8 things you need to know before ordering the Samsung Galaxy S21

Samsung's Galaxy S21 is equipped with the latest flagship Snapdragon processor, powerful triple camera, and premium design, yet has an economical price. But if you're simply thinking of an update to the S20 or a smaller version of the new Galaxy S21+, there are some things to consider before pre-ordering for $800. 

[1] Lower resolution than the Galaxy S20 

Galaxy S users are usually accustomed to using the 'best' display. The Galaxy S20 is a 6.2-inch Quad HD+ 3200×1440 Infinity-O edge display, with a pixel density of 563ppi and a refresh rate of 120Hz. However, the Galaxy S21 is the same size, but the resolution is different. It is a full HD+ 2400×1080 Infinity-O display with 421ppi and an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. It's still great, but it's not a familiar situation for Galaxy S buyers.

[2] The back material is plastic

Since the Galaxy S6, the entire Samsung Galaxy S smartphone has been made of glass. The same goes for the Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra. However, the Galaxy S21 is made of “reinforced polycarbonate material”, that is, plastic material. There is nothing particularly bad in terms of the durability of plastic, but it is difficult to give a 'premium' feel.

The back of the Galaxy S21 looks like glass, but it's made of plastic. Ⓒ SAMSUNG

[3] Absence of UWB chip

Samsung has equipped the Note 20 Ultra with an Ultra Wide Band (UWB) for fast file sharing. In addition, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S21 series and introduced SmartTags that can accurately locate lost items using UWB chips. However, if you buy the Galaxy S21, you cannot use smart tags. Only the S21+ and S21 Ultra have UWB chips.

[4] Less RAM than previous models

The Galaxy S20 was truly a 'performance monster'. All three were able to choose 12GB of RAM. Not everyone needs this amount of memory, but considering that smartphone operation slows slightly over time, it is true that the larger the RAM, the better. However, the Galaxy S21 doesn't have a 12GB option, only 8GB.

The Galaxy S21 is quite fast, but it is not compared to other 'models'. Ⓒ SAMSUNG

[5] Wi-Fi 6E not supported

It seems that Wi-Fi 6 has just appeared, but the next generation standard has already emerged. Wi-Fi 6E offers faster speeds and higher capacity while reducing latency and bottlenecks. The Galaxy S21 series is one of the first smartphones to support Wi-Fi 6E, and like UWB, only the S21 Ultra is supported. The S21 remains Wi-Fi 6.

[6] Absence of microSD storage slot

Samsung Galaxy S users didn't worry about storage capacity thanks to the external microSD memory card slot. This has been the case since the first appearance of the Galaxy S series in 2010. But the Galaxy S21 doesn't have this slot. So if you're buying the S21, you'll have to pick at least a 256GB model.

The S21 comes in 128GB and 256GB models, but there is no external storage slot. Ⓒ SAMSUNG

[7] Heavy

The Galaxy S21 is the same size as the S20, but it is expected to be as light as the Pixel 4a by adopting plastic material instead of glass. But it is not. The Galaxy S21 is 171g, which is heavier than the S20 (163g), iPhone 12 (164g), and Pixel 5 (151g). It is not clear where this weight came from.

[8] S Pen not supported

The Samsung S Pen has always been a feature of the Galaxy Note family, but the Galaxy S21 family has also started supporting this stylus. However, the Galaxy S21 does not support the S Pen. Only the S21 Ultra supports the stylus.