Samsung Finally Announces the Galaxy S21 Series of Phones

After weeks of leaks, Samsung has revealed all about its upcoming flagships.

To say Samsung has done a poor job of keeping the wraps on the Galaxy S21 is an understatement. Just about every detail leaked before the company actually announced the phones at the Galaxy Unpacked event.

Now that the event has officially happened, we've learned everything about the Samsung Galaxy S21 series of smartphones. As expected, Samsung has revealed three different models: the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+

Samsung kicked things off by calling the phones a giant leap forward, and based on the details, the company isn't exaggerating.

As you might expect, both Galaxy S21 phones feature 5G connectivity across all major spectrums. That's pretty standard for flagship phones in 2021, but it's the rest of the phone that really stands out.

The phone's look is definitely different, as the camera module is blended with the front of the screen, creating a contrasting look on the phone's back. Rather than glass or plastic, the front of the phone and camera area is metal, which creates an enticing style.

The Galaxy S21 comes in Phantom Violet, Phantom Grey, Phantom Pink, and Phantom White. The larger Galaxy S21+ comes in Phantom Silver, Phantom Violet, and Phantom Grey.

Samsung announced that its Galaxy S21 phones would feature an adaptive refresh rate that'll go from 48Hz to 120Hz, depending on what you're doing. As higher refresh rates use more battery life, the phone can scale back when speed isn't needed, thus saving battery.

The screen on the Galaxy S21 is 6.2 inches, while the Galaxy S21+ features a 6.7-inch display. Both devices will feature FHD+ resolutions for the screens.

For durability, Samsung uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, allowing the screen to take some hits without breaking.

Read More: New Gorilla Glass Victus Can Survive a Two-Meter Drop

Samsung spent lots of time talking about the Galaxy S21 devices' cameras, which isn't a surprise, as they're doing a lot to push smartphone photography forward. The phones feature a 12MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 64MP telephoto shooter. There's also a 10MP selfie camera on the front.

Samsung is including 8K video capture with the new phones, which means not only can you capture insanely high-resolution video, but you can quickly convert any frame from a video into a good-looking photo.

There's even a new feature called Single Take, which uses AI to take many photos and clips from a section you record. There's also a cool mode called Director's thumbnail, which lets you see the shots from all three cameras at once.

As we have previously covered, Samsung includes chips with the 5nm manufacturing process to the phones. In the US, buyers will get the Snapdragon 888 chipset, and in the UK and other regions, the Galaxy S21 will get the Exynos 2100 chip. They're both powerful, and the features offered by each chip is more or less unchanged.

Read More: Samsung Unveils the Exynos 2100 Chipset

As rumored, Samsung isn't including chargers in the boxes for its S21 series of phones. However, the company claimed that it's reducing chargers' prices for people who want to buy them.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung rounded out the event by announcing the Galaxy S21 Ultra, its answer to the iPhone 12 Pro. It comes with all the features included in the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+, while adding substantial improvements to the camera and other phone parts.

The Ultra comes with a 108MP main lens with optical image stabilization, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 3X and 10X zoom telephoto lenses.

Samsung had to get pretty creative to get a 10X optical zoom into the phone without making it too bulky, but the company got it done. The S21 Ultra also features zoom into 100X with AI to clean up those zoomed photos.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra also uses its laser autofocus sensor to detect when an object is close and automatically switches to the ultra-wide camera to get macro images.

Samsung included a monstrous screen with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It comes with a 6.8-inch WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED that features 20 percent more brightness than its predecessor and an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate that goes as low as 10Hz.

There will be two S Pen models available with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The traditional S Pen is set to launch with the phone, while the S Pen Pro will launch later in 2021.

Related: Essential S Pen Features for Galaxy Note 9 Owners

Samsung is releasing the Galaxy S21 in a Phantom Black color that looks quite subdued and attractive. It has a matte finish, which Samsung really played up during the event. But let's be real, it's matte black and not something that reinvents the phone.

When Will the Samsung Galaxy S21 Be Available to Buy?

Samsung announced that the Galaxy S21 family of devices would launch on January 29. As for pricing, the Galaxy S21 will start at $799.99, the S21+ will go for $999.99, and the S21 Ultra will retail for a whopping $1,199.99.

You can pre-order any of the three S21 models right now from Samsung.com

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