Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra specs leaked, report says
More details have reportedly emerged about the upcoming smartphones.
- Ed was a member of the CNET crew that won a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors for general excellence online. He's also edited pieces that've nabbed prizes from the Society of Professional Journalists and others.
The Galaxy S20 FE, seen here, launched in October.
Samsung is reportedly gearing up to launch its Galaxy S21 phones in January, and now it looks like we've got leaked specs for the Galaxy S21 smartphones. Max Weinbach over at Android Police published the specs Saturday, saying they'd been confirmed through multiple sources. (Asked about the report, Samsung said it doesn't comment on rumors and speculation.)
Display
Both the Galaxy S21 and the S21 Plus reportedly have 120Hz, FHD+ format, LTPS (low-temperature polycrystalline silicon) displays. The S21's is a 6.2-inch, and the S21 Plus sports a 6.7-inch. The S21 Ultra reportedly has a 1-120Hz adaptive, WQHD+ format, LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) display that's 6.8 inches. The Ultra will support the S Pen, but the pen won't be integrated with the phone, Weinbach says (as others have as well). Instead, Samsung reportedly plans to sell cases that store the pen outside the phone's body.
Software
All the phones will reportedly feature One UI 3.1 based on Android 11.
Chip
All the phones will reportedly feature a Snapdragon 875 or Exynos 2100 processor, depending on region. The 875 is the as-yet-unannounced successor to the Snapdragon 865, says Weinbach, who adds that the Exynos chip is expected to improve battery life.
Battery
For the S21, it's reportedly 4,000 mAh. For the S21 Plus, 4,800 mAh. And for the Ultra, 5,000 mAh. Weinbach says all the phones will, at a minimum, support 25W fast charging.
Rear camera
The S21 and the Plus will reportedly have a 12MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide and a 64MP telephoto. The Ultra will reportedly boast a 108MP main lens with a Gen 2 sensor, a 10MP 3X optical telephoto and 10MP 10x optical telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide. "Thanks to the new 10x optical sensor, our sources say Samsung will be reviving 100X Space Zoom," Weinbach says, adding that "Samsung will be using laser autofocus on the S21 Ultra, hopefully remedying the focus issues the S20 Ultra experienced." Another nugget: Samsung is "adding a dual recording mode, where you can record out of the front and rear camera at the same time. As of now, it appears Samsung will allow you to either have these in one video side by side, as picture in picture, or saved as two files."
Connectivity
It's reportedly 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 for both the S21 and the Plus, with Wi-Fi 6E for the Ultra. Weinbach notes that Samsung says Wi-Fi 6E is approximately two times faster than standard Wi-Fi 6. He also says he doesn't know if Samsung is working on LTE-only models of the phones.
Colors
For the S21: Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Gray and Phantom White. For the Plus: Phantom Silver, Phantom Black and Phantom Violet. For the Ultra: Phantom Black and Phantom Silver.
Weinbach says the rear cover of the S21 will be plastic but the Ultra's will be glass. No word yet on what the Plus' will be made of. Last month, Android Police published purportedly leaked S21 renders, which show a camera bump and which give a sense of how the color schemes will be set up. Weinbach says those renders are accurate.