Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S21 series for the global markets, including India, at its virtual event in January. There are three models to choose from: Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy S21+ and their little brother Galaxy S21.
All three premium devices come with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and flaunt an all-new camera called "Contour Cut Camera".
The Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+ share the same triple rear camera setup, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra comes with a superior, quad rear camera setup with a 108MP primary sensor.
Galaxy S21 is priced at Rs 69,999 for the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, while the 256GB storage option is available for Rs 73,999.
We used S21 for over a week and here is what we think about the smartphone.
In terms of design, the smartphone scores really decent marks. The Galaxy S21+ looks and feels premium thanks to the phantom violet colour and the golden camera module.
The Galaxy S21 is a bit smaller yet a little heavier than the Galaxy S20.
The power standby and volume rocker buttons are on the right-hand side and dual SIM tray, USB Type-C port and speaker section are neatly placed at the base. The left side of the frame has no buttons, but there are some antenna bands.
The top edge is fairly empty, featuring two microphones very close to each other.
The smartphone features a 6.2-inch Flat full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display, with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 421ppi pixel density.
The display also comes with HDR10+ certification, Samsung's Eye Comfort Shield, and an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate that can drop to as low as 48Hz.
The device features an amazing display and if you stream movies on a smartphone, you would enjoy it.
Samsung Galaxy S21 houses a triple rear camera setup that includes a 12MP sensor with an ultra-wide-angle f/2.2 lens.
The camera setup also comes with a 12MP primary Dual Pixel sensor with autofocus support.
There is a 64MP sensor with phase detection autofocus and hybrid optic 3x zoom. The third sensor is also equipped with optical image stabilisation (OIS).
During our review, we found camera performance impressive in various lights. The low-light performance was good and was capable of producing bright images using a dedicated night mode.
The device also features a 10MP front camera which produces impressive selfies.
Samsung has provided an upgraded camera app on the Galaxy S21 that supports features including 8K Snap, Director's View, Super Steady Video, and Single Take.
The Camera app has a couple of new video features including multi-mic recording, which lets you record video with audio simultaneously coming from the phone's microphones and a Bluetooth microphone or earbuds.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is powered by the company's own Exynos 2100 SoC based on the 5nm manufacturing process.
There's 8GB RAM and 256GB of ultra-fast storage on board. Unfortunately, there's no microSD card slot around this time.
The device performed great during everyday use and also responded well to games. The usual rounds of ‘COD: Mobile' didn't face any lag.
Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S21 comes with a 4,000mAh battery, which is good enough to juice up the device for around a day with moderate usage.
For charging, the phone support 25W fast charging and while you do get a cable in the box, there is no charger.
Conclusion: Galaxy S21 is the ultimate device for those who do not want to buy a huge smartphone but aim for a premium experience. Overall, the smartphone looks good, runs without a glitch and captures good images.
