Rumors of the Samsung Galaxy S21: new cameras, S Pen, launched on January 14

The Galaxy S21 is on its way because Samsung has sent invitations to your Unpacked event at 7am PT (10am ET) on January 14th, after months of rumors and speculation. You can also register for pre-order the S21 now. The company launched a series of phones in 2020 to meet almost every budget, from the $ 100 Galaxy A01 to the $ 1,999 Galaxy Z Fold 2. But Galaxy S phones are seen as the company’s flagship handsets, with 2020 seeing the launch of the Galaxy S20 line and the most accessible Galaxy S20 FE. Leaks point to the S21 with a new design with enhanced camera features, including 10x optical zoom. Other rumors say the S21 Ultra may even replace Galaxy Note phones altogether, with a new leak showing a cover for phone that has space for the S Pen.

Here is everything we know so far about Galaxy S21 phones.

3 Galaxy S21 phones with the same processor

It should come as no surprise that Samsung should launch three different models of the S21: the 6.2-inch S21, the 6.7-inch S21 Plus and the 6.8-inch S21 Ultra. But an extensive leak by Android Police’s Max Weinbach apparently documents almost the entire spec sheet, which reveals even more about these three phones than just the model names and sizes.

The screens are likely to support 120 Hz as the previous S20 series, with the S21 Ultra displaying the higher resolution WQHD Plus screen. But the other major revelation is that these phones are likely to use the latest Snapdragon processor in the United States. Previously called the Snapdragon 875, it was actually tagged as Snapdragon 888, which was announced at a Qualcomm virtual event in December. Some of the main claims of the new chip are faster 5G performance and longer battery life.

The other main differences between the S21 phones appear to be the design of the camera modules, the color options, the finish of the material and, of course, the battery capacity. The basic S21 will have a 4,000 mAh battery, the S21 Plus battery will have 4,800 mAh and the top-of-the-line S21 Ultra will have a gigantic 5,000 mAh battery, according to the leaked spec sheet. At the moment, it looks like the S21 and S21 Plus will be plastic, with the S21 Ultra getting a metallic finish.

Renderings show a sleek new camera and frame design

Previous renderings published by Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks) indicate that the Galaxy S21 will not be radically different from previous S20 phones, but will have a redesigned camera module. It looks like there will be a fingerprint reader on the screen and a pierced selfie camera as before on all three phones, with the flat S21 and S21 Plus screens and the S21 Ultra screen curving at the edges. More Galaxy S21 teasers leaked online in early December showing a Phantom Violet color with a punctured camera and a small bezel on the front of the device and a rear configuration of three cameras.

The set of three cameras on the S21 and S21 Plus has been moved to the upper left and it is safe to assume that there will be a regular wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle and telephoto camera. This rendering coincides with the leaked spec sheet from Android Police, which says it will be an ultra-wide and wide 12 megapixel camera, in addition to a 64 megapixel telephoto camera. The LED flash was moved just to the right of the camera housing.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is a little different, with a much larger camera module with four rear cameras: one 12-megapixel and ultra-wide, plus two 10-megapixel telephoto lenses with 3x and 10x optical zoom. It also looks like the 100x space zoom seen on the S20 Ultra will also be present on the S21 Ultra. Spatial zoom is Samsung’s term for the hybrid digital and optical zoom used to achieve 100x.

The main camera of the S21 Ultra appears to have a 108 megapixel sensor called a “gen 2 sensor” on the spec sheet. We assume that you will use a similar pixel binning method to produce 12 megapixel photos, as the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra do with their 108 megapixel sensors. The S21 Ultra also seeks to maintain the laser autofocus system found on the Note 20 Ultra, unlike the phase detection autofocus system on the S20 Ultra.

Evan Blass on Twitter shared the following infographic that details the resolutions and specifications of the S21 series cameras that seem to corroborate previous leaks.

While @OnLeaks renderers also show the S21 series in gray and black finishes, other colors are expected. The S21 appears to come in violet, pink, gray or white; the S21 Plus in silver, black and violet; and the S21 Ultra in black and silver. The rendering in the video below, from the Italian site Pigtou, shows how the silver finish can be.

Twitter user Ice universe posted an image showing conceptual renderings of the other colors of the S21, then followed up with an image posted on Instagram that they claim to be the front of the S21 Ultra.

YouTube user Sakitech posted the video below, which claims to show a photo of the S21 Ultra and S21 Plus. It details the specifications of the camera and provides an overview of what the pre-production sample looks like. Dutch website LetsGoDigital also posted detailed 3D renderings of the Galaxy S21 series that show the SIM tray relocated to the base of the phone.

Will the Galaxy S21 have accessories in the box?

Samsung can follow Apple leadership removing the charger and wired headphones from the Galaxy S21 case, according to a previous report. This would not be the first time that Samsung removed the headphones from the box, as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 for $ 1,999 was shipped without headphones in the United States (although you can order a pair of AKG headphones from Samsung after purchase).

Goodbye Galaxy Note, hello pen for the S21?

A Reuters report says Samsung may discontinue the Galaxy Note line and the S21 Ultra will take its place as the Samsung phone with a stylus. Although the renderings do not show a visible location for a pen, the phone can still support the S Pen with a software update. This means that the pen must be housed separately from the phone when not in use.

In Samsung’s blog post, TM Roh also confirms that there will be a synergy between the Note and other Samsung phones. “We also pay attention to people’s favorite aspects of the Galaxy Note experience and look forward to adding some of its most appreciated features to other devices in our line.”

WinFuture images show a case for the S21 Ultra that has a specific slot for the S Pen when not in use, seeming to confirm rumors that there will be no place to store the S Pen on the phone itself, as you can on the Galaxy Note line.

Older wearables may not be compatible with the S21

Samsung has released many different fitness trackers and smartwatches in recent years, but an in-app notification for Samsung members identified by GalaxyClub suggests that the Galaxy S21 does not support older wearables like the Galaxy Gear. The full list of affected devices includes the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear S and Gear Fit. This news is not particularly surprising, as some of these trackers were launched more than five years ago.

A 3.1 UI may debut on the S21

Another video presented by Droid Life shows the new Samsung One UI 3.1 which is supposed to be released along with the S21. As an update to the current One UI 3.0 that is on many new Samsung phones currently running Android 11, the new update appears to bring features such as call background videos, the Google discovery feed on the home screen, and interface tweaks the camera.

The S21 can be less expensive than the S20

There is also a possibility that Samsung will lower the base price of the Galaxy S21, perhaps in response to falling cell phone sales due to the coronavirus pandemic. The South Korean leaker Landsk says the S21 will start at $ 899, the S21 Plus at $ 1,099 and the S21 Ultra at $ 1,250. This would represent a $ 100 drop in price compared to the launch price of the regular S20 in March 2020.