As for what kind of design we can look forward to for the Galaxy S21, Samsung has a couple of options — 1) keep the Galaxy S20’s design language or 2) usher in a completely new design.
The Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra took the S20’s design and refined it a bit, meaning we could be treated to similar-looking phones for the 21 series. The highlights here include slim display bezels, a centered hole-punch cutout, and possibly matte glass on the back.
The most recent leaks of the Galaxy S21 and S21 Ultra suggest that the design will be very similar to the S20 lineup, but with subtle differences. For example, the smaller S21 looks to have a flat display as opposed to the curved glass on the S20. Both the S21 and S21 Ultra appear to have large protruding camera bumps, but the glass that covers them wraps around the side of the device in a modernist panache.
The backs of the phones still appear to be covered in glass, but like the Note 20 series is matte instead of glossy, making it easier to grip and more difficult to scuff of cover in fingerprints. Otherwise, we have a bunch of phones that look very similar to Samsung’s 2020 models, including an edge-to-edge display with a centered selfie cutout, two sets of buttons on the right side of the device, and a USB-C port on the bottom next to the microphone and speaker ports.
On October 26, we got our first real spec leak for the S21 series — specifically, the Galaxy S21 Ultra. According to the report, some of the S21 Ultra’s key specs include a 6.8-inch screen, 5,000 mAh battery, and a 108MP primary camera. We’re also expecting a display resolution of Quad HD+, along with a 40MP selfie camera.
This has the S21 Ultra shaping up to be very similar to the S20 Ultra, further indicating that the S21 series will mark a year of minor improvements for Samsung.
As for the rest of the phones, it’s pure speculation at this point. We can all but guarantee all three phones will launch with One UI 3.0 running Android 11; we already see Samsung beta testing this update for its 2020 lineup, and there’s no reason to think it won’t launch the S21 series with this software out of the box.
We know more about the S21 Ultra’s camera setup because of a tweet by Max Winebach who teased the below configuration. We’ve heard speculation that the S21 Ultra will have two telephoto lenses at different focal differences, at least one of which will be powered by a prism, though it’s possible that they could use the same mechanism for both lenses.
We also know that the latest Qualcomm processor is a must. That means the Snapdragon 875 with support for 5G. We also anticipate Samsung will stick with its 120Hz AMOLED displays, at least three rear cameras, and ample RAM and storage. In Europe, there are rumors of a brand new Exynos 1000 chip that could bring Samsung’s chip performance back to the level of Qualcomm’s.
The addition of 5G and the 120Hz screen were big staples for the Galaxy S20, making the phone an exciting upgrade even if you had the S10. We think the S21 will be a year of refinement for Samsung rather than major breakthroughs, so while it may not be as buzzworthy, it should take all of what made the S20 great and crank it up just a little more.
As for other rumored specs, an August 20 report hinted at a 4,800 mAh battery for the Galaxy S21+ — marking a decent upgrade from the 4,500 mAh battery found in the S20+. It’s also said that the entire Galaxy S21 lineup could ditch time-of-flight sensors, just like we saw for the Note 20 series.
