Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G Review: It’s The One You Want
January 30, 2021
The S21 Ultra maybe the talk of the town, but the S21+ has a lot going for it….
Performance: 2100 Exynos, 8GB RAM
Display: 6.7-inch (1080 x 2400)
Weight: 202g
Storage: 256GB
Battery: 4,800mAh
Features: 8K, 4K, 1080p video recording
Rear Camera:12MP Ultra Wide, 12MP Wide, 64MP Telephoto
Front Camera:10MP
Rating: 9/10
Price: RM 4,299
Samsung really outdid themselves with this year’s S21 Series phones. Far removed from anything we’ve seen before, the new line exudes a sense of excess with their build quality, choice of materials to their unique contrasting colour schemes. The svelte curves seem intertwined as the body seamlessly fuses with the aluminum frame.
It seems as though careful thought was placed on their design and construction. This wasn’t the case for the S20 line. As good as they were, the phones seemed like rehashed versions of their predecessors. Not so for the S21 Series. It’s clear that more effort was spent on it, which is why it looks this good.
Perfectly shaped
Then there’s the camera array, which gradually advances from the metal frame and becomes more pronounced as it flows over the rear panel. It’s similar in nature to that of a wave gushing over bedrock. Where the S20’s design felt like patchwork, the S21’s regal lines seem purposeful – something I don’t often say of a smartphone.
The S21 Ultra has received most of the limelight as of late, due in part to its unnecessarily large RAM capacity, impressive QHD display and assortment of cameras. But most of this cutting edge tech actually counts against it. It’s the heaviest phone of the lot and the most expensive, yet looks cautiously similar to that of the Note 20 Ultra – coincidence?
Now, the S21+, the middle child of the trio, finds itself in a situation where it has to prove its worth against its bigger brother. It’s only a smidgen smaller than the Ultra, has a slightly lower capacity battery, comes with just 8GB RAM and a 120Hz, 1080p display – hardly revolutionary in anyone’s book. But that’s where most critics are mistaken.
I believe that the S21+, the overlooked and underappreciated phone of the three, happens to be the best of the lot. That’s because to the untrained eye, the S21+ can easily be mistaken for an Ultra. Case and point is the display. Can a layman discern with absolute certainty the difference between a QHD display from a 1080p one?
Samsung S21 Series
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The answer is, no. Only those with a keen-eye will be able to tell them apart. The same is true of the effects of having copious amounts of RAM. Unless you’re dabble in video editing work or serious high-end gaming, you won’t notice the difference. Yet, you’re paying a hefty premium for the Ultra during a time when most of us are forced to tighten our belts – thanks COVID-19!
See, the S21+ has an exceptionally good dynamic AMOLED display with decent colour accuracy and impressive brightness levels. Pictures and videos look punchy and vibrant, no matter the time of the day. This result is down to the intelligent software that controls it. Based on what’s shown on the screen, the software tries to portray it in the best ‘light’ possible.
That means the brightness, contrast and more importantly the refresh rate, is adjusted as and when needed, because it’s wasteful to keep the display pegged at 120Hz for the entire time. Instead, said software lowers it when it’s prudent to do so, the same is true of the other aforementioned criteria. The result is a viewing experience that is optimized for your content.
In person, the display suggests that it’s of a higher resolution than 1080p. This is the effect it has on anyone who hasn’t laid eyes on the Ultra – yes, it’s that good. The same is true of its response to touch input, which includes the lightning quick ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. It offers the full experience of a flagship, without any of the drawbacks.
The Performance
This effect is carried over into the way it performs at gaming or crunching through demanding tasks. The Snapdragon 888, is an absolute powerhouse. I threw everything at it, just short of the kitchen sink but it didn’t skip a beat. Since a lot of my daily tasks at GC revolve around graphic design and social media posts, the S21+ would need to take the place of phone and laptop.
Mind, it’s a tall order to fulfill because I usually shuffle between my laptop and phone frequently. Putting the S21+ through the wringer made me realize one thing – phones aren’t what they used to be. Android 11 far superior than anything preceding it, from the way it manages tasks to how cooperative it is with current hardware.
This includes the perpetual improvement of the DeX interface. Formerly an afterthought, today Samsung’s pseudo-desktop UI for its phones feels like a full-fledged OS. The subtle tweaks that have been made over time, make it an enticing prospect over an equivalent Windows machine. Many apps exhibit similar behavior to those on a regular laptop.
That said, until major app developers jump onboard, the system will never truly reach its full potential. It shows great promise especially now that DeX wireless has become a ‘thing’. It’s fascinating to be able to connect a phone to a monitor or TV, without the need for wires. Eventually, this could let phones like the S21+ take over work tasks and streaming duties.
Over time, and with much needed support from Samsung, DeX could assume the place of a PC, making your phone, the only device you’ll ever need. This isn’t a pipe dream, it’s already here! The S21+ exhibits the traits of a modern computer, yet still behaves like a smartphone. From excel spreadsheets to editing video footage, this device can do it all.
It’s AKG speakers make the phone a joy to use when streaming content from Netflix or YouTube. Crystal clear sound propagates from the top and bottom, providing for a ‘cinematic’ experience. There’s a good amount of depth to the sound quality, made even better by a good helping of bass. It’s no match for an actual dedicated speaker, but it’s close enough.
The Cameras
Now, this is an area where critics say that the Ultra wipes the floor with its lesser siblings. It’s camera array feels superior in every way – on paper at least. Cycling through video and photo taking duties made one thing apparent – its hogwash! This S21+ takes breathtaking shots without even trying. It shuffles through the various sensors to achieve the desired shot.
These are cameras that do the thinking for you. There’s no need to faff about with the settings, the phone knows what’s best and it delivers on every front. Pictures seem rich with detail and adequate depth between the subject and background. So good is the computational photography that you don’t even have to put in any effort to achieve the intended results.
The sensors are quick to adapt to changing environments and moving subjects. This allows for detailed photos and videos. The same is true for the single take function. It does all the work, so you don’t have to do anything. This phone is a major improvement over its predecessor in every way. Though the S20+ took good pictures, this takes great ones – without even trying!
Even under direct sunlight, the front camera takes good selfies with decent soft tone colour contrasts, so it captures great shots. The ideal tone can be achieved without any filter selections either. The camera automatically focuses on you and relegates everything else to the background.
However, the filter settings allow you to darken or blur the background without affecting your subject. It offers a nearly infinite number of choices that can be used to get perfect shots that you can then show off on social media platforms. The changes are seamless, allowing you to have fun tweaking things to create something unique.
This exemplifies my point, perfectly. The S21+, isn’t just a humdrum smartphone. It’s an instrument of creators, presenting them with the freedom to create and share content without the need for expensive accessories or a legion of support staff. It’s just you out there, being able to make what you want, wherever that might be.
Lets not forget about the Dual Video Call feature. It allows for both front and rear cameras to be used at the same time, while chatting with someone on the other end. It’s an interesting feature, but one that I’ll probably never use – it’s a nifty party trick though. But what impresses me most is the ability to zoom and crop pictures without losing any detail.
This is impressive. On regular phones, the moment you zoom-in on a spot, the pictures become less sharp – it’s not the case here. The 30x zoom is a very useful feature unlike the pointless 100x zoom. The S21+ provides you with light editing options the moment you try to mess about with a picture. It’s trying to meet you halfway, which makes editing tasks easier to accomplish.
You can even create highlight reels, movies, GIFs, or even collages – let your imagination run wild. And if the albums become cluttered, just select “similar to the last image grouped” and the photos will be reorganized in a way that makes it easier to find what you want. This is a nice touch, something I wished was available on earlier versions of Android.
Night time photography is exceptionally better than that of the S20+. The phone is able to offer decent exposure levels without detriment to overall quality. Noise levels are kept in check, so your content remains sharp with a neutral colour balance and decent contrast. Its predecessor wasn’t able to pull this off – now, that’s what I call progress!
But I’d be lying if I said that the S21+ cameras are perfect. As good as they are, there are times when they fall afoul in the way that they capture shots and focus on a subject. This becomes apparent when it’s compared with the results of the S21+ Ultra. It is a superior camera system to that of the S21+.
We established this at the beginning of the article. There simply isn’t a case where the S21+ comes out on top, especially in the camera department. That said, it doesn’t fall far behind. The shortcomings of the S21+ only become apparent if you look for them. Unless you’ve used an Ultra, the S21+ camera hardware and features seem second to one.
How Do You Charge It?
Now, we need to address the elephant in the room – the power brick. For the first time in history, Android phones are being shipped without one. Apple got the ball rolling with its iPhone 12 models last year, and it seems as though Android manufacturers are following suit. Citing environmental concerns, the S21+ doesn’t come with a wall charger.
It’s an essential item that is now sold separately. I strongly disagree with this move because people who are upgrading from a mid–range phone to a flagship one, will be at a disadvantage. They won’t have an older 25W charger lying around their home. At the most, it would be a 15W or 12W charger. And that would take ages to charge the S21+ 4,800mAh battery.
On the Samsung store, you can pick one up for RM79.00 but that’s a silly move. For the same price, the store also sells a wireless charger (9W). The convenience that it offers far outweigh the charging speeds presented by the old fashion power brick (25W). The thought of never having to reach for a charging cable again, feels immensely liberating.
Should You Buy The S21+?
The premise for the S21+ likeability is its ability to meet 90% of the population’s expectations. It takes great photos and impressive 8K footage, handles heavy computational tasks with relative ease and with the improved DeX interface, behaves like a pseudo-PC. It’s everything anyone could want in a phone – period.
However, its shortcomings become glaringly clear once you’ve used an S21+ Ultra. In terms of RAM, storage and overall camera power, it beats its lesser siblings. Though all three come with the Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100, that’s where the similarities end. These are three different phones, aimed at different demographics.
Admittedly, the S21+ is the only one that is able to capture the right amount of attention. It’s more practical to use than the 6.2-inch S21 and is significantly cheaper than the Ultra yet is able to shadow its abilities. It’s the sensible choice for people who want a ‘value for money’ flagship smartphone.
And with that justification, the answer is, yes. You should buy the S21+, it has all the markings of a champion especially in terms of its looks and hardware performance. The average Joe will never reach this phone’s limits, both in terms of software and hardware. The ‘pros’ may beg to differ but the Ultra seems pointless once you’ve had the time to ponder over its highlights.
Get the S21+, preferably in Phantom Violet (for women). It will give you 85% of the abilities of the Ultra which include all day battery life and blistering fast processing power. And the extra money that you’ve saved from not buying an Ultra, could be put to better use on several accessories that include a better wireless charger, Galaxy Buds Pro and a wireless speaker.
