Does the Galaxy S21 series packs enough of Samsung’s latest tech to entice an upgrade? Here’s the Samsung Galaxy S21 vs older Samsung phones.
The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S21 has finally arrived, bringing with it Samsung’s latest and greatest mobile technology. This time at a price point that’s more palatable than the Galaxy S20 series. With a strong value proposition this generation, it feels like there’s never been a better time to upgrade. But is that a good idea? As usual, Samsung’s lineup consists of three models — the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. So, should you splash the cash on the latest model if you’re already a happy Samsung customer? Here’s a rundown of how Samsung’s latest premium-tier models stack up against their predecessors, to see if they’re worth the upgrade. Our thoughts: Samsung Galaxy S21 impressions: Cheaper, but are they better? We’ll start our list with 2017’s Samsung Galaxy S8 range. If you’re still holding onto a five-year-old Galaxy S7 or older, it’s almost certainly time to upgrade. If for no other reason than recent Android upgrades and security updates. You don’t really want to be stuck on Android Oreo or older these days. The same can be said for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, which saw their last update to Android 9.0 Pie all the way back in 2019. We’re now on Android 11, with Android 12 set to appear later in 2021. The importance of keeping your phone secure and up to date can’t be understated. Blast from the past: Samsung Galaxy S series — the complete history of the biggest name in Android Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus still pack in some reasonable hardware, but it’s starting to feel a little dated. The phones’ Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 835 processors still run better than many of today’s mid-range phones, but it is far from today’s bleeding-edge gaming performance on flagship devices. The handsets do still appear competitive in terms of features, boasting 4K video recording, an IP68 rating, and a headphone jack too. Fans of the phone can probably justify holding out a little longer if they really want. Even so, performance, cameras, fast charging, and other bits and pieces are all much improved these days. You’ll definitely notice an upgrade moving to any phones in the more modern Samsung Galaxy S21 series.2018’s Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus don’t feel quite so long in the tooth. While they’ve likely had their last update to Android 10, this included Samsung’s One UI 2.1 update which doesn’t feel too out of date yet. Of course, the Galaxy S21 range runs Android 11 and One UI 3.1, which we would recommend from a security standpoint. However, being just one major update behind isn’t necessarily a compelling reason to upgrade immediately. The Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100 in the Galaxy S21 are definitely faster than the Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 in the S9, but not noticeably so on the day-to-day. Instead, it’s gamers who will feel the biggest performance upgrade from Samsung’s latest phones. Especially running on the newer 120Hz display while the S9 remains capped at 60Hz. Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus still offer 4K 60fps video recording, IP68 ratings, solid QHD+ AMOLED displays, headphone jacks, Dex support, and wireless charging. That’s a very compelling list of features. However, the Galaxy S21 is definitely worth considering if you plan to make the move to a 5G tariff.
