Samsung Galaxy S20 vs S21. Which is better?
In case you missed it, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series was launched yesterday during the Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event. With the S20 series being our favourite Android phone of 2020, we couldn’t be more excited for the launch of the S21 series.
In this article, we’ll be shedding some light on the key differences between the S20 and S21 series. We’ll also offer our final thoughts on which of the two series we think is worth your money.
1. Processor
Perhaps the most anticipated upgrade to the device is the processor chipset. As expected, the S21 series is upgraded to the Snapdragon 888 from the prior 865. Unfortunately, for fellow Malaysians, we’ll still be receiving the downgraded option of the Exynos chipset. Nevertheless, the S21 international version does receive an upgrade as well to the Exynos 2100 chipset which is far more superior than the previous 990.
2. Camera
Aside from the noticeable changes to the camera bump design, there isn’t much changes to the camera set seen in the S21 and S21+ models. Perhaps the only thing worth noting is the slight downgrade with the removal of the 0.3MP depth sensor present the S20+.
On that note, the majority of the focus for camera upgrades is on the S21 Ultra model. The S21 Ultra comes with 4 lenses as follows:
- 12 megapixel sensor with ultra wide lens and f/2.2 aperture
- 108 megapixel sensor with wide lens and f/1.8 aperture
- 10 megapixel sensor with 3x telephoto lens and f/2.4 aperture
- 10 megapixel sensor with 10x periscope telephoto lens and f/4.9 aperture
The S21 Ultra brags improvements in both hardware and software which enables better ample light, low light and zoom photos. With a dual-telephoto lens, zoom photos are better optimized between 0-10x zoom and 10x – 100x zoom. Furthermore, the S21 Ultra now comes with the laser auto focus feature as seen in the S20 Note Ultra.
Nevertheless, how does all of these upgrades to actual photos? We’ll just have to wait to get our hands on one to try it out for ourselves.
3. Memory
Right off the back, the S21+ receives quite a downgrade in this area. Down to a 8GB ram from the previous 12GB and no longer having an option for external memory cards. As for built-in memory, the S21 and S21+ will be available in 256GB while the S21 Ultra will have an option of 256GB or 512GB.
4. Display
In terms, of display, we also see a slight downgrade for the S21 and S21+ models from a QHD+1440 x 3200 pixels to a FullHD+ 1080 x 2400 pixels. However, the S21 Ultra maintains the QHD+ display.
5. Battery
Lastly, the battery capacity for the S21 and S21 Ultra is maintained from its predecessor while the S21+ receives a slight bump from 4500mAh to 4800mAh
Final thoughts
All in all, we think that the improvements seen in the S21 series is relatively minor. If you currently own an S20, you’ve got a great phone and an upgrade is probably not necessary.
For those who are debating between the S20 and S21 series, perhaps the most important thing to consider would be the phone memory and processor chipset. There is a little tradeoff between the two and therefore it is important to consider these before making a final decision.
One last thing to note, the S21 series does not come with a charger in the box.
Comparison Table:
| S20 | S21 | S20+ | S21+ | S20 Ultra | S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | QHD+ 1440 x 3200 pixels | FullHD+ 1080 x 2400 pixels | QHD+ 1440 x 3200 pixels | FullHD+ 1080 x 2400 pixels | QHD+ 1440 x 3200 pixels | QHD+ 1440 x 3200 pixels |
| Chipset | Exynos 990 | Exynos 2100 | Exynos 990 | Exynos 2100 | Exynos 990 | Exynos 2100 |
| Ram | 12GB | 8GB | 12GB | 8GB | 12GB | 12/16GB |
| Storage | 128GB, with external SD card slot | 256GB, with no external SD card slot | 128GB, with external SD card slot | 256GB, with no external SD card slot | 128GB, with external SD card slot | 256/512GB, with no external SD card slot |
| Camera | Triple Camera 12 MP (normal), 64 MP (telephoto), 12 MP (ultrawide) | Triple Camera 12 MP (wide), 64 MP (telephoto), 12 MP (ultrawide) | Quad Camera 12 MP (normal), 64 MP (telephoto), 12 MP (ultrawide), TOF 3D (depth) | Triple Camera 12 MP (wide), 64 MP (telephoto), 12 MP (ultrawide) | Quad Camera 108 MP (normal), Periscope 48 MP (telephoto), 12 MP (ultrawide), TOF 3D (depth) | Laser auto-focus, Quad Camera 108 MP (wide), 10 MP (telephoto), 12 MP (ultrawide), 10MP (periscope telephoto) |
| Battery | 4000mAh | 4000mAh | 4500mAh | 4800mAh | 5000mAh | 5000mAh |
| Price | ~MYR 3,299 | ~MYR 3,699 | ~MYR 3,599 | ~MYR 4,299 | ~MYR 4,599 | ~MYR 5,299 |
