Samsung Galaxy S21 Rumors and News: Release Date, Cameras, Pricing, and More

Samsung's current flagship lineup includes the Galaxy S20 phones, the stylus-enhanced Note 20 devices, and the surprise midrange Galaxy S20 FE. But a new year is upon us, which means smartphone refreshes. Here's what Samsung has up its sleeve for 2021, according to reports.

How Many Galaxy S21 Models Will Be Announced?

Samsung has remained mum on its next-gen flagships, but a regulatory filing in Brazil may hold some clues. A document found in the Agência Nacional de Telecommunicações database appears to show that Samsung will release three phones in the near future. Though they're listed by model number, the phones will likely be called the Samsung Galaxy S21, Samsung Galaxy S21+, and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. 

The Galaxy S21 has been completely redesigned, but even if you're a fan of the Samsung Galaxy S20's design, there's a lot to love in the changes. The Galaxy S21 and S21+ will reportedly have a flat display and plastic body with an aluminum frame, part of which will wrap around the top of the phone to house the camera module. 

The Galaxy S21 Ultra sports a curved display and glass body. It has the same camera module design as its less expensive counterparts, though that module may be slightly larger to accommodate the extra camera sensors. 

The Galaxy S21 trio will also have matte displays and several color options for the housing. Android Police reports the Galaxy S21 will be available in violet, pink, gray, and white. Expect to see the S21+ in black, violet, and silver and the S21 Ultra in black and silver.  

What Hardware Does the Galaxy S21 Have?

Each year, Samsung packs its Galaxy S series phones with top-of-the-line hardware, and this year will be no different. 

The Galaxy S20 will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset in the US. Europe and the majority of the globe will likely get the S21 with Samsung's Exynos 2100 SoC.

On paper, Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset looks similar to its predecessor, but there are some significant changes. It's Qualcomm's first 5nm chipset, which will greatly improve efficiency over previous 7nm chipsets such as the Snapdragon 865. 

The Snapdragon 888 is also Qualcomm's first flagship processor with three different types of core. It features a Cortex-X1 CPU high-performance core, along with three Cortex-A78 cores and four Cortex-A55 cores. This core configuration, along with updated machine learning processors, should make the Snapdragon 888 the most powerful and energy-efficient Intel chipset to date. 

Details are scarce on storage and RAM configurations, but we can make some predictions based on specs from Samsung's past flagships and its current manufacturing schedule. 

• We believe the Samsung Galaxy S21 will be available in two different storage configurations. Samsung will offer an entry-level model with 128GB of storage (with the option to upgrade to 256GB) and 12GB of RAM.

• You'll likely have three options when it comes to the Galaxy S21+: a 128GB/12GB base model, along with 256GB/12GB and 512GB/12GB upgrades. 

• The Galaxy S21 Ultra will be the most powerful of the bunch. It will be available in 128GB/16GB and 512GB/16GB configurations. 

Again, these are just predictions based on Samsung's manufacturing processes and past Galaxy S models. Samsung will likely want some parity between models, and right now it is manufacturing UFS 3.1 storage for flagships in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB configurations.

For RAM, the tech giant is currently manufacturing 12GB and 16GB, 10nm-process LPDDR5 RAM with peak transfer rates of 5,500Mb/s. There's a chance it may offer an 8GB LPDDR4X RAM (4,266Mb/s) on its entry-level Galaxy S21, but that would result in significantly reduced performance and energy efficiency—two essentials for 5G phones.

A slew of FCC documents also provide a little more detail about the S21 lineup. All three phones will support multi-band 5G. Bluetooth 5.1 will be on board as will NFC. 

Not much will change in terms of battery capacity for the Galaxy S21 series. The Galaxy S21 will reportedly sport a 4,000mAh battery, and the S21 Ultra will reportedly have a 5,000mAh battery—the same as their predecessors. The S21+ is likely to get a slight bump to 4,800mAh from the 4,500mAh battery found on the current S20+. 

Samsung teased Apple for not shipping a power adapter with its iPhone 12 models, but now appears poised to follow suit. A Brazilian regulatory filing states the phones will not be marketed with power supplies or headphones. The same filing suggests Samsung will sell a 25W adapter for fast charging.  All three phones will have wireless charging and wireless powershare. 

How Big Is the Samsung Galaxy S21's Screen? 

For years, Samsung has relied on gorgeous AMOLED displays for its Galaxy S flagships. The upcoming Galaxy S21 models, however, will reportedly use a different display technology, according to Android Police, which released extensive details about the phones in November, and has a pretty solid track record with leaks. 

Reportedly, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ will sport flat FHD+ LTPS displays with 120Hz refresh rates. The S20's display will be 6.2 inches on the diagonal, while the S21+ will have a 6.7-inch screen. We believe these phones will use an LTPS-OLED process as opposed to traditional LTPS LCDs, since Samsung has long used AMOLED panels in most of its flagships.

The S21 Ultra will have the largest display at 6.8 inches. It's also the only phone in the bunch to have the curved WQHD+ LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which was introduced on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. 

In addition to the updated displays, there are a few other screen-related treats reportedly on board. According to Twitter leaker Ice Universe, the S21 trio will have an improved in-display fingerprint sensor that's both larger and faster; this may be Qualcomm's 3D Sonic Max sensor, though it has yet to be confirmed.

Finally, it looks like the S21 Ultra will support Samsung's S Pen, though it will not have a built-in place to store it. Phone Arena reports Samsung will offer the S Pen as a separate SKU along with different cases for storage.

How Many Cameras Does the Galaxy 21 Have? 

Samsung's Galaxy flagships have long been known for having some of the best smartphone cameras on the market, and the S21 lineup looks like it will continue the tradition. 

The Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ are rumored to have a triple camera module with 12MP primary and ultrawide lenses. There's also a 64MP telephoto lens on board. 

The S20 Ultra will pack the most sophisticated camera stack of the bunch. It will likely have an improved 108MP primary lens along with a 12MP ultrawide lens. The primary lens is reportedly Samsung's new ISOCELL M3 sensor, which has better light sensitivity for low-light photos. There are also two 10MP sensors in the mix, capable of 3x and 10x optical zoom, respectively. Laser autofocus is also on board—an essential addition since the Galaxy S20 Ultra had significant problems with image pulsing and focus lock that were never fully corrected.

The other major change this year is the actual camera stack design. Instead of the big bump found on the Galaxy S20 models, the new Galaxy S21 smartphones will be almost flush with the body of the phone.

How Much Does the Samsung Galaxy S21 Cost? 

When Samsung announced its Galaxy S20 series in early 2020, the world was a very different place. Though flagship demand was already sagging, Samsung launched its most expensive phones to date. It positioned the Galaxy S series as its ultra-premium brand while expanding its Galaxy A portfolio for more budget and midrange options. 

With the Galaxy S21 trio, it appears Samsung plans to pull on the reins a bit. According to Korean tech site SamMobile, all three phones will be less expensive than their predecessors. The Galaxy S21 will reportedly retail for $849 to $899, while the Galaxy S21+ will hit store shelves with a $1,049 to $1,099 price tag. The S21 Ultra will reportedly start at $1,249.

It's worth noting that all the pricing rumors come from a single source. SamMobile also states these figures are merely under consideration by Samsung. Long story short: take these prices with a grain of salt. 

When Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Coming Out? 

For the past several years, Samsung has announced its Galaxy flagships in February. This year, it appears we may be in for an early surprise. 

After speaking with Samsung's mobile experience store in India, Android Authority reports that the Galaxy S21 trio will be announced globally on Jan. 14. The store is already accepting preorders for the next-gen flagship, which will reportedly be available on Jan. 29. 

Of course, nothing is set in stone yet, though we're fairly confident the announcement date is correct. There's a chance that Samsung may stagger release by region, but we'd still expect to see Galaxy S21 models on sale in the US within a few weeks after the company's announcement.

If you can't wait until January and need a Samsung phone right now, it's worth taking a look at Samsung's best-selling Galaxy S20 FE. If you're looking for top-of-the-line hardware, here's how to choose among the S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

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