1 of 12
|
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a 6.7-inch display that is almost the same size as the 6.8-inch screen of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but thanks to this and other reductions in specs the S21 Plus is more comfortable to hold and use with one hand (Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN) →
2 of 12
|
At the rear is the new camera module that has three cameras, a 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel wide-angle and a 64-megapixel telephoto.
3 of 12
|
The front camera is 10 megapixels.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
4 of 12
|
The frames or bezels of the Galaxy S21 Plus are very small.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
5 of 12
|
The back is made of glass, although visually and to the touch it is not so different from the Galaxy S21, which has a plastic back.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
6 of 12
|
The buttons are located on the right side edge.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
7 of 12
|
The camera module is attached to the metal frame.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
8 of 12
|
The Galaxy S21 Plus is waterproof with IP68 certification, it can be charged wirelessly, and it can also charge other devices wirelessly.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
9 of 12
|
In the United States, the Galaxy S21 Plus has the Snapdragon 888 processor, but in most of Latin America it comes with the Exynos 2100 processor. (Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
10 of 12
|
One of the biggest changes for many, beyond the design, is that it no longer has a microSD card slot to expand its storage.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
11 of 12
|
The S21 Plus also does not bring the MST technology that allowed mobile payments to be made in terminals that do not have NFC.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
12 of 12
|
In the United States and some markets, the Galaxy S21 Plus is cheaper than the previous generation.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
(CNN Spanish) -
Samsung's new Galaxy S21 Plus (Galaxy S21 +) cell phone, which hit the market in January, is worth US $ 200 less in the United States than the Galaxy S20 Plus at its launch (the same launch price in Mexico) But it comes with a screen and battery almost as big as the Galaxy S21 Ultra (US $ 1,099 or MX $ 29,999), while it has a design more similar to the Galaxy S21.
With this, the Galaxy S21 Plus manages to have a design more like that of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, a very reliable battery life, an attractive design, the same Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 processor (depending on the market) and the same base functions.
Does this make the Galaxy S21 Plus the perfect balance to this new generation of Samsung flagship phones?
Probably yes for some, but it also puts you in a tricky position because the Galaxy S21 offers almost the same in a more compact size for $ 200 or MX $ 5,000 less, while for $ 200 more you get the Galaxy S21 Ultra which has better cameras, more RAM, and some extra features that make it the best Samsung can offer today.
However, the best thing about the Galaxy S21 Plus is in managing to offer an experience not unlike the Galaxy S21 Ultra in a device that is less heavy and thick, making it more comfortable to use and carry with you.
Compared to the Galaxy S21, the main advantage is its large screen that allows a better content consumption experience, while its battery also offers better use time.
Galaxy S21 Plus price
The price of the Galaxy S21 Plus is US $ 999 for the 128GB version of storage and US $ 1,049 for the version with 256GB of storage in the US.
The price of the Galaxy S21 Plus in Mexico is MX $ 24,999 for the 128GB version or MX $ 26,999 for the 256 GB version.
The version of the Galaxy S21 Plus that is sold in the United States can be imported into Mexico through Amazon with a starting price of MX $ 25,499.
advertising
Galaxy S21 Plus: Features and Specifications
Screen: 6.7 inch
Resolution: 2,400 x 1,080 pixels
Maximum refresh rate: 120 Hz
Processor: Snapdragon 888 (in the United States) or Exynos 2100 (in Mexico, most of Latin America, Spain and other markets)
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB or 256GB
MicroSD: no
Main cameras: 12 megapixels (f / 1.8) + wide angle 12 megapixels (f / 2.2) + 64 megapixel telephoto (f / 2.0) with 3x hybrid optical zoom and digital zoom up to 30x
Front camera: 10 megapixels
Water resistance: yes, IP68 certified
Battery: 4.800m Ah
Wireless charging: yes
Reversible wireless charging: yes
Fast charge: 25 watts (25W)
Operating system: Android 11
5G: Yes, mmWave and Sub-6
Fingerprint reader: yes, on the screen
Other features: no 3.5mm headphone jack, UWB, NFC (no MST), flat screen
Size: 167.5 x 75.6 x 7.8mm
Weight: 202 grams
Differences: Galaxy S21 Plus vs.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs.
Galaxy S21
Galaxy S21 |
Galaxy S21 Plus |
Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|
Screen |
6.2 inch (flat) |
6.7 inch (flat) |
6.8 inch (curved) |
Resolution |
2,400 × 1,800 pixels |
2,400 × 1,800 pixels |
3,200 × 1,440 pixels |
Storage |
128GB, 256GB |
128GB, 256GB |
128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
Storage expansion |
Do not |
Do not |
Do not |
Main Chambers |
12 MP + wide angle 12 MP + telephoto 64 MP (3x optical zoom) |
12 MP + wide angle 12 MP + telephoto 64 MP (3x optical zoom) |
108 MP + wide angle 12 MP + telephoto (3x optical zoom) 10 MP + (10x optical zoom) 10 MP |
Frontal camera |
10 MP |
10 MP |
40 MP |
RAM |
8 GB |
8 GB |
12GB, 16GB |
Drums |
4,000 mAh |
4,800 mAh |
5,000 mAh |
Important features |
Plastic back, 48Hz to 120Hz variable rate display |
Glass back, 48 Hz to 120 Hz variable rate display, UWB |
Glass back, 10 Hz to 120 Hz variable rate display, UWB, S Pen and S Pen Pro compatibility |
Size |
71.2 × 151.7 × 7.9 mm |
75.6 × 167.5 × 7.8 mm |
165.1 × 75.6 × 8.9 mm |
Weight |
172 grams |
202 grams |
228 grams |
Price |
US $ 799 (MX $ 21,499) |
US $ 999 (MX $ 24,999) |
US $ 1,199 (MX $ 29,999) |
Design: more attractive, but without a microSD card slot
The Galaxy S21 Plus has the same design as the Galaxy S21, which makes it slightly different from the S21 Ultra.
This means that the Galaxy S21 Plus has a flat screen that has a top-centered camera that is integrated through a hole, it does not have a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack, and it has a module that is integrated into the frame. made of metal and has three cameras (the flash is outside the module).
The matte-type rear glass allows it to attract less fingerprints, but also makes it more slippery than the Galaxy S20 Plus.
Also, its smooth metal edge does not help offer a good grip.
On the other hand, its flat screen makes its edge feel stiffer and sometimes uncomfortable in the hands.
It's true that the curved screen makes controlling things on the side edges more difficult or inefficient, but the curvature often helps make it more ergonomic.
Despite this, the Galaxy S21 Plus is still an IP68 water resistance certified cell phone, it can be charged wirelessly and it can also charge other devices wirelessly when placed on the back of it.
One of the most important changes of the Galaxy S21 Plus compared to its previous generation is the lack of a microSD card slot, this means that it is no longer possible to expand the storage just by placing a microSD card, but what you have is all that you can use, beyond cloud storage.
Read: Mysterious '1' notification scared Samsung Galaxy users
This is certainly bad news for users because, although we have all taken advantage of this function, in any case it provides the peace of mind of being able to obtain more storage at any time and at a low cost.
With this in mind, users will now be driven to buy the 256GB version to avoid suffering so much with cell phone storage, but it's good that this only costs $ 50 in the United States.
In Mexico it is necessary to pay MX $ 2,000 more (more expensive, but at least it is cheaper than the MX $ 3,000 that you have to pay for the same increase in an iPhone 12 Pro).
Another shortcoming of the Galaxy S21 Plus compared to its predecessors is in mobile payment technology, because although it has NFC it no longer has MST, which was the most important difference it had with Apple Pay and most Android cell phones: a technology that It allowed it to be compatible with payment terminals that did not have NFC and that simulated the magnetic signal of a credit card.
Something strange is that now the SIM card drawer is located on the bottom edge and is now right next to a microphone, which makes one can easily go wrong when going to insert the tool to extract this drawer.
One of the most drastic changes to the Galaxy S21 Plus from its predecessor is its new design.
(Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN)
The design is one of the biggest changes to the Galaxy S21 Plus versus the Galaxy S20 Plus and it's a good change.
This appearance makes it feel a little more elegant, modern and different from other cell phones on the market.
In addition, this design is one of the biggest advantages that the Galaxy S21 Plus has versus the Galaxy S21 Ultra, since although the S21 Ultra feels a bit more premium, it is thicker, heavier and uncomfortable to use.
Screen and better integrated fingerprint reader
The Galaxy S21 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen with a Full HD + resolution that although it means a step back in the series, it is not the end of the world.
It is true that the Galaxy S20 Plus had a QHD + screen that provides a higher pixel density, but by default it was set to Full HD + and perhaps not everyone has changed that resolution because perhaps they did not know and because with that resolution the rate of update had to be lowered from 120Hz to 60Hz.
With this resolution it offers a good experience, with great detail and the screen also reproduces good colors and its brightness is suitable for all kinds of conditions.
An improvement that this screen brings is that now its update rate is variable, to change between 48 Hz and 120 Hz depending on what you do with this cell phone.
This is good because in use you can tell the difference of change, but this allows the battery life to be wasted less and last longer.
On the other hand, the fingerprint reader (ultrasonic) integrated in the screen also improved considerably.
Samsung claims that this fingerprint reader is 77% larger and it is also faster.
In use, the experience may vary a bit as usual, but undoubtedly this fingerprint reader allows you to unlock the cell phone more effectively, or at least with fewer failed detections to look more like the best optical readers out there. market, such as the OnePlus 8 Pro.
The screen of the Galaxy S21 Plus is 6.7 inches with a Full HD + resolution.
performance
The Galaxy S21 Plus is one of the first phones with the Snapdragon 888 processor and the first, along with the other S21s, to use Samsung's Exynos 2100 processor.
Our test unit is the version with a Snapdragon 888 processor, but the Exynso 2100 appears to improve considerably over its predecessor to better compete with the Snapdragon version.
Overall, the Galaxy S21 Plus is fluid in everything you do, but we were hoping that the improvement was going to be much bigger.
Compared to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ($ 1,099), the speed difference in everyday use is small, although in performance tests it makes more difference.
The biggest difference in performance is noticeable in the cameras, where the S21 Plus takes less time to process the images, but with the main camera it must be taken into account that the Note 20 Ultra has a 108 megapixel one that requires more time to prosecution.
Even comparing the Note 20 Ultra with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the difference in processing time is more similar, although the S21 Ultra is still a bit faster.
In general use, the cell phone is fast in practically all daily tasks, but it is also sometimes a little slower than the Galaxy S21 Ultra, probably due to the difference in RAM.
Performance tests
Geekbench 5: 1,069 (single core) and 3,228 (multiple cores)
3DMark Sling Shot Unlimited: 9,807
Battery life: very reliable
A notable improvement over its predecessor, the Galaxy S20 Plus, is the battery life.
The Galaxy S21 Plus has a 4,800 mAh battery, which is 300 mAh larger than its predecessor, and thanks to this - and possibly the new processor and new display - the battery life is reliable.
With general use, the Galaxy S21 generally managed to last a whole day, after browsing for hours on the internet and social networks, making at least one call, listening to music for at least 30 minutes, and taking at least 15 photos.
In our experience, this battery life was longer than what we had with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, but slightly less than what we achieved with the Galaxy S21 Ultra when set to Full HD + resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. When the S21 Ultra is set to QHD + and 120Hz, the Galaxy S21 Plus offers better battery life.
A novelty of the Galaxy S21 Plus is that the cell phone no longer has a charger in the box, similar to how Apple did with the iPhone 12. However, Samsung reduced the price of the charger to US $ 19.
READ: The new Samsung Galaxy S21 phones are smarter and cheaper, but they don't come with a charger
Credit: Juan Garzon / CNN
Cameras
The cameras of the Galaxy S21 Plus are practically the same as the Galaxy S20 Plus and the news comes mainly through software with more optimizations and new functions.
This means that the Galaxy S21 Plus has a 12 megapixel main camera, a 12 megapixel wide angle and a 64 megapixel telephoto with the ability to do 3x optical zoom (hybrid) that also allows you to take 64 megapixel photos, although By default it takes 12 megapixel photos.
This combination allowed the Galaxy S20 Plus to offer one of the best cameras on the market and here it is still the same case, but the improvements are very few and it is possible that some of the functions of the Galaxy S21 reach the S20 in the future. .
In bright sunlight, the Galaxy S21 Plus achieves great detail and color balance.
In situations with less light, the cell phone sometimes tries to illuminate the scene a lot and overexposes the images, but the detail is not lost much.
The night mode manages to offer good results, but it is below what the Galaxy S21 Ultra offers and also many times it is below the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
The portrait mode of the Galaxy S21 Plus continues to work similar to previous generations where if the subject moves a little the face is very blurred.
In addition, generally the cell phone does not capture the photos immediately when you touch the shutter (in all kinds of photos), but there is a small delay.
In these portrait photos, the Pixel 5 continues to do a better job because fewer times you have photos blurred from motion and it also beats it at capturing the photos more immediately when you touch the shutter button.
However, where I think the Galaxy S21 Plus improved was also in the detection of the edges of the subject and portrait mode, to offer better photos.
Another novelty is that now the faces in the photos are no longer always softened, but by default this function is deactivated to offer more naturalness in the faces.
In terms of video recording, the Galaxy S21 Plus also brings some better ones that allow it to have a little better stability than before, as well as offering good detail and good colors.
Director's View is one of the most important new features of the cameras and allows you to see the three four cameras in real time to record with both one rear and the front and to be able to switch between the three rear cameras with ease.
In case you were in doubt, you can still record 80K video, but it is at 24fps.
In general, the cameras are very good, but the improvements compared to the Galaxy S20 are small and both the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the Galaxy S21 Ultra continue to beat them in zoom and photos at night, mainly.
The 10-megapixel front camera brings similar results, which is good but nothing new to stand out in the market.
Conclution
The Galaxy S21 Plus is an excellent cell phone that despite the new sacrifices (microSD card slot, MST, screen with a maximum resolution of Full HD +, charging adapter and headphones in the box) make it a very complete one.
This Samsung cell phone is a better option than the Galaxy S21 if you want a big screen, but without a doubt, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is superior because it offers better cameras and a more advanced screen, among other small things.
The advantage of the S21 Plus over the Ultra is in the design that allows it to be more comfortable by being less thick and heavy, while it also costs US $ 200 less or MX $ 5,000 less than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
LOOK: AirPods Pro vs Galaxy Buds Live: which pair of headphones is better?
However, this time the Galaxy S21 Ultra differs more from the S21 Plus than what they did in the previous generation, so many will be driven to pay a little more to acquire the Ultra and for many the additional cost it represents compared to the Galaxy S21 would not be worth it because it mainly brings a battery and a bigger screen (and UWB) and the rest is the same.
The Galaxy S21 Plus represents more than anything an evolution of the previous generation and the biggest change is in its design.
That said, the bottom line is that the Galaxy S21 Plus is not worth buying if you have a Galaxy S20 or a Galaxy Note 20 / Note 20 Ultra, but it would be a good option for users who have later devices.
In the current market, the Galaxy S21 Plus is positioned at the top of the market along with the other S21s for all that it offers, but soon more cell phones will arrive with the same Snapdragon 888 processor that will eliminate one of the main advantages it has in today compared to other Android cell phones.
Note: The prices above reflect the price at the time of publication of the article.
AndroidCellphonesMobilesSamsung