The world of smartphones today offers so many solutions that it is often difficult even for professionals to extricate themselves from the myriad of models released. In this context, some might think that it is worthwhile to focus only on the top variants of the most famous series. For example, at Samsung, the spearhead is represented by Galaxy S21 Ultra, which we have already analyzed on these pages.
However, we must not forget that the latest range of
flagships of the South Korean company is also composed of Galaxy S21 and Galaxy
S21 +, among other things both with support for 5G. In recent weeks we have had
the opportunity to have as a faithful companion the "base model" of
the top of the range, or Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. The latter is sold at a price
of879 euros on the official portal of the company in its 8 / 128GB model, while
the variant we have had the opportunity to try, or the 8 / 256GB one, costs 929
euros .
Design And Unboxing
The first piece of information we checked once the Samsung
Galaxy S21 came into our hands was the backcover protection , which here is in
Glastic (polycarbonate that tries to "emulate" the glass back of the
Plus and Ultra models). As much as this may turn your nose up a bit, Samsung
actually worked well and it's hard to notice any differences with the more
expensive variants. Of course, using the smartphone a little, you can see that
the backcover retains fingerprints a little longer, but the sensation to the
touch is excellent.
Some of you will surely be wondering how "ruthless"
we are to open the Samsung Galaxy S21 review in this way. In fact, this
preamble was to tell you that this is essentially the only negative element of
the device's design. In fact, to say that the Glastic back is a flaw is to want
to look for the needle in a haystack.
The edge is made of metal and the build quality is
excellent, as is the design of the photographic module on the back particularly
convincing. The fact that the gold-colored body goes to "join" with
the left side of the device is a touch of class not insignificant and the
Phantom Violet color certainly manages to get noticed in a market dominated by
many other colors.
In any circumstance, for the sake of completeness of
information, you should know that the device can also be purchased in the
Phantom Gray, Phantom White and Phantom Pink colors. In short, the possibility
of choice is certainly not lacking.
Speaking of the frame, on the right side we find the power
button and the volume rocker, while at the top there are two microphones. The
lower side of the device houses the trolley for the SIM (up to two nanoSIMs at
the same time), the third microphone, the USB Type-C port and the speaker. In
case you're wondering, yes - not only are there OTG and video output, but you
can also use the Samsung DeX desktop mode . For those who missed it, the Galaxy
S21 range supports the ability to use this feature wirelessly, using the same
Wi-Fi network. You can also quickly transfer files from your smartphone to your
computer and vice versa. In this case, a special program must be installed
. In short, Samsung is continuing to focus on this type of
functionality, which further enrich the software ecosystem of the South Korean
company.
An excellent surprise comes when you pick up the smartphone,
as the Samsung Galaxy S21 is lighter than its "big brothers". The
weight is in fact just 169 grams , while the dimensions are equal to 151.7 x
71.2 x 7.9 mm. In a market where there is now a tendency to go beyond 200 grams
in weight, as well as 9 mm thick, this device can be a godsend for those
looking for a "smaller" device than usual. Of course, you can't
exactly bother with the term "compact", but the handling is certainly
better than many other devices on the market.
Also present is the IP68 certification, for resistance to
water and dust. As for the protrusion of the camera module, in reality,
contrary to what one might think at a first glance, the smartphone does not
"dance" too much if placed on a flat surface (or at least recently we
have become accustomed to much worse) . Moving on to the unlock sensors, there
is also the convenient ultrasonic fingerprint sensor placed under the screen,
which is quick. And if you want to make use of facial recognition, the latter
is not missing either.
It is easy to analyze the contents of the sales package,
since this year Samsung has decided to remove the charger and headphones. To be
clear, in addition to the smartphone, we find only the pin for extracting the
SIM compartment, various manuals and a USB Type-C / USB Type-C cable. That of
South Korean society is certainly a divisive choice, which has not exactly been
well received by everyone.
Between savings, green ethics and requests from the European
Union, we will probably have to get used to going more and more in this direction.
Don't get us wrong: the absence of a charger in the package is certainly a bit
turn-up, but on the other hand many of us in the house have a good number of
"reserves" already able to charge Galaxy S21 at 25W., so the problem
arises up to a certain point.
Samsung Galaxy S21 5g Data Sheet
The local version of the device features an Exynos 2100
octa-core processor with a 5nm production process under the body , which has a
core operating at 2.9 GHz, three cores at 2.8 GHz and four cores at 2.4 GHz.
The GPU is an ARM Mali-G78 MP14. For those wondering, we have already dealt
with the issue of differences with the US variant in detail , which has a
Snapdragon 888 SoC instead. In any case, our model also has 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM
and 256GB of UFS internal memory. 3.1 (not expandable).
In short, we are faced with a configuration that can be said
very little in terms of performance, especially in a year in which the South
Korean company managed to reduce the gap with the Snapdragon model.
At the front there is a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen with
Full HD + resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate, support for
HDR10 +, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection and a hole for the camera
placed in the top center. Samsung knows how to do it in terms of display and
even in this case it did not disappoint. The Galaxy S21 is in fact a
particularly good screen, with excellent maximum brightness and well-calibrated
colors. No problem even under the sunlight. Watching TV series and movies on
this panel is a pleasure for the eyes and there is no shortage of Widevine L1
DRMs, to enjoy the contents of the main streaming services in Full HD.
Always On functionality is inevitable, as well as the
possibility to choose whether to use the "Adaptive" mode (ranging
from 48 Hz to 120 Hz) or "Standard" (60 Hz) as regards the refresh
rate. The hole for the camera is small and does not create
"headaches" when viewing multimedia content. Really difficult to find
a flaw on the screen of the device, which is certainly one of the best solutions
around.
Small note: the more attentive among you will remember that
the predecessor had a QHD + screen. Samsung this year has decided to
"return" to Full HD +: it is a wise choice, since in reality a high
resolution like last year is really used by few and would have affected in
terms of autonomy. Completing the analysis of the multimedia sector, the stereo
sound offered by the device is good both in terms of quality and maximum
volume.
Another department about which very little can be said about
Samsung Galaxy S21 is the photographic one. At the front we find a 10MP (f /
2.2) camera, while on the back there is a triple camera consisting of a 12MP (f
/ 1.8) main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor (f / 2.2, 120 degrees) and a
64MP telephoto lens (f / 2.0). In terms of video, 8K / 24 fps is achieved via
the rear camera. However, for a good compromise between quality and
stabilization, it's best to go down a bit with the resolution. In any case, the
videos come out very well and, maybe even playing a little with the settings,
you can get great satisfaction. The front sensor reaches 4K / 60 fps.
As for the photos, Galaxy S21, as a good top of the range,
shoots exactly as you imagine: the results are excellent both day and night.
There is also some step forward compared to the previous generation, especially
in terms of night mode. In fact, the latter is able to significantly improve
the final shot and a special toggle, present at the bottom right, allows you to
set a "Max" mode, able to go further in the most difficult contexts.
In any case, the maximum zoom that can be reached digitally is 30x, although
for social use it is probably good to stop at 3x. Excellent wide-angle photos,
which do not have that distortion that instead is noticeable with other devices.
Not bad for the selfie camera, which will convince most users,
Put simply, Galaxy S21 has a flagship photographic sector,
able to be appreciated by many users, without surprising those who have already
used a top of the Samsung range in the recent past. If you famine to get a more
detailed idea, you can find some uncompressed photos in our Drive folder
dedicated to Samsung Galaxy S21 .
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S21 with a 4000 mAh battery
, but the latter struggles to reach the end of the day when putting the device
under stress. In any case, in the "quieter" days it is always
possible to arrive in the evening even with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, so
probably many people will not have too many problems, but it can be difficult
to do so with our intense use. Put simply, Galaxy S21 is not a champion in
terms of autonomy and there are devices on the market that do better.
In any case, remember that the device can be charged at 25W
via cable, as well as at 15W wirelessly. We are therefore on good levels in
terms of speed, even if some competing companies have already gone much
further. In short, there is still some work for Samsung to do here. For the
rest, it is good to point out the presence of reverse charging at 9W.
Returning to the positive aspects of the South Korean
company's proposal, nothing can be said to the latter at the connectivity
department level. Galaxy S21 has in fact support for 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Dual SIM (you
can also use an eSIM in combination) , Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC. Of course, we
could be here discussing the absence of the 3.5mm audio jack for headphones and
the non-expandable internal memory, but you understand that the former is now
becoming obsolete with the spread of wireless headphones and that 256GB of
storage are more than enough for all types of users.
Software
The operating systems is Android 11 with One UI 3.1
customization . At the time of writing, the safety patches date back to March
1, 2021. Samsung has every intention of keeping its flagship updated, so much
so that the latter is one of the devices that will receive updates for at least
four years (three years of major release and four of security patches). After
this period, the device will be updated twice a year . In short, Samsung's plans
in terms of support are quite clear. As for the software, we have already
treated the One UI several times on these pages, so much so that you can find
an in- depth study dedicated to this software customization .
In any case, just to mention some features that you probably
already know, the Google Discover screen has finally arrived, accessible with a
swipe from left to right starting from the Home. In addition, there is no
shortage of Samsung Pay and the aforementioned Samsung DeX. The interface itself
is clean and complete, as well as flanked by an excellent system fluidity,
which manages to accompany the user experience as it should.
Performance, Benchmarks And User Experience During The Review
Being a top of the range, you can imagine the results: fluidity
is excellent during daily use, thanks also to the display with a refresh rate
of 120 Hz. Furthermore, the smartphone performs very well even in contexts that
require greater use of resources. To be clear, Samsung Galaxy S21 recorded a
total of 595205 points on AnTuTu Benchmark , as well as 817 points in
single-core and 3094 points in multi-core on GeekBench. These are good results,
which describe the feeling of using the device in even more detail.
In any case, as those who are looking for the best in terms
of performance know well, it is not exactly the smartphone that focuses more on
"brute force". An example? ASUS ROG Phone 5 reaches 740000 points on
AnTuTu. This only serves to give you a rough indication, as we are on
particularly high levels, which in practice translate into high-profile
performance even for Samsung Galaxy S21.
Gaming
Gaming is certainly one of the areas in which the hardware
sector manages to best express its potential. We have put the Galaxy S21 to the
test with various titles, including Call of Duty Mobile, ARK: Survival Evolved
and Fortnite (which we remember is not present on the Play Store, but can be
downloaded from the Galaxy Store). There is actually little to say: the results
are excellent in all contexts.
COD Mobile runs as it should with details set to "Very
High" and FPS to "Max" . Switching to ARK: Survival Evolved, the
latter can be enjoyed safely with the "Epic" preset. Finally,
Fortnite plays well with details on "Epic" at 30 fps. The title
actually allows you to go even towards 60 fps, but in that case in the most
"excited" situations
For the rest, the classic gaming mode is not missing,
between Game Booster and Game Launcher (present optimizations and statistics).
It should be noted that, following particular "stressful" gaming
sessions, the heat in the upper part of the body of the device is felt. Nothing
transcendental, mind you, but in general the feeling is that it is a device
that "heats more" than several other models.