Samsung’s three new Galaxy S21 smartphones go on sale starting today. They have a striking new back, but there is much more to say about the S21 phones. We list them.
Samsung today released three versions of its most important phone of the year. The 6.2-inch Galaxy S21, the 6.7-inch Galaxy S21 Plus and the 6.8-inch Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Faster, more economical screens
Samsung already made the refresh rate of its phones’ screens faster with the Galaxy S20: they went from 60Hz to 120Hz. That looks and feels smoother, because the frame rate is double what you’re used to. But that higher speed also costs more power, so it was off by default on the S20.
With the new Galaxy S21, Samsung has found the solution to that. The screens use Adaptive Refresh Rate: the screen speed is adjusted to what the user is doing. If you scroll through menus or sites, everything flows by at 120 frames per second. If you watch a video, the speed goes to 60Hz: the frame rate of most videos, and it saves battery.
The S21 and S21 Plus can go from 120Hz in steps to 48Hz, and the S21 Ultra can even go all the way down to 10Hz. This saves the battery even more, and when reading an e-book, for example, the low speed is also pleasant for your eyes. These are the best smartphone screens today: colorful, excellent HDR performance with high peak brightness and a choice of color profiles.
Unique, fashionable back
From the front, almost all phones look alike, but even those backs are becoming more and more uniform. Samsung has decided to turn the “camera island” with multiple lenses into a kind of peninsula.
The camera surface is not separate from the edge, but rather runs into it. Made of the same material as the bezel, in the same color: gold, silver, rose or black. Samsung has not tried to hide the cameras, but rather to accentuate them. And that’s okay, because:
Excellent camera systems
The Galaxy S21 has excellent camera systems. The real camera freak should go for the S21 Ultra. Four lenses: a main lens with 108 megapixels, a 12 megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens and two telephoto lenses with 10 megapixels, one of which has 10x optical zoom.
That optical zoom makes all the difference: you take photos that were not normally possible with a smartphone. Especially combined with the night mode of the S21: make a close-up of the moon, full screen and with the craters in the picture. Also, the Ultra has a laser to focus with. Great for things that move quickly, but also to take a macro photo at very close range.
The S21 and S21 Plus do not have an optical zoom lens, but they do have greatly improved camera software. You notice this, for example, at night: the night photos are increasingly impressive, with more detail, much less noise and a more natural result.
Ultra-wideband
In addition to WiFi and Bluetooth, the S21 phones also support a new wireless standard. Ultra-wideband is a new technology that makes the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra very future-proof. For example, with ultra-wideband you can not only see that there is another device near you, but also where it is. It’s almost like a modern radar for gadgets.
What can you do with it? Open new cars, for example. The S21 Plus and S21 Ultra work as a car key for new models from Audi, BMW and Ford, among others. Handy so you don’t have to carry your keys with you, but also when lending out your car. The first models that use this technology will not appear until next year.
You can also use it now: with ultra-wideband, you can also find the Samsung SmartTags more easily. The search tags you attach to your keys, for example. If you lose them, you can see on your phone not only that they are nearby, but also in which direction you should be looking.
Lower prices
Smartphones have become increasingly expensive in recent years. Samsung is breaking with that tradition: with a price starting at 849 euros, the Galaxy S21 is about 150 euros cheaper than the new price of the S20 last year. The S21 Plus and S21 Ultra are also a bit cheaper than their predecessors, which is good news for everyone.
