Thoughts on the Galaxy S21 Series

[CrazyTom2k2]

Hey there!

Just wanted to put out a post regarding the Galaxy S21 series and maybe share my opinions on it. I'd love to hear opinions from the other members in the community too! (This post's long, you'll need popcorn! 🍿)

I also want to give a quick shout to both Ant and Sachiko from the community - thanks for inviting me to the party. It was awesome, and I'm really glad I could take part!

Overall, all of the handsets look like an awesome package - a killer screen, a killer battery, a killer camera and an outstanding body. 

The addition of adaptive refresh rates should make the battery life amazing and provide a smooth user experience on the handset. Other than that, Samsung's AMOLED panels have always been amazing!

Battery sizes stay roughly the same as the S20 series, apart from a bump to 4,800mAh on the S21+. The battery life on the S20's relatively good, so this should carry on, on top of the better efficiency from the new chipset.

The camera - WOW!!! The body - WOW!!! And the colour choices are amazing!! Kinda wish there was a blue (there might be, I might just be a bit silly), but that violet colour is awesome!!

Now the downsides (sorry):

• No more expandable storage (it's a bit of a bummer, but it's pretty much standard these days)
• No charger in the box (again, not really an issue. Samsung are tryna help the environment. I just kinda wish the USB cable included had a Type-A adapter)

(Yep, there's only 2 downsides I could really think of.)

Also, preorders get the free SmartThings Tag, and free Galaxy Buds Live (or Galaxy Buds Pro with the S21 Ultra). With added S-Pen support on the Ultra, and that gorgeous matte finish on the back, it looks like an amazing phone!

Anyways, just wanted to share my opinion, might test a handset out at some point. If you're looking to upgrade your handset - the S21 Ultra is a beast, go for it!!

All the best, and happy Unpacked Day!!

Tom 🙂

[Jade2809]

it's a shame the ultra isn't in the pretty colours, what do you think are the chances they're going to stop the note series and just bring the s-pen more into the S series. I've always been a little nervous of the notes stopping and this is making me more nervous

[CrazyTom2k2]

Because the S21 Ultra requires the S-Pen and the holster as an additional accessory, I don't see the Note series dying anytime soon (at least, I hope not, I was thinking of making the Note21 my next phone 🙂). I can defo see where you're coming from though.

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame that none of the more vibrant colours were brought to the S21U, but maybe they'll change that in the future 😉

[smiley]

To be honest I watched the presentation at 3pm GMT with a very open view.  I have a Galaxy S10 plus which is coming on 2 years old, and it is time to consider a replacement.   I am not desperate for a phone replacement, as the S10+ is still a  great phone although battery life is beginning to drop below a day usage on the S10 plus and I was intrigued as to the S21 Ultra as a replacement ...

Actually the refinements to the camera compared to last years S20 ultra look really promising improvements... along with the Exynos 2100 which looks very good performance from initial benchmarks, and for once to be as good as the Qualcomm 888 equivalent... and the addition of the S-Pen as a useable feature at a cost of £29... and which is now of a 'proper' size that may actually be useful for more than just the odd scribble than the note sized pen that is uncomfortable for anything other than a few minutes of usage, especially if you have adult sized hands ! :).   

I also really like the look of that new camera that is moulded into the shape of the chassis rather than looking like a separate camera block cut into the back of a phone as an after thought. 

The main thing that I am really shocked about is how good the pre-order deal is right now.   A free pair of £219 buds pro which are also just released, a free £30 tag (to give it a go i guess), and also a £380 trade in value for my old Galaxy S10 plus... which I wouldn't expect to be able to sell for that price, even privately.  Making the upgrade costs for me massively lower... at about half the RRP costs.     

When all this is considered, it seems like a no brainer to me.   I am about to pull the trigger. 

The only things that I am disappointed about is my Gear VR and Dex.  The S10 is the last supported phone and I will miss messing around with it with my kids.   Mostly i use the GearVR to watch movies and Netflix on VR cinema sized screens... it works great for that purpose.   I was disappointed to learn that Samsung and oculus fell out... as this was one thing that most other phone manufacturers have not managed so far.   Anyway I guess I can survive without the VR.   Perhaps to upgrade my gaming PC to a Rift S instead !    I have the Dex dock at work with a separate KB and mouse attached... it is also a great way to use the phone in the office.    I will miss both of those gadgets when I upgrade my S10+.    I know Dex works wirelessly now, but not with a wired keyboard and mouse and which is convenient. 

Smiley