Home Phones Android Galaxy S21 vs. S20 phones: Why Samsung’s new flagship series is $200 cheaper

Galaxy S21 vs. S20 phones: Why Samsung’s new flagship series is $200 cheaper

0
Galaxy S21 vs. S20 phones: Why Samsung’s new flagship series is $200 cheaper

Drew Evans/CNET
Samsung’s much-awaited Galaxy S21 lineup has arrived — and the standout characteristic is not discovered on its software program or {hardware}. It’s its price ticket. The next-gen flagship lineup begins at $800 (£769, AU$1,249) for the baseline Galaxy S21, rises to $1,000 (£949, AU$1,549) for the Galaxy S21 Plus, and maxes out at $1,200 (£1,149, AU$1,849) for the Galaxy S21 Ultra, representing a $200 worth lower for the trio of fashions from final 12 months’s S20 household.Samsung guarantees its new S21 lineup works higher than its predecessors, regardless of its cheaper price ticket. But Samsung is a publicly listed enterprise in any case, and it wanted to make a bunch of calculated compromises to permit the S21 to hit that lowered worth, even when part prices are trending decrease.  One of essentially the most controversial omissions is the in-box wall adapter and earphones. Samsung is pushing its clients to reuse older equipment within the title of the surroundings, similar to Apple did with the iPhone 12 household. The S21 line additionally misplaced expandable native storage, becoming a member of final 12 months’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Flip foldables in ditching the microSD card slot as a result of “usage has markedly decreased,” based on the corporate.

Now enjoying:
Watch this:

We evaluate the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G and its bonkers cameras

9:22

Some of the opposite trade-offs getting much less consideration: a discount in RAM on the bottom S21 (it has 4GB much less RAM than the S20); the discount of the display screen decision (by half) on the S21 and S21 Plus; and the alternative of Gorilla Glass from the again of the S21 with polycarbonate, aka plastic. Unlike the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, which begins at $700, Samsung retained 8K video recording in all S21 telephones. The Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra are all obtainable for preorder forward of their Jan. 29 delivery date. Read our Galaxy S21 evaluate for extra.Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup vs. S20 lineup

Galaxy S21

Galaxy S20

Galaxy S21 Plus

Galaxy S20 Plus

Galaxy S21 Ultra

Galaxy S20 Ultra

Display measurement, decision

6.2-inch Flat FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, (2,400×1,080 pixels)

6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X; (3,200×1440 pixels)

6.7-inch Flat FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, (2,400×1,080 pixels)

6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (3,200×1,440 pixels)

6.8-inch Edge WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, (3,200×1,440 pixels)

6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (3,200×1,440 pixels)

Pixel density

421 ppi

563 ppi

394 ppi

525 ppi

515 ppi

511 ppi

Dimensions (Inches)

2.80 x 5.97 x 0.31 inches

2.72 x 5.97 x 0.31 inches

2.97 x 6.35 x 0.3 inches

2.9 x 6.37 x 0.30 inches

2.97 x 6.5 x 0.35 inches

2.99 x 6.57 x 0.35 inches

Dimensions (Millimeters)

71.2 x 151.7 x 7.9mm

69.1 x 151.7 x 7.9 mm

75.6 x 161.5 x 7.8 mm

73.7 x 161.9 x 7.8 mm

75.6 x 165.1 x 8.9 mm

76.0 x 166.9 x 8.8 mm

Weight (Ounces, Grams)

6.03 oz; 171g

5.75 oz; 163g

7.12 oz; 202g

6.56 oz; 186g

8.07 oz; 229g

7.76 oz; 220g

Mobile software program

Android 11

Android 10

Android 11

Android 10

Android 11

Android 10

Camera

64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)

12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)

64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)

12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), time-of-flight digital camera

108-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 10-megapixel (10x telephoto)

108-megapixel (wide-angle), 48-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), time-of-flight digital camera

Front-facing digital camera

10-megapixel

10megapixel

10-megapixel

10-megapixel

40-megapixel

40-megapixel

Video seize

8K

8K

8K

8K

8K

8K

Processor

Snapdragon 888 64-bit octa-core processor 2.8GHz (max 2.4GHz + 1.8GHz)

64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5GHz + 2GHz)

Snapdragon 888 64-bit octa-core processor 2.8GHz (max 2.4GHz+1.8GHz)

64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5GHz + 2GHz)

Snapdragon 888 64-bit octa-core processor 2.8GHz (max 2.4GHz + 1.8GHz)

64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5GHz + 2GHz)

Storage

128GB/256GB

128GB

128GB/256GB

128GB/512GB

128GB/256GB/512GB

128GB/512GB

RAM

8GB

12GB (5G), 8GB (LTE)

8GB

12GB (5G), 8GB (LTE)

12GB, 16GB

12GB, 16GB

Expandable storage

None

Up to 1TB

None

Up to 1TB

None

Up to 1TB

Battery

4,000 mAh

4,000 mAh

4,800 mAh

4,500 mAh

5,000 mAh

5,000 mAh

Fingerprint sensor

In-screen

In-screen

In-screen

In-screen

In-screen

In-screen

Headphone jack

No

No

No

No

No

No

Special options

IP68 score, 5G-enabled, 30x Space Zoom, 10W wi-fi charging

5G enabled; 120Hz refresh price; water-resistant (IP68)

IP68 score, 5G-enabled, 30x Space Zoom, 10W wi-fi charging

5G enabled; 120Hz refresh price; water-resistant (IP68)

IP68 score, 5G-enabled, 100x Space Zoom, 10W wi-fi charging, 10x optical zoom

5G enabled; 120Hz refresh price; 100X zoom; water-resistant (IP68)

Price off-contract (USD)

$800 (128GB)

$999

$1,000 (128GB)

$1,199, $1,349

$1,200 (128GB)

$1,399 (128GB), $1,599 (512GB)

Price (GBP)

£769

£799, £899 (5G)

£949

£999 (5G)

£1,329

£1,199 (128GB), £1,399 (512GB)

Price (AUD)

AU$1,249

AU$1349 (4G), AU$1,499 (5G),

AU$1,549

AU$1,499 (4G), AU$1,649 (128GB), AU$1,899 (512GB)

AU$1,849

AU$1,999 (128GB), AU$2,249 (512GB)

Discover the most recent information and finest evaluations in smartphones and carriers from CNET’s cell consultants.