Stuff (UK)

Samsung Galaxy S21

Just when we thought we’d have to remortgage Stuff HQ to buy any sort of high-end Samsung phone, up pops the not-many-frills Galaxy S21

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…and a Galaxy with a decidedly un-galactic price

from £769 / stuff.tv/s21

The whole point of the Samsung Galaxy S21 is to get you most of the important stuff from the wallet-draining Galaxy S21 Ultra for a lot less cash. No need to modify your jeans to make the pockets bigger either.

While the starting price isn’t loose change, it seems like a solid deal when you try out the S21’s fantastic camera and also realise this is one of the best-looking phones ever made.

There are bad bits, though. For a start the back is plastic – and while it’s one of the nicest plastic backs ever slapped on a phone, there’s no escaping the fact that the matt finish scuffs much more easily than Gorilla Glass.

Battery life is the one to dwell on, however, because the S21 is pretty easy to drain in a day… and not only does it not support the ridiculous­ly fast charging of some cheaper phones, but you don’t even get a charger in the box. Ah well, saving the planet one accessory at a time…

Do ya pink I’m sexy?

Part of Samsung’s campaign to ‘make plastic phones expensive again’, the Galaxy S21 looks like a prop made for a perfume ad with a colossal production budget. That sounds like an insult, but it isn’t. This is one of the few truly stylish phones, partly down to the bold but elegant camera housing (1).

Lie back and pink of England

The 6.2in SUPERAMOLE­D screen (2) with 1300-nit max brightness offers 2400x1080 resolution with a 120Hz variable refresh rate (the S21 Ultra stacks more pixels and nits). It uses 120Hz when you’re interactin­g, and 60Hz for static images and basic games. Colour and contrast are on point as ever.

Don’t pink twice, it’s alright

The S21 and S21 Ultra share the same Exynos 2100 processor, with a Geekbench 5 score that’s 10% down on a Snapdragon 888. It’s still fast and runs Android 11 perfectly. Gaming is great, though Fortnite has the odd drop to 20fps, and Samsung’s spin on Android (4) is jammed with extra apps.

How do you pink it feels?

With three rear cameras (3) and one on the front (see panel), this is one of the best stills-shooters you can get for £800. Highlights include a fast, responsive feel as you take photos, great image quality and almost ridiculous levels of HDR tweaking. You can shoot 8K video too.

They pink it’s all over

This battery is distressin­gly easy to drain in a day (5). The Exynos chip is probably partly to blame; and while some progress has been made with this version, it’s not the best fit for people who hammer their phone. Samsung doesn’t offer particular­ly fast charging either: 25W max.

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 ??  ?? The Galaxy S21 is more of a style icon than a tech one. It’s a downgrade from the Galaxy S20 in some respects, but we love its rear camera array with every last bit of utility squeezed from each sensor. Battery life may be a sticking point for some, but for the best of Android this Samsung will serve you well. @wwwdotandr­ew
The Galaxy S21 is more of a style icon than a tech one. It’s a downgrade from the Galaxy S20 in some respects, but we love its rear camera array with every last bit of utility squeezed from each sensor. Battery life may be a sticking point for some, but for the best of Android this Samsung will serve you well. @wwwdotandr­ew

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