented the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra as part of its Unpacked event . The question of whether the new cell phones actually offer improvements compared to their predecessors is particularly important this year.
When looking at the date, it is noticeable that Samsung did not introduce the Galaxy S21 a year, but almost 11 months later than the S20. Samsung told us in advance that the devices were simply ready a little earlier. Since the MWC in 2021 will not take place in February but only in June, Samsung did not have to wait for the important trade fair in Barcelona. Instead, Samsung oriented itself more towards the period of CES 2021 , even if the event was not officially part of the trade fair.
But enough of the preliminary skirmish, you are probably only interested in the features of the new devices anyway. In the following I will go into the five most important differences to the predecessor - you can find an overview of all the new features of the Galaxy S21 series .
Innovation No. 1: New design with dog-ear camera hump
Without taking the wind out of the sails right from the start: The really decisive innovation compared to the Samsung Galaxy S20 is the design. Because Samsung really came up with something for the back this year. The camera hump, which on the Galaxy S20 still protrudes a little from the case on all sides, slides into the upper left corner of the case this year. This positioning is somewhat reminiscent of a dog's ear, as if the display glass had been turned over to the back at one corner.
The camera hump in the Samsung Galaxy S20 fell off on all sides towards the back of the smartphone.
If you look at the new smartphones from behind, this arrangement actually looks a little more subtle than the mountain that protruded from the back of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, for example. However, the hump doesn't really look smaller in the first pictures and that could become a problem. Because Samsung pulls up a piece of the edge of the housing at the level of the camera by positioning the camera. There the cell phone is of course very thick and at the same time I suspect a considerable risk of tipping over with all devices if the cell phone is on its back.
Innovation No. 2: Polycarbonate is also finding its way into the Galaxy S series
In many places, the outcry was great when Samsung presented the Galaxy Note 20 with a back made of polycarbonate for 949 euros in 2020. Critics like our editor Antoine saw it as a rip-off , as the manufacture of a plastic housing in production is cheaper than using glass elements. Others, on the other hand, welcome the plastic backs, as they are both more unbreakable and a little more slip-proof. Regardless of what you prefer in a cell phone: The new plastic trend is also finding its way into the Galaxy S series.
However, only in the Samsung Galaxy S21 - not something in the Plus or Ultra model. Here Samsung relies on the extremely shatterproof Gorilla Glass Victus and possibly offers a bit more premium feeling. In the preliminary discussion, however, Samsung assured us that the polycarbonate used is also a high-quality material. We can only find out how high-quality it feels in the end in the test. So it remains exciting!
Innovation no. 3: No charger included
Another measure that has been speculated in advance in many places is removing the charger from the delivery box. Yes, with all new devices in the Galaxy S series you have to do without a charger. Samsung also refrains from offering an alternative with a charger at the same price , like Xiaomi in the Mi 11, and rather follows the example of Apple, which caused a sensation with the same savings strategy in the latest iPhone 12 .
Survey on the topic: Are manufacturers kidding us if they leave out the chargers?
According to Samsung, this could save 29,000 tons of electronic waste per year, since most customers already have a suitable charger in their home. However, the manufacturer uses the costs that Samsung saves to make the devices a little cheaper. The Galaxy S21 costs almost 50 euros less than the S20 when it was launched and the Ultra model is even a whopping 200 euros.
Innovation No. 4: No memory expansion despite 8K video recordings
In my opinion, the slight price difference does not deserve to be included in the list of innovations. Because we would have to disregard Samsung's omission, which I find much more critical than the price advantage is good: Because none of the new Galaxy devices can be expanded in the memory via a micro SD card . The S21 and S21 Plus have a maximum of 256 gigabytes of storage space - the S21 Ultra has a maximum of 512 gigabytes.
The high video resolutions could become a problem without additional memory.
This could be problematic insofar as Samsung supports the recording of 8K recordings across the board in all devices. Of course, not only does the resolution of a video determine the size of the resulting video file, but more pixels usually also mean more space on the hard drive. And experience has shown that the bit rates in the video files of smartphones are not exactly low, which could make the 8K videos of the new devices real memory hogs. Of course, we still have to look at this with reservations, as we can only measure the size in a practical test. But to deny users the purchase of storage and then only offer a maximum of 256 gigabytes in two devices is a failure compared to the S20.
Innovation No. 5: Own S Pen - but only in the Ultra model
Of course, the first-time compatibility of the Galaxy models with Samsung's operating pen, the S Pen, should not go unmentioned. But I don't really dare to make this statement so loudly and therefore it is only mentioned as the last innovation in this article. This is due to a few points of criticism that, in my opinion, can be made without trying it out.
On the one hand, the S Pen is only compatible with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, as Samsung has installed an additional display layer from the manufacturer Wacom here. This means that the entry threshold for those users who have always wanted to use a cell phone with an S Pen has not fallen, since the cell phone is considerably more expensive than the Note 20 with an RRP of at least 1,249 euros. The Galaxy Note 20 is still there the cheapest Samsung phone with stylus.
The S Pen is missing compared to the Note and even the Galaxy Tab S6 and S7
On the other hand, the use of the new S Pen is likely to be more cumbersome and less extensive, as the S21 Ultra lacks a slot for the stylus. Yes, it can increase in size because it only needs to be placed in optional covers and not in the device - Samsung doesn't really take advantage of the size advantage, as the pen lacks Bluetooth. Practical features such as the remote release for the camera or the very useful gestures of the Note series are missing. However, at its Unpacked event, Samsung mentioned that there will be a Pro version of the S Pen with Bluetooth capabilities later this year. When exactly the better pen will come is currently unclear.
Aside from my top 5, there is of course more news in Samsung's new line-up. For example, a better processor, which has yet to assert itself in the practical test, or new camera features that currently look at least promising.
How do you rate the new features of the Galaxy models? Am I completely wrong about the weighting of my highlight changes or do you agree with me? Let's talk a little about the new models in the comments!
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