Samsung Galaxy S21: Three phones, so many cameras

Raymond Wong Jan. 14, 2021 Tech The Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra are here and they pile on the performance, battery life, and cameras like no Samsung phone before. Here's what's the same and different on all three devices.

Samsung is starting 2021 off with a big bang with the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra.

The 11th generation Galaxy S phones don't need an introduction. These are Samsung's latest and greatest Android smartphones. They are stuffed with the newest technologies. 🎥: Samsung

Before we get into the differences of each Galaxy S21, let's look at what features are the same: • Snapdragon 888 chip • AMOLED display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate • HDR10+ certified • In-display fingerprint sensor • IP68 water and dust-resistance • Fast wireless & wired charging • Wireless PowerShare • 5G (Sub-6 & mmWave), Wi-Fi 6E, Ultra Wide Band Samsung

More specific camera specs in a minute. All S21s have improved 8K video recording, faster autofocus and night shooting, a "Vlogger View" mode that simultaneously records from the front and rear video cameras, to name just some new camera upgrades. 🎥: Samsung

Samsung's improved the "Eye Comfort Shield" to filter out even more blue light on all S21 displays. Other than size and resolution, you have to pick between flat versus curved. The S21 and S21+ have flat displays and the S21 Ultra has gently curved sides. Samsung

No more expandable storage

After years of resisting it, Samsung has ditched the microSD card slot on the S21s. Now, the internal storage is all you get just like an iPhone. You can't add more later. Samsung

Plastic vs. glass

There's also the matter of materials. The S21 has a plastic back and the S21+ and S21 Ultra have a glass back. All three are matte so they should resist fingerprints better than S20 phones. Samsung

As promised , Samsung's brought the S Pen from Galaxy Note . But only for the S21 Ultra. On the Note, the S Pen is included and slots into the phone. If you want an S Pen for the S21 Ultra it's sold separately.

Here's a special case with an included S Pen slot Samsung will gladly sell you. Any Note S Pen or Galaxy Tab S Pen will also work with the S21 Ultra. 🎥: Samsung

Galaxy S21

6.2" The size of the S21's screen. 2,400 x 1,080 resolution at 421 ppi.

Storage + RAM + Battery

The S21 comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. Battery capacity is 4,000 mAh. Samsung

S21 cameras:

• Wide: 12-megapixel f/1.8 with OIS • Ultra-wide: 12-megapixel f/2.2 (120-degree FOV) • Telephoto: 64-megapixel f/2.0 with OIS 30x Space Zoom • Selfie: 10-megapixel f/2.2 Samsung

Starts at $799.99

The regular Galaxy S21 comes in the most colors: Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Violet, and Phantom Pink. Samsung

Galaxy S21+

6.7" The size of the S21+'s display. 2,400 x 1,080 resolution at 394 ppi. Samsung

Storage + RAM + Battery

The S21+ comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. It has a 4,800 mAh battery. Samsung

S21+ cameras:

• Wide: 12-megapixel f/1.8 with OIS • Ultra-wide: 12-megapixel f/2.2 (120-degree FOV) • Telephoto: 64-megapixel f/2.0 with OIS 30x Space Zoom • Selfie: 10-megapixel f/2.2 Samsung

Starts at $999.99

The S21+ comes in three colors: Phantom Black, Phantom White, and Phantom Violet. Samsung

Galaxy S21 Ultra

6.8" The size of the S21 Ultra's display. 3,200 x 1,400 resolution at 515 ppi. Samsung

Storage + RAM + Battery

The S21 Ultra has the most RAM and storage. Take your pick of 12GB of RAM with 128GB or 256GB of storage. Or 16GB of RAM with 512GB of storage. The S21 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery. Samsung

S21 Ultra cameras:

• Wide: 108-megapixel f/1.8 with OIS • Ultra-wide: 12-megapixel f/2.2 (120-degree FOV) • Telephoto 1: 10-megapixel f/2.4 with 3x optical zoom + OIS • Telephoto 2: 10-megapixel f/4.9 with 10x optical zoom + OIS 100x Space Zoom Laser Autofocus • Selfie: 40-megapixel f/2.2 Samsung

Starts at $1,199.99

The Galaxy S21 Ultra only comes in two colors: Phantom Black and Phantom White. Samsung

Some bad news...

Following Apple, the Galaxy S21s also don't come with a charger in the box. It's fine if you already have a high-wattage charger that supports fast charging. Sucks if you don't because that's gonna be an extra cost. Samsung

1/29 The launch date for the S21s. Pre-orders start on 1/14. Samsung

So that's the S21, S21+, and S21+. Stay tuned to Input because we'll have a full review soon with a more in-depth look at the new cameras. 🎥: Samsung

For more CES 2021 stories, read these next: 😷 Razer made a cyberpunk N95 mask complete with voice amplifier and RGBs 😮 Move over foldables, here come rollable phones 🤯 7 new laptops at CES that don't look like a MacBook Shutterstock

S21 cameras:

S21+ cameras:

S21 Ultra cameras:

Thanks for reading, head home for more!

Thanks for reading,
head home for more!