The Samsung Galaxy S21 release date is near, and we’ll hear all about the S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra on January 14.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is set to be revealed on January 14 at the company hosts its own Unpacked event then, and we expect the release date for the new handset to come toward the end of this month. Samsung’s flagship 2021 phones are arriving more than a month earlier in the year than we’d normally expect, and that’s good news for anyone who wants a cutting-edge phone to start off the new year. It also means leaks are coming in fast for the S21 series so we know plenty about the Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. Here’s why this is big news: our current best smartphones ranking names the Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus as the best phones in the world right now. The Galaxy S21 series – rumored to cost the same as last year’s models – may replace the year-old phones in that top spot. And if the S21 Ultra comes with an S Pen like rumors increasingly suggest, we could see another top-tier super-premium smartphone. Every important Samsung S21 leak is here, plus we’ve included in-depth details on the likely Samsung Galaxy S21 release date and price. If you still need more after that, head through this article for a clear picture of all three new handsets including camera, battery and what accessories will be included. The Samsung Galaxy S21 family is set to be announced on Thursday, January 14. That’s when the semi-annual Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021 press conference happens and where we’ll see the new phones as well as the Galaxy SmartTag Bluetooth trackers. Following that, the Samsung Galaxy S21 release date is rumored to be January 22 or January 29, a switch from the usual late February announcement and early March release dates that we’ve seen from the past several Galaxy S smartphones. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard these dates, with a Galaxy S21 leaker previously saying that the phone will be announced on January 14, and that they expect pre-orders to open the same day and for the phones to be available on January 29. A Samsung store in India has also said similar. We’ve also heard the January 29 release date from Samsung again too, this time in the terms and conditions of a reservation scheme letting you register interest in the new phones. There won’t be a Samsung Galaxy S21 price increase, at least in some countries for the base model, according to leaks. One source suggests the range will cost roughly the same as their predecessors. It’s still going to be expensive, for sure, but the S21 price may start at the now-usual $999 / £899 / AU$1,499, with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra likely costing even more. Indeed, a reputable leaker claims that the S21 Ultra will be “by far the most expensive device” in the Samsung Galaxy S21 range. There is one leak from Naver (a Korean site) that has suggested the Galaxy S21 series may be cheaper than 2020’s handsets. It says insiders claim the Galaxy S21 will cost somewhere between $849 and $899 (while the Galaxy S20 started at $999). The idea of a price drop has also been echoed by another Korean report, which states that the Samsung Galaxy S21 will cost 990,000 won (around $905 / £665 / AU$1,165), the S21 Plus will cost 1,199,000 won (roughly $1,095 / £805 / AU$1,410), and the S21 Ultra will cost 1,450,000 won (around $1,325 / £975 / AU$1,705). This will apparently be achieved by lowering the resolution on the standard and Plus models to Full HD, and by not including a charging block. We’ve also now seen prices for the range leak in euros: the standard Galaxy S21 is apparently launching for €849 and up, the 128GB S21 Plus for €1,049, the 256GB S21 Plus for €1,099, and the S21 Ultra for €1,399 and up. That’s a little less or a little more than the S20 equivalents, depending on the model. We’ve put all the key leaks and rumors we’ve seen so far (we’ll talk you through them all specifically further down this article) into a chart that should give you the clearest picture of what we’re currently expecting to see. This is an amalgamation of a variety of different leaks, so as with everything on this page take it with a pinch of salt until Samsung announces the new phones in 2021. Now we’ll talk you through all the individual elements we expect to see the Samsung Galaxy S21 series sport when each of the new handsets arrive. The Samsung Galaxy S21 rumors are flowing in, and we now have a full hands-on video of the Plus model in action: you can see the entire design of the phone, front and back, as well as the speed of the software interface. The phone is as fast and as responsive as you would expect, though there’s no sign of the S Pen stylus in this particular clip – stylus support is expected to be an exclusive feature for the Ultra model. In another leak, we’ve also seen what’s seemingly a press render of the Samsung Galaxy S21, which you can see below sporting a design that’s remarkable similar to the S20. One of the biggest leaks yet though revealed Samsung’s own teaser clips of the three phones. You can see the clip of the Galaxy S21 Plus below, and it gives us a clear look at what to expect from the camera and teases a two-tone color design with a gold camera and purple body. The video leak of the standard Galaxy S21 looks identical, so we haven’t included it. It also seems to show a flat screen for the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus, which matches a previous rumor from IceUniverse. The clip of the Galaxy S21 Ultra meanwhile – which you can see below – shows the phone in black with a larger camera block and a curved screen. We’ll dig into what we expect from the camera in the section below, but expect the S21 Ultra to be an all round bigger and more powerful handset that is more capable than the S21 and S21 Plus. You can get a more complete look at the Galaxy S21 courtesy of @OnLeaks in the images below. These renders show a front design very much like the Galaxy S20, but a rear camera setup that’s been revamped to create a wraparound effect over the corner of the phone. It’s quite a dramatic change, though the signs were there in the evolution of the Galaxy S20 and then the Note 20 handsets. The screen size of the standard model is said to be 6.2 inches, and it will apparently be flat, as other leaks have suggested. Dimensions meanwhile will apparently be 151.7 mm x 71.2 mm x 7.9 mm. The renders would seem to rule out earlier whispers that the phone might have an in-screen camera, though Samsung is apparently evaluating the feasibility, so it sounds like the tech might not be ready. A picture of the Galaxy S21 camera bump taken from inside a factory backs up those renders, as it’s exactly the same shape as the module shown in the images above. This makes it seem very likely the renders are accurate. The same source that provided the prior Galaxy S21 images also leaked renders of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, one of which you can see below. This is shown with a curved screen of apparently around 6.7 to 6.9 inches, and a much larger camera block than the standard S21, housing four lenses and a flash. Based on the latest rumors, the screen size will apparently be 6.8 inches. The dimensions meanwhile are apparently around 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm, and there’s a punch-hole selfie camera on the front, but no slot for an S Pen, despite some other leaks suggesting Samsung’s stylus might be supported. There may end up not being a slot for the S Pen, but another leak shows a special folio case for the S21 Ultra will include space for the stylus. While that means there’s no integrated slot like the Note 20 series, at least there’s a place to house the accessory rather than leave it floating free. We’ve also now seen what are apparently leaked official marketing images of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in black and white shades, one of which you can see below. These look much like the leaks above, so this is almost certainly the design. Note that while the screen appears to be curved, it’s clear from these images that the curve is much less than on some previous Samsung handsets. From a different source we also saw Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus renders which fit with the images we’ve seen of the other devices. And we’ve seen images seemingly showing either the Samsung Galaxy S21 or the S21 Plus in a case, and the camera design makes for a surprisingly ugly cut-out. A real world leak meanwhile has shown what the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra devices look like in real life, but sadly it’s restricted to just the rear of the devices. Still, it matches what we’re seeing elsewhere. We finally got another real-world look at an alleged S21 Plus model courtesy of pics tweeted by leaker Mauri QHD, which showed off leaked photos of the front and back, giving us our first glimpse of the display out in the wild…and it doesn’t seem to have curved edges.
