Samsung has officially revealed its trio of Galaxy S21 devices and pre-orders are kicking off today. In the lead up to the launch, I managed to get about an hour of hands on time with the manufacturer's first flagship phones for 2021 and I came away feeling cautiously optimistic.
Of course, an hour isn't a lot of time to spend with any new device. There are still plenty of unknowns. I've got no idea how the battery will fare on any phones, and I was only able to tinker with the camera in a limited environment. I was impressed by what I saw, however.
Let's start with build quality. Samsung has made the rather unusual decision of eschewing glass for a matte plastic back on the standard Galaxy S21, or as it would say, polycarbonate. While plastic is often considered cheap, the Galaxy S21 certainly doesn't feel it. I couldn't pick much of a difference between it and the glass-backed Galaxy S21+. There's still a reassuring heft to the phone, and the materials used aren't cutting corners. This isn't the same kind of plastic we saw back on the Galaxy S5. More importantly, the finishes Samsung has gone with mask fingerprints well. A splattering of smudges is a quick way to make a premium device feel anything but.
Samsung's use of plastic is also a win for durability. Glass backs shatter. Plastic backs don't. And hey, if you’re not a fan, you can always wrap your S21 in a case. Which is probably a smart decision, regardless.
The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ also ditch the curved screens of their predecessors in favour of a more conventional flat display. As novel as a curved screen is, flat has always been my preference. You don't have to deal with issues like colour distortion on the edges or false touches.
Better yet, these changes mean the Galaxy S21 family comes in cheaper than last year's models. The 5G-ready Galaxy S21 starts at $1,249 outright. For comparison, you were looking at $1,349 for a 4G Galaxy S20 at launch last year, or a $1,499 for the 5G model. If cutting glass backs and curved edges are what it takes to make a more affordable phone, I'm very here for it.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra still reps a curved display, and is easily the most Samsung of the three new flagships. While there's been some restraint shown with the S21 and S21+, that's gone out the window with the Ultra. This is most evident in the camera setup, which has not one but two telephoto lenses: a 3x optical and a 10x optical. In my brief hands on, I was surprised by the clarity the pair offered - especially in a point and shoot situation (in a well-lit environment). Here's a 10x zoom sample:
One area I have some concerns is lowlight photography. While both the S21 and S21 Ultra can take great photos with adequate light, I found performance a tad lacking in a rather dark corridor I had access to during the hands on session. Both phones - which have a different primary lens, a 12MP on the S21 and a 108MP on the S21 Ultra - exhibited a noticeable amount of noise in the images I took. For comparison, the photo I took with my iPhone 12 Pro Max had barely any. Here are the images:
Of course, I only had access to one lowlight environment, so it's possible there are other situations the S21s perform better in. I'm definitely not ready to make a final call on this, but I'll be very curious to see just how Samsung's latest stack up to the iPhone 12 family and the Pixel 5 in more tests.
While I can't speak to battery life, Samsung has made a rather promising change. The trio of S21 devices are powered by Samsung's new in-house Exynos 2100 processor, which features an integrated 5G modem. Last year's devices had the 5G modem as a separate component. One of the big benefits of an integrated modem is power efficiency, which is paramount given how demanding 5G can be. I'll obviously reserve my final verdict on battery life for when I've had proper time with the devices, but I want to believe.
Overall, the Galaxy S21 family is a promising start to the year for Samsung. The compromises Samsung has made are similar to its approach to the Galaxy S20 FE, which was easily its best phone last year. After all, a plastic back and flat screens are hardly deal breakers. The Galaxy S21 family is a show of restraint, that seemingly focuses on the essentials rather than adding features for the sake of something new. And given how much smartphone prices have skyrocketed over the last few years, it's reassuring to see a manufacturer take a step in the other direction.
We'll be aiming to have a full review of the Galaxy S21 devices in the coming weeks.
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