The Samsung Galaxy S21 is coming!
By: Sam Castle
Tags: Android, Google, Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung

Samsung are set to announce the next Galaxy in January 2021, here’s everything we know.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra render. | Image from Voice.

Apple season is over, it’s November and the rumours regarding the next Galaxy flagship from Samsung has already begun, the reason it’s so early this time around is due to the new rumoured January announcement instead of February or March this time.

It seems Samsung want to kick off 2021 with their best straight away and maybe cut into some iPhone 12 sales after Christmas.

So what should we expect?

No folding or Note devices until the summer but we should see three flagships hopefully with improved camera, SoC performance and prices.

We’ve seen some renders from Onleaks at Voice that show what we should be expecting with this brand new design from Samsung.

Galaxy S21 and S21+

The first two will be the standard 6.2" Galaxy S21 and the 6.5" S21+ models, both will look the same in design with a triple lens set up on the back and punch hole camera on the front.

They’ll feature flat displays with no curves which pleases me, the camera module connects to the frame in a very unique way which I’m loving.

Samsung Galaxy S21 render from Voice.

We should also have 120hz refresh on the display with an improved in display fingerprint reader and as always the best OLED display on any smartphone.

I’m very curious about what else Samsung has added to improve things over the S20 and with this being a new design, they’ll surely have some great new accessories.

The curved Galaxy S8 to the S20 had a very similar body frame and display shape with just the back camera lay out changing and bezels slimming.

These renders show the S21 with a complete uniform bezel around the display finally ridding it of the chin, This gives the S21 a nice clean look thats pleasing to the eye and suits this new design better.

Samsung Galaxy S21 render from Voice

As for the back, I’m hoping for glass but after the $999 Note 20 plastic back mess, I’m less sure now that it’ll be glass.

I feel like Samsung will go glass just to fix that mistake they made with the Note 20 because they can’t afford to lose buyers in this current climate.

Either way, they’ve had some fantastic colours recently and I expect they’ll continue.

The Galaxy S21 will be offered in Gray, Pink, Violet and White while the Galaxy S21+ will be available in Black and Silver colours.

Price wise, maybe a $799 (Galaxy S21) and $899 (Galaxy S21+) would be my guess to compete with iPhone mini and iPhone 12 but you never know, they might just be ridiculous again and start at $999 but let’s hope not.

Galaxy S21 Ultra

The first renders of the Galaxy S21 Ultra emerged last month, showcasing a MEGA camera bump, the Galaxy S21 Ultra seems to have a 6.8" display with a punch-hole 40MP selfie camera and a 5,000mAh battery.

We can also expect features such as 5G, Wi-Fi 6, in-display fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, IP68 certification, Samsung Pay and wireless charging as standard on all 3 models.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra render from Voice

There’s also the possibility that the Galaxy S21 Ultra may have four rear cameras instead of three found on the S21 and S21+ and an unknown sensor, the main camera will be a slightly updated 108MP.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra could feature two separate telephoto lenses, pairing a standard 3x lens with a periscope-style module capable of achieving magnification levels of 5x and above.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra render from Voice

The Ultra models are always the biggest and most expensive of the Galaxy devices and I expect no different here, I’m hoping for a $1,099 start but a $1,199 price tag is more likely.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra will come in Black, Silver and Violet colours.

Software — One UI 3.0 and 3.1

We expect the newest Galaxy devices to ship with One UI 3.0 and Android 11 but some leaks say it might even be One UI 3.1 with just some added features for the newest devices.

Regardless, this is shaping up to be a great update and looks very clean and “stock like” with Samsungs own design chucked in.

New design from One UI 3.0. | Image from Samsung.

Here is a full rundown of what to expect from the One UI 3.0 OS running on the Galaxy 21 range.

One UI 3.0 change log

Home screen

Touch and hold an app to add an associated widget.

Turn the screen off by double-tapping on an empty area of the Home screen. You can turn this on it Settings > Advanced features > Motions and gestures.

Lock screen

Dynamic Lock Screen now has more categories, and you can select more than one.

Lock screen widgets are improved.

Quick Panel

See your conversations and media more conveniently in their own sections when you swipe down from the top of the screen.

Notifications and Quick Panel on One UI 3.0. | Image from Samsung.

Always on display

Always on display widgets are improved.

Accessibility

Get quick access to the most important accessibility settings during device setup.

Get recommended accessibility features based on what you use.

Set the Accessibility shortcut more easily in settings.

Sound detectors now work with your SmartThings devices such as TVs and lights to give you more visible alerts when the doorbell rings or a baby is crying.

Samsung Keyboard

You can find the keyboard settings more easily under General management in Settings, and the settings have been reorganized to put the most important ones first.

Samsung DeX

You can now connect to supported TVs wirelessly.

New touchpad multi-gestures let you change screen zoom and font size more easily

Internet

Added ability to block websites from redirecting you when you tap the Back button.

Added warnings and blocking options for websites that show too many pop-ups or notifications.

Rearranged menus to make things easier to find.

Added several new add-ons, including one that translates websites.

Added option to hide the status bar for a more immersive browsing experience.

Increased maximum number of open tabs to 99.

Added ability to lock and reorder tabs.

Improved design for tab bar which is now supported on all devices.

Ended support for Samsung Internet edge panel.

Contacts & Phone

Added the ability to edit multiple linked contacts at one time.

Added an option to help you quickly delete duplicate contacts.

Enhanced the searching experience.

Extended the storage period for the trash bin from 15 to 30 days.

Phone/Call background

Added the ability to customize the call screen with your own pictures and videos.

Messages

Create a trash bin to store recently deleted messages.

Call & Text on other devices

Added the ability to turn Call & Text on other devices on/off with Bixby Routines.

Calendar

Events with the same start time are now shown together in month and agenda view.

Reorganized options for adding and editing events.

Improved layout for full screen alerts.

Reminder

Improved layout for full screen alerts.

Digital wellbeing and Parental controls

Added trends to your weekly report. You can see how your usage has changed since the previous week and check your usage time for each feature.

Added a phone usage tune while driving to the weekly report.

Added a lock screen widget so you can check your screen time without unlocking your phone.

Added separate profiles for personal and work modes so you can track your screen time separately.

Camera

Improved auto-focus and auto exposure functionality and usability.

Improved stabilization when taking pictures of the moon at high zoom levels.

Photo editor

Added the ability to revert edited pictures back to their original versions.

Bixby Routines

Grouped preset routines help you get started quickly and learn how to build your own routines quickly.

You can now see what actions are reversed when a routine ends.

New conditions have been added, such as specific start time, a disconnection of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi network, a call from a specific number and more.

New actions have been added including talking to Bixby and accessibility actions.

You can add a customized icon for each routine and add routines to the Lock screen for quick access.

So there you have it, I can’t wait to see this new design in person, what new camera improvements Samsung has made and to do a full review.

We still have questions like will they have 65W charging? will the 5nm Exynos 2100 finally match up to the Apple A14 or Snapdragon 875? and will they lower the prices this time?

It’ll also be interesting to see if they ship with a charger and earphones or follow Apple’s lead, with some recent rumours suggesting Samsung may ditch the AKG earphones and ship the S21 with the new unannounced wireless Galaxy Buds Beyond, which would be fantastic.

Announcements will be made January 14th with preorders the same day, and the release on January 29th.

Exciting times ahead for Samsung and Android fans.