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Samsung's annual Unpacked event is taking place a fleck earlier than usual this year, just the company's new flagship Galaxy S phones are official nonetheless. As expected, at that place are three devices in the S21 family. All iii devices accept the latest Snapdragon 888 ARM bit, lower price tags, and no included charger.

The Basics

Samsung caught substantial flack terminal yr for the exorbitant pricing of the S20 series, and this year it'south doing something nearly information technology. The S21 family is still not cheap, but all three models are getting a $200 toll cut compared with last year. That means the S21 volition starting time at just $800. Granted, Samsung has moved to a plastic back and 1080p display (6.2-inch, 120Hz) for the smallest S21 telephone, merely this is still a very competitive price when you consider the specs.

The S21+ gets a slightly larger 6.7-inch 1080p 120Hz screen, and the S21 Ultra is just a hair larger at 6.8 inches, just it'south higher resolution. The S21+ will cost $ane,000, and the S21 Ultra is $ane,200. Both of these phones have a glass back panel.

Below the surface, these three devices are very similar. They all have the new Snapdragon 888 chip, Wi-Fi 6, universal 5G (mmWave and sub-vi), 25W charging, wireless charging, IP68, and an improved in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The S21 and S21+ have 8GB of RAM and 128-256GB of storage, just the S21 Ultra has 12-16GB and up to 512GB of storage. That's just one of several notable upgrades for Samsung's new premium flagship, merely there's a downgrade, as well: no more than microSD card slots.

Battery chapters ranges from 4000mAh in the baby S21 to 5000mAh in the S21 Ultra. Samsung has stuck with a 25W max charging speed fifty-fifty every bit companies like OnePlus take pushed past 60W. There'southward no wall plug in the box, but whatever Samsung charger from the last year will hit 25W just fine. There are as well college-quality USB Ability Delivery chargers available from tertiary-parties that will striking 25W on the S21 while also supporting faster speeds on other devices. You as well become Samsung's 10W fast wireless charging, simply of course, you won't become that charger in the box, either.

All 3 phones will have the same software loadout with Samsung'due south 1 UI 3.i on top of Android 11. That ways you lot'll get all the latest APIs and Google features, plus Samsung extras similar a secure folder and enhanced Windows integration.

Cameras

The camera modules all have a similar style — a distinctive design chemical element this year — wherein the camera hump merges smoothly into the metal frame around the edge of the telephone. The S21 and S21+ have straightforward triple-camera modules consisting of a 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 64MP "telephoto." It doesn't technically have optical zoom, though. The sensor is high enough resolution that it tin crop the sensor to provide a passable digital zoom.

The S21 Ultra goes all-out in the camera department. The primary camera is one time over again 108MP, just at that place's a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation autofocus module to address the inconsistencies that made the S20 Ultra camera so frustrating. You also get a 12MP ultrawide and ii optical zoom lenses. At that place's a new 10MP 10x periscope zoom camera, plus a 10MP 3x zoom camera. This gives you more than focal lengths to work with so you tin can avert using digital zoom as often. The Ultra can likewise capture 4K60 video and 12-flake HDR photos.

These phones will all leverage the power of the SD888 to make all those photographic camera sensors a bit more than useful. There's a new feature called Live Thumbnails (Director Mode when shooting video) that pipes in alive feeds from 3 different photographic camera modules. This lets you see what each different lens can do in a given state of affairs, allowing you to choose the one you like best.

Ultra goodies

Samsung is attempting to sweeten the deal when it comes to the S21 Ultra — information technology's not just a larger version of the other phones. In add-on to the distinct camera setup, this phone has a few more than premium features that you won't get on the cheaper S21 phones. While the screen is just a little larger than the Plus, the resolution is 1440p versus just 1080p on the Plus. That's a downgrade for the babe and Plus variants of Samsung's new flagships. The S21 Ultra besides has a dynamic refresh that can operate anywhere between 120 and 10Hz for improved battery life.

While all versions of the S21 take Wi-Fi half-dozen, the Ultra has Wi-Fi 6E besides. It's i of the get-go consumer devices to support this standard, which expands Wi-Fi into the 6GHz spectrum. If you have a ton of devices on 2.4 and 5GHz, the expanded spectrum for Wi-Fi 6E could speed up your telephone's connectivity.

Near notably, the S21 Ultra volition add together support for the S Pen stylus, which was previously only compatible with the Note and Tab families of devices. The stylus won't come with the telephone, but y'all can purchase one separately. Samsung will even accept cases that add a slot for the pen. Even so, they look pretty awkward. In that location will also be a better version of the Southward Pen for the S21 Ultra that launches later this year.

Ultra goodies

Samsung has opened pre-orders today, and most carriers volition follow suit. If yous're planning to pick up the S21, the launch deals are probably the best chance yous'll have until the phone gets its inevitable mid-life price cut. Between trade-ins and monthly bill credits, you tin get the new S21 phones for hundreds less than MSRP.

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