Samsung Galaxy S21 Flagship Smartphone Range Announced With Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ & Galaxy S21 Ultra

Left to right: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S21+, Samsung Galaxy S21

Samsung has today introduced its latest line-up of flagship smartphones which features the Samsung Galaxy S21, Samsung Galaxy S21+ and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

The all-new Galaxy S series has had a design update as well as a rework of some of the camera specs previously seen on the Galaxy S20 series which includes introducing an improved optical zoom and 8K video capture.

Before we take a closer look at what's new, here's a comparison table so you can quickly see what's new and how each of the Samsung Galaxy smartphones in the S21 range compare.  

Left to right: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S21+, Samsung Galaxy S21 (colour options)
 

The Cameras

Both the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ stick with the familiar triple rear camera set-up both offering a 12MP Ultra-Wide, 12MP Wide and 64MP Telephoto cameras but the Ultra, which is the flagship of the flagships, features a Quad rear camera set-up. This includes a 12MP Ultra-Wide and 108MP Wide cameras supported by a dual-tele zoom system which features two telephoto 10MP lenses that offer 10x or 3x optical zoom, switching depending on what you are photographing. 

Commenting on Samsung's focus when developing the camera for the Galaxy S21 series, KJ Kim, Chief Technology Officer, EVP & Head of Mobile R&D Office, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics said: "At Samsung, our goal is to help everyone take pro-quality photos and videos, no matter if you are in a low or bright light environment, near or far away from the subject.

When innovating the camera for the Galaxy S21 series, we focused on capturing the best, high-quality photos and videos at any time, making it easy for consumers to enjoy professional-looking, cinematic results powered by improved on-device AI.

There is a lot of new technology and innovation required to achieve this and it starts with our most advanced image sensor. We also built the Galaxy S21 Ultra with our most advanced pro-grade camera system. It raises the bar for professional photographers and tech enthusiasts looking for the best in mobile camera performance and future-proof innovations."

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Camera Features:

• Ultra-Wide 12MP Dual Pixel F/2.2
• Wide 108MP PD AF, f/1.8, OIS
• Tele 1 – 10MP Dual Pixel f/2.4, 3x zoom, OIS
• Tele2 – 10MP Dual Pixel f/4.9, 10x zoom, OIS
• Laser AF

The pro-grade camera in the Galaxy S21 Ultra also features Phase Detection Auto Focus, OIS, AF, 64x richer colour, 3x wider dynamic range and 12-Bit RAW files. It's also the first Samsung Galaxy smartphone to offer 4K filming across all lenses at 60fps. 

Low light photography should be improved as there's a faster, brighter night sensor built-in with better noise reduction and images captured are 25% brighter, in general, when compared with the Galaxy S20. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Camera Mode Enhancements  

All three Galaxy S21 smartphones feature improved AI technology which, more than ever, means you can 'point, shoot and let the smartphone do the rest' and one of the best ways the Galaxy range does this is with the Single Take mode which has been improved (Single Take 2.0) to offer 5x more AI processing along with a new dynamic slo-mo mode and a highlight real. 

Portrait mode has been improved with AI-powered 3D analysis for better depth of field, among other things, and Space Zoom is promised to capture clearer/steadier shots with a new zoom lock that's designed to minimise shake. 

Video can be captured in 8K which you can also use to grab high-res photos from with the all-new motion view which captures footage just before and after you hit the shutter button. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Video Like A Pro

For those who enjoy shooting and editing videos with their smartphones, there's an all-new Director's View mode which gives you multi-angle views via live thumbnails so you can preview and change the camera lens you're capturing video with live so you don't have to make as many cuts when editing. You can also capture video with the front and rear cameras at the same time. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

New Design & Colour Option

Displays remain large and impressive ranging from 6.2" to 6.8" and they sit in a newly designed smartphone body which features a contour cut camera design that blends into the metal frame, wrapping around the edge of the smartphone. A new matt finish is also applied and there's new Phantom Violet colour option, too. 

The cameras sit stacked on the left-hand side in a unit that sits much closer to the smartphone's body which has the familiar curved corners/edges and almost bezel-free design. As seen on previous Galaxy smartphones, the front-facing camera sits in a screen cutout, so there's no top bezel and you won't see a chin either. 

Apart from the new camera unit design, the Galaxy S21 range looks as you'd expect a modern smartphone series to look nowadays (don't fix won't ain't broken, right?). 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

As for other features, a 4000mAh, 4800mAh or 5000mAh battery is built-in which supports wireless, super-fast & fast charging and 8GB + 128/256GB (S21 & S21+) & 12/16GB + 128/256/512GB (Ultra) RAM/ROM options are available. The S-Pen is also now available on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, something which was only available on the Note series previously. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Price & Availability 

All three smartphones in the new S21 range will be available from 29 January 2021 with the following SRPs:

• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from £1149
• Samsung Galaxy S21+ from £949
• Samsung Galaxy S21 from £769

We'll be putting the new Smartphone Galaxy S21 range to the test as soon as review samples are available but for now, why not take a look at our Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G Smartphone Review? Or, peruse our 'Top 21 Best Camera Phones For Photography' where the Galaxy Note 10+ still sits in the 'number 1' spot.  
 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Photos of Equipment

Samsung Galaxy S21+ Photos of Equipment

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G Photos of Equipment