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 might be just weeks away, as multiple sources suggest it’s being announced on January 14. And it won’t be alone — we’re expecting a Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra too. That’s exciting, as the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus currently top our list of the best smartphones in the world. And with the new phones so close we also have a good idea of what to expect from them, with numerous leaks and rumors revealing the likely specs, design and features. Highlights include S Pen support and 10x optical zoom for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, a striking new look for the camera block on all three phones, and of course more power than you’ll probably know what to do with. You’ll find details of all that and everything else we’ve heard so far below. 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. Make sure to check back regularly too, as new Samsung Galaxy S21 leaks keep rolling in and we’re adding them all to this article Samsung always unveils its new Galaxy S models early in the year, and in recent years it has been announcing them in February, then selling them from March, so we were expecting the same with the Samsung Galaxy S21 range. But it’s looking very likely that the Samsung Galaxy S21 range will actually land in January, with an official Samsung store in India even saying the phones will be announced on January 14. The 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 model by January 22. That’s also not the first time we’ve heard these dates, with a leaker previously saying that the Samsung Galaxy S21 range 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. Subsequent leaks have also echoed the January 14 claim, while several earlier rumors also suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S21 release date would be early in 2021, so early 2021 and more specifically January 14 is looking very likely. The phone has also 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. As for how much the Samsung Galaxy S21 range will cost, the phones will probably be at least as expensive as the Galaxy S20 range, likely meaning a starting price for the basic model of at least $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. One source suggests the range will cost roughly the same as their predecessors, but that said, one leak from Naver (a Korean site) 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’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. So while we’re not certain of the price yet, so far there’s no sense that the phones will cost much more than the Galaxy S20 range in any case, which is good news. 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. 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.
