After a predictably pre-launch season, Samsung has officially unveiled its first flagship smartphones for 2021: the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
The trio succeed last year's Galaxy S20 family, and make a few rather surprising changes. The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ have moved away from Quad HD+ curved screens to 1080p+ flat displays, and the S21 has a plastic back. This does however mean every phone in the S21 line-up is a little bit cheaper than last year's models.
The Galaxy S21 now starts at $1,249, while the S20 started at $1,349. Notably, every Galaxy S21 model has 5G out of the box, while you'd be paying $1,499 for a Galaxy S20 5G at launch last year.
Here's the complete outright pricing the for Galaxy S21 range:
- Samsung Galaxy S21 (128GB): $1,249
- Samsung Galaxy S21 (256GB): $1,349
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ (128GB): $1,549
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ (256GB): $1,649
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (128GB): $1,849
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (256GB): $1,949
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (512GB): $2,149
Before we get stuck into the nitty gritty, here's the important stuff. You'll be able to pre-order all three Galaxy S21 devices from today ahead of a January 29 release date. You can pre-order on a plan from Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and Woolworths Mobile, or outright from major retailers including Samsung, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and Amazon.
Every telco is ranging every single Galaxy S21 configuration, other than Telstra, which doesn't have the 512GB available for customers.
Customers who pre-order the Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S21+ will get a bonus pair of wire-free Galaxy Buds Live valued at $319. Customers who pre-order the Galaxy S21 Ultra will get a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro instead, Samsung's newly noise-cancelling wire-free buds. These are valued at $349.
There are also a few telco specific pre-order bonuses. If you pre-order any S21 device on Telstra's $115 plan, you'll get a $50 credit each month for your first 12 months, representing a saving of $600. Since Telstra's plans are contract-free, you can always drop down to a lower plan tier after your discount expires. Telstra is also offering a credit as a large as $600 if you trade in an eligible Samsung device.
Woolworths Mobile is offering a $200 discount on the entire S21 family. This works to be an $8.33 per month saving on a 24-month term, or a $5.55 per month saving on a 36-month term.
Vodafone is offering extra trade-in credit for customers who pre-order any Galaxy S21 model. If you trade-in an eligible device when you pre-order, you'll get a bonus $500 credit on top of your device's value.
Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+
The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ are a bit of a departure from Samsung's recent flagships. Curved displays have been eschewed for a flat screen, and the standard S21's back is matte plastic, rather than glass. (It feels almost identical to the matte glass on the S21+, however.) Samsung has also gotten a bit weird with the camera bump, with a new design that spills over the edge. It's a clear shift from the more squared-off floating camera bumps we saw in the S20 family last year.
Of course, not everything has changed. The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ measure in at the same size as last year's models, rocking 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively. Screen resolution has dropped to 1080p+, rather than Quad HD+, but the S20 family defaulted to 1080p+ out of the box anyway.
Once again, the S21 family has 120Hz screens. A conventional smartphone has a 60Hz refresh rate. This means the panel on a conventional smartphone can display 60 images per second, versus 120 images per second on Galaxy S21 devices. This makes all motion on the phone look smoother - something that should be especially noticeable when it comes to animations and scrolling through apps.
The camera setup is also fairly similar to what we saw on the S20. The pair of S21 devices share a rear-facing camera setup made up of a 12MP primary lens, a 64MP telephoto lens capable of 3x hybrid-optical zoom, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens.
As with the iPhone 12 family, you won't find a wall charger or headphones in the box. Neither the Galaxy S21 nor Galaxy S21+ have expandable storage.
Once again, outright pricing for the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ is as follows:
- Samsung Galaxy S21 (128GB): $1,249
- Samsung Galaxy S21 (256GB): $1,349
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ (128GB): $1,549
- Samsung Galaxy S21+ (256GB): $1,649
You can grab the Galaxy S21 in a choice of Phantom Grey, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, and Phantom Pink, or the Galaxy S21+ in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Violet. The Galaxy S21+ will also be available in Phantom Red and Phantom Gold, but exclusively through Samsung's online store. Delivery for these exclusive colours may take up to five weeks, however.
Pre-orders start at 9am AEDT today ahead of a January 29 release date.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung once again has an "Ultra" model available for those who a standard Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S21+ isn't enough for.
The biggest difference between the Galaxy S1 Ultra and its less ultra siblings is the camera. The phone has a massive 108MP primary lens, the same 12MP ultra-wide lens you'll find on the S21 and the S21+, a 10MP 3x optical zoom lens, and a 10MP 10x optical zoom lens. This makes it one of the first phones to hit Australian shores with multiple zoom lenses.
As with last year's Galaxy S20 Ultra, the S21 Ultra is capable of up to 100x digital zoom. Based on experience with last year's model, the feature will be rather circumstantial, Even a tiny shake of your hand is magnified significantly as you zoom in with a camera, so even the slightest movement can entirely change the composition of your shot. The longer range zoom lens should help improve the quality of deeper zoom images, however.
Other than the camera setup, the Galaxy S21 Ultra isn't too different to the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+, just bigger, in almost every way. It has a 5,000mAh battery, 40MP selfie camera, and a 6.8 -inch display.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra does however have support for Samsung's iconic S Pen, which is available as an optional $59 accessory. While there's nowhere to stow the S Pen in the Galaxy S21 Ultra's body, Samsung will sell at least two cases with stylus storage onboard. The S Pen will be included with these cases, but we don't have local pricing for these yet.
Once again, you won't find a wall charger or headphones in the box. The Galaxy S21 Ultra also doesn't have expandable storage.
Outright pricing for the Galaxy S21 Ultra is as follows:
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (128GB): $1,849
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (256GB): $1,949
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (512GB): $2,149
The Galaxy S21 Ultra will be available in a choice of Phantom Black and Phantom Silver. You'll also be able to get in Phantom Navy, Phantom Brown, and Phantom Titanium exclusive through the Samsung online store. Delivery for these exclusive colours may take up to five weeks, however.
Pre-orders start at 9am AEDT today ahead of a January 29 release date.
Here's how the three models compare:
Samsung Galaxy S21 specifications
| Galaxy S21 | Galaxy S21+ | Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.2-inch OLED | 6.7-inch OLED | 6.8-inch OLED |
| Resolution | 1080p+ | 1080p+ | Quad HD |
| Rear Cameras | 12MP + 64MP + 12MP | 12MP + 64MP + 12MP | 108MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP |
| Front Camera | 10MP | 10MP | 40MP |
| Processor | Exynos 2100 | Exynos 2100 | Exynos 2100 |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 12GB or 16GB |
| Storage | 128GB or 256GB | 128GB or 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB |
| Battery | 4,000mAh | 4,800mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Water-Resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Back | Plastic | Glass | Glass |
| 5G | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price | From $1,249 | From $1,549 | From $1,849 |
Alex Choros
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