I’ve been using a Galaxy Note 9 for over 2 years, and I haven’t found any compelling reason to switch to any other Samsung phone since I started. Now, here at the end of 2020, I may have been convinced to upgrade. Not by another Galaxy Note, nor by a foldable device of any kind. Instead, I think I was convinced by the Samsung Galaxy S21 +’s significantly massive flat panel that just leaked.
After two years, the thrill of having a screen with the left and right sides that fall close to the edge … has dissipated. The Galaxy Note 9 still looks amazing and futuristic – I will never sell this phone, it grew on me. But I don’t think I’d ever buy a phone specifically for its oddly shaped screen. BELOW: Not the Galaxy Note 9 I’m using, but an example from our review of the 2018 Galaxy Note 9.
Instead of extravagance, I am inclined to utility. If what was leaked here is totally accurate, it seems that Samsung is also moving towards usefulness. This is a good thing. We reached the high watermark for the smartphone in the form of a chocolate bar with strange but not entirely useful screen features.
With the Galaxy S21 +, it seems that Samsung is invoking the same screen elegance that is given to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 +. This device has a set of relatively flat sides and an equilateral display frame.
Because it is a tablet, there is a good reason why the Galaxy Tab S7 + is the size of the bezel it was blessed with. With the Galaxy S21 +, the screen frame is minimal, but still present. Samsung is not trying to hide the frame with cascading edges. Instead, the design accepts the requirements of the technology – which monitors must end at some point – and makes the most of the situation.
Excluding the complete absence of the front camera, the leak we saw today from the Galaxy S21 + looks like the most ideal smartphone design execution I’ve seen in many years. With the applications and uses I have for a smartphone here in late 2020, this 2021 Galaxy S21 + seems to be the most ideal vessel for my immediate future.
The Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 + and Galaxy S21 Ultra are expected to be unveiled at an event in January 2021. The Galaxy S21 family’s release date is probably set for the end of January – but nothing is official yet! Stay here and we’ll see!