The Samsung Galaxy S21 release date is nearing, and here’s everything we know so far about the flagship phone family.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 release date is said to be this month, according to several rumors that suggest a January 14 launch for the S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra phones. That means we’re getting Samsung’s flagship smartphone for 2021 a month earlier than usual, and that’s really 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. Here’s why this is big news for everyone: our current best smartphones list names the Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus as our top choices. The Galaxy S21 series – rumored to cost the same as last year’s prices – may replace the year-old phones. Galaxy S21 leaks are coming in so clear that we already have a Samsung Galaxy S21 colors guide. Samsung’s design seems set, if the renders are to be believed, so you may not have to wait until that rumored January 14 launch date. Update: the latest Samsung Galaxy S21 rumor suggests that, in some countries, the handset may arrive without a charging block or headphones in the box — which would see Samsung follow in the footsteps of Apple and its iPhone 12 range, with the phones shipping with just a USB cable. We’ve also included in-depth details on the likely Samsung Galaxy S21 release date and price, and if you still need more after that, head to the bottom of this article for a wish list of what we want from the phones in order to ensure they’re big upgrades on the Samsung Galaxy S20 range. The Samsung Galaxy S21 release date is rumored to be January 22 or January 29, with leaks hinting at a January 14 announcement. Even the official Samsung store in India is saying the phones will be announced on January 14. We’re days away from knowing for sure. The Samsung store added that the phones would then go on sale in the country on January 29, but suggested much of the world would get them a week earlier, meaning you might be able to have a Samsung Galaxy S21 by January 22. 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. The phone has passed through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification process a month earlier than normal, further suggesting a January launch is on the cards. If this is all true, it will be the earliest point in the year we’ve seen a Galaxy S flagship phone launch. 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. This is certainly a switch. Samsung always unveils its new Galaxy S phones a bit later, normally in mid or late February, then it puts them on sale in March. According to all of the leaks we’ve seen, that’s just not the case for 2021, with January tipped for both the launch date and release date. There won’t be a Samsung Galaxy S21 price increase, at least in some countries for the base model, according to new 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). We’ll see if that’s actually true on January 14. We’ve also recently 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. 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. 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.
