Samsung’s Galaxy S21 lineup will be among the best-selling phones of 2021. I can say that without having reviewed them yet because Samsung and Apple dominate the US market, to the point where people entering carrier stores rarely look beyond those two brands.
The S21 comes in three models: the $799 Galaxy S21, the $999 S21+, and the $1,199 S21 Ultra. I have the S21 and the S21 Ultra in for review. The Ultra is the one with all the cameras—dual-zoom shooters to make the S20’s failed promise of 100x “space zoom” more of a reality.
My home office is currently full of smartphones, so I did a quick hands-on comparison video with the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S21+ next to the iPhone 12 series, S20 phones, and others:
In general, the biggest physical change from the S20 series is how the camera bump works. While it still protrudes, especially on the S21 Ultra, it’s less bothersome because it’s now integrated into the corner of the phone. The S21’s camera bump almost looks like an on-purpose fashion feature. That sets the S21 most clearly apart from the Note 20 Ultra’s huge, sharp-edged rear camera bump, though I otherwise really liked that phone.
The iPhones, meanwhile, are harder-edged. The iPhone 12 brought a rigid metal frame to the lineup, giving the iPhones a much squarer feel in the hand. The iPhones, of course, also have large screen notches at the top for their Face ID cameras, something the Samsung phones lack.
We’ll be looking at the complete Galaxy S21 lineup over the next week; stay tuned for our full reviews.
