Samsung announced its range of new smartphones earlier today, which includes the Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra. While you can expect all the standard upgrades in processing power that come with a new suite of phones, the company has really gone balls to the wall with the camera systems.
The S21 and S21+ are essentially the same when it comes to what’s inside, the latter is just a larger version (6.2-inch and 6.7-inch displays respectively). They both have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 875 processor, 128GB or 256GB storage options, 8GB of RAM and are 5G-enabled. The S21 Ultra is also 5G and packs a bunch of premium features, as the name obviously suggests.
Here’s what to know about each, including specs, pricing and some of the best telco plans you cop them on.
Samsung Galaxy S21
We covered a few of the internals above, but if you’re here to scope some more nerdy details, you can see them below.
- Display: 6.2-inch FHD+ LTPS, 120hz
- CPU: Snapdragon 875
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB
- Rear Camera: 12MP Ultra wide, 12MP main, 64MP telephoto
- Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
- Battery Life: 4,000 mAh
- Colours: Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Gray, Phantom White
Apart from the obvious design overhaul, the 3-lens rear camera system comes with a ton of nifty features, particularly if you’re into capturing video or consider yourself a ~YouTuber~. Vlogger Mode allows you to film with multiple lenses simultaneously and Director’s View lets you switch lenses on the fly like a bigshot filmmaker.
As you can see in the image, the camera system stands out from the rest of the phone, not only because it’s slightly raised, but also because its glossy finish directly contrasts the rest of the phone’s matte glass rear. This is more pronounced in some colours than others.
The standard S21 will set you back $1,248 here in Australia ($100 less than the standard iPhone 12). Suss out some of the best telco phone deals for it below.
NOTE: some of these plans might not show because they’re not quite available yet. Don’t sweat though, they’ll come to the party as soon as they’re ready.
Telstra S21 plans (128GB) – 24 months
Telstra S21 plans (256GB) – 24 months
Optus S21 plans (128GB) – 24 months
Optus S21 plans (128GB) – 36 months
Optus S21 plans (256GB) – 24 months
Optus S21 plans (256GB) – 36 months
Vodafone S21 plans (128GB) – 24 months
Vodafone S21 plans (128GB) – 36 months
Vodafone S21 plans (256GB) – 24 months
Vodafone S21 plans (256GB) – 36 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 plans (128GB) – 24 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 plans (128GB) – 36 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 plans (256GB) – 24 months
Woolworths MobileS21 plans (256GB) – 36 months
Samsung Galaxy S21+
As I mentioned earlier, the S21+ is just a bigger version of the S21, so I won’t bore you with the exact same list of specs. The only difference is its larger 6.7-inch display.
If you like it bigger, the S21+ will cost you $1,549 (again undercutting Apple, given the iPhone 12 Pro goes for $1,699). Suss some plans below.
Telstra S21+ plans (128GB) – 24 months
Telstra S21+ plans (256GB) – 24 months
Optus S21+ plans (128GB) – 24 months
Optus S21+ plans (128GB) – 36 months
Optus S21+ plans (256GB) – 24 months
Optus S21+ plans (256GB) – 36 months
Vodafone S21+ plans (128GB) – 24 months
Vodafone S21+ plans (128GB) – 36 months
Vodafone S21+ plans (256GB) – 24 months
Vodafone S21+ plans (256GB) – 36 months
Woolworths Mobile S21+ plans (128GB) – 24 months
Woolworths Mobile S21+ plans (128GB) – 36 months
Woolworths Mobile S21+ plans (256GB) – 24 months
Woolworths Mobile S21+ plans (256GB) – 36 months
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
If premium is more your speed, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is what you’re looking for. Suss the specs below.
- Display: 6.8-inch WQHD+ LTPO, 120hz
- CPU: Snapdragon 875
- RAM: 12GB/16GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
- Rear Camera: 12MP Ultra wide, 108MP main (with a gen 2 sensor), 10MP 3x optical telephoto, 10MP 10x optical telphoto
- Front Camera: 40MP
- Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
- Battery Life: 5,000 mAh
- Colours: Phantom Black and Phantom Silver
The biggest differences here are the screen (an even bigger 6.8-inch curved display), a four-lens rear camera system, more RAM options, a larger 512GB storage option and support for the Samsung S Pen (although it doesn’t come with the phone).
It’s also capable of 100X digital zoom, which is absolutely insane. If you want a taste of what that kind of power is like, see my test run of the S20’s zoom below.
The S21 Ultra will set you back $1,849 here in Australia. See some telco options below.
Telstra S21 Ultra plans (128GB) – 24 months
Telstra S21 Ultra plans (256GB) – 24 months
Telstra S21 Ultra plans (512GB) – 24 months
Optus S21 Ultra plans (128GB) – 24 months
Optus S21 Ultra plans (128GB) – 36 months
Optus S21 Ultra plans (256GB) – 24 months
Optus Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra plans (256GB) – 36 months
Optus S21 Ultra plans (512GB) – 24 months
Optus S21 Ultra plans (512GB) – 36 months
Vodafone S21 Ultra plans (128GB) – 24 months
Vodafone S21 Ultra plans (128GB) – 36 months
Vodafone S21 Ultra plans (256GB) – 24 months
Vodafone S21 Ultra plans (256GB) – 36 months
Vodafone S21 Ultra plans (512GB) – 24 months
Vodafone S21 Ultra plans (512GB) – 36 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 Ultra plans (128GB) – 24 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 Ultra plans (128GB) – 36 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 Ultra plans (256GB) – 24 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 Ultra plans (256GB) – 36 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 Ultra plans (512GB) – 24 months
Woolworths Mobile S21 Ultra plans (512GB) – 36 months
Galaxy Buds Pro + Smart Tag
Along with its range of smartphones, the company also announced the Galaxy Buds Pro — a pair of Bluetooth earbuds with intelligent active noise cancellation that can detect when you’re speaking, filter ambient noise, etc. The S21 range will have features that work specifically with the Buds Pro, like immersive audio via Dolby Atmos content.
There was also the Galaxy Smart Tag, which is essentially just a tracking tag similar to Tile. You can attach it to whatever you want and use Samsung’s SmartThings Find to locate it. So it’s great for anything you tend to lose all the time.
