The new S class. The Samsung Galaxy S21 is the smallest and least expensive of the three new Galaxy S21 models and should be the obvious choice for most users. The 6.2-inch device lacks a few features of the more expensive Galaxy S21 models, but that doesn't change its high-end quality: The performance, display, and camera are great, and the price is even lower than that of the Galaxy S20.

Part of Samsung's smartphone philosophy is to offer every user the device that is perfectly right fo...

bright AMOLED display running at 120 Hz; fast Exynos SoC; very good camera; 5G, dual SIM, and eSIM; Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC;

plastic back; no power adapter included; storage not expandable; throttles under load; average battery life;

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is one of the best value smartphones available for purchase today but may not be the upgrade some were hoping for.

Vibrant 120Hz AMOLED display; Refined and versatile cameras; Great hardware and software performance; Far more affordable

Little reason to upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy S20; No microSD card support; No supplied plug charger

Part of Samsung's smartphone philosophy is to offer every user the device that is perfectly right for them. The Galaxy S21 series is no different. The Galaxy S21 serves the largest target group among Galaxy S fans.

bright AMOLED display running at 120 Hz; fast Exynos SoC; very good camera; 5G; dual SIM; and eSIM; Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.0; NFC

plastic back; no power adapter included; storage not expandable; throttles under load; average battery life

Awesome!

A reliable upgrade for Galaxy S10 owners, the Samsung Galaxy S21 is a very good smartphone, and a decent camera phone at $799 / £769, however, it’s too similar to its predecessor and last year’s Galaxy S20 FE to warrant an upgrade from either of those.

Lower launch price than S20; UI packed with features; Improved night photography

No optical zoom; No AF on ultrawide; Low on innovation

If you're a fan of Samsung devices and upgrading from an older phone, you'll likely enjoy a lot of what the S21 offers

Great display; Unique; fresh design; Decent battery life and performance

Unreliable camera software; One UI needs polish (and less ads); A bit pricey for what's on offer

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is the mobile you should buy if you want the most value your money.

Good camera with creative possibilities. Razor-sharp and bright screen with adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate combined with nice design and extremely high performance. Best for the price in the Galaxy S21 series.

No charger is supplied, and although the screen is not the largest, we could still have wished for a higher screen resolution.

Rather than offer essentially the same top-tier phone at different sizes, Samsung has chosen to get aggressive on price this year. The Galaxy S21 starts at $799.99 for the smaller version with a 6.2-inch screen and $999.99 for the Plus version with a 6.7-inch display.

Fast processor; Nice screen; Good battery life

Samsung bloatware; Competition will undercut price; No microSD storage expansion

Take fantastic photos and nice and big lay out to read

The Galaxy S21 isn’t the star of Samsung’s S series in 2021, like we’ve been used to for most of the past decade, but it’s a solid smartphone choice with an impressive camera, powerful internals and great battery life.

Fantastic; versatile camera; Cheaper than the Galaxy S20; Powerful and capable phone

No microSD support; Screen isn’t the best; No charger in the box