Samsung Galaxy S21 will be announced on January 15

Spoilers ahead.

Georgia Dixon
Jan 05, 2021
Icon Time To Read2 min read
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

As per usual in the leadup to a big new tech release, leaks are coming in thick and fast from all directions - some trustworthy, some not so. Now, less than a month away from its expected launch date, we've got what seems to be the most promising info dump regarding the Samsung Galaxy S21 yet, thanks to German site WinFuture.

Here's everything we know.

Samsung Galaxy S21 design and display

In January, Samsung is expected to announce three new devices: the Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra. All three will reportedly have a silky smooth 120Hz screen refresh rate, with the base model S21 (pictured below) flaunting a 6.2-inch FHD display, the S21+ a 6.7-inch FHD display, and the S21 Ultra (pictured above) a curved, 6.8-inch WQHD+ screen. Interestingly, all three variants have a lower screen resolution than their predecessors, down from 3200x1080 to 2400x1080.

At the rear, Samsung is apparently completely redesigning the camera bump, with source-confirmed renders revealing a setup that appears to wrap from the side of the device.

Source: Steve Hemmerstoffer/OnLeaks.

The basic S21 has the most colours to choose from, with Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Gray, and Phantom White available. The S21+ will be available in Phantom Silver, Phantom Black, and Phantom Violet, and the S21 Ultra will only come in Phantom Silver and Phantom Black. (Side note: I don't think I've ever written the word 'phantom' so many times in my life).

Samsung Galaxy S21 camera

In terms of shooters, the S21 and S21+ will likely be the same as those found in the current S20 series, featuring a 12MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 48MP telephoto lens. Upgrading to the S21 Ultra will get you a whopping 108MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide lens and two 10MP telephoto lenses (one 3x optical, one 10x optical). Due to the 10x optical telephoto lens, Samsung is also expected to reintroduce 100x Space Zoom in the S21 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S21 battery life and processor

Samsung isn't going to introduce anything dramatically different when it comes to battery life. The S21 will have a 4,000mAh battery, the S21+ will sport a 4,800mAh cell (300mAh more than its predecessor) and the S21 Ultra will have a 5,000mAh capacity. There's no word yet on how fast the Galaxy S21 series will charge, but sources say it will be 25W at the very minimum.

All three phones will run Android 11 on either a Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 processor and include 5G connectivity. It's still unknown as to whether or not Samsung will be manufacturing a 4G version of any S21 device.

Samsung Galaxy S21 price and release date

From what we know so far, the Galaxy S21 series will probably hover around the same price point as this year's models. Outright, that would mean $1,349 for the S21, $1,499 for the S21+ and $1,999 for the S21 Ultra.

As for the Galaxy S21 release date, Samsung have thrown a spanner in the works with a mid-January announcement rather than the usual February. If you want to catch the details as soon as they land, you'll need to get up bright and early at 2:00 am on January 14.

Obviously there are no plans available just yet, but current S20 plans (below) should give you a decent idea of what to expect.

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Georgia Dixon
Written by
Georgia Dixon has 10 years of experience writing about all things tech, entertainment and lifestyle. She spends most of her time as Managing Editor of SafeWise Australia and also has bylines on 7NEWS, Stuff.co.nz, in TechLife magazine and more. In 2023 she won Best News Writer at the Consensus IT Awards, and in 2024 she was a finalist for Best News Journalist at the Samsung IT Journalism Awards (The Lizzies). In her spare time, you'll find her playing games and daydreaming about good food, wine, and dogs.

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