Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 256GB Pink - Amazon (Renewed)

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If you already own a Samsung Galaxy S20, or if you can find that handset for a significant discount, you won’t want to opt for the Galaxy S21 – while the newer phone gains in some areas it loses in others, and overall there’s not much between the two phones – certainly not enough to justify paying a couple of hundred dollars or pounds more. We found the feature to work well, and it’s similar to the option we’ve seen on HMD Global’s Nokia phones in recent years. This phone is the smallest member of the Galaxy S21 family, and while it may not be as trim as the iPhone 13 mini, those with smaller hands shouldn’t have too much trouble using it. Expandable storage is gone, you’ll have to make do with a plastic rear and the screen’s resolution tops out at just FHD+.

The Phantom Titanium model of Galaxy S21 Ultra is just gray by another name, but it's slightly paler than the Phantom Gray shade we saw earlier. Many of the benefits of these new chips are in areas like AI, giving you faster photo enhancements for instance. The biggest, especially for those who still want this to be a high-end flagship phone, is the drop in maximum screen resolution. As with most launches, some colors are only available with specific devices, but it's surprising the Phantom Violet hero color isn't available with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. I love the color Titanium and although we haven't seen it in person, the renders make this look fantastic.On top of that, you’ll have to spend extra for your own charger and headphones – cheers for setting this precedent last year with the iPhone 12. The cheaper S21 has a set-up that’s very similar to the outgoing Galaxy S20, albeit with some tweaks to the software. While most Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus colors use pastel hues and calm color options, this Phantom Red is a big change from that. This is the current high-end chipset from both companies and the Galaxy S21 is one of the first phones to use them.

The Galaxy S21 phones were the first devices to use either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 (US) or Samsung’s own Exynos 2100 (just about everywhere else). Samsung has also made significant improvements to the fingerprint scanner on the S21 phones over previous handsets. The design is where Samsung has made the most obviously noticeable changes over the S20 (which we crowned 2020’s best smartphone), overhauling the materials used, the colors, and the overall look of the device. The S21 Plus opts for an all-glass design, so that’s the one to go for if you prefer a more high-end finish.

While I haven’t been able to visit many (or any) bars recently, I have tried to recreate that distorted light look and the S21 deals with the tougher situations admirably. There’s a good 10MP selfie camera that produces far more realistic and natural images than previous Samsung attempts. This is the only shade for the phone where the camera bump and rear are noticeably different colors.

I would have really liked to see Samsung also adopt some of my favorite colors such as Blue and Red in the color options – especially as they were available for the Galaxy S20 FE last year – but there's something for everyone here. If you want the best Samsung camera phone possible, then you’ll need to invest in the significantly more expensive Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The headline-grabbing “Phantom Violet” model combines a light purple colour with pinky-gold accents, which works well. Those are the three main colors available across more than one of the Galaxy S21 devices, but three colors are available only on the entry-level Galaxy S21. Samsung has switched from a full glass rear on the Galaxy S20 – a design that wasn’t too exciting in the flesh – to a ‘Glasstic’ rear that comes with a matte finish and incorporates a new camera block design.

Whether this is a blessing or a curse will depend on your personal expectations, but in general I think the move is the right one as it has let Samsung reduce the phone’s RRP. If you need something with more color, we'd recommend picking up the Phantom Silver and then pairing it with a colorful Galaxy S21 case or skin that can help you stand out without needing to commit to a colorful and playful phone color. Designed for anyone who wants a simple color that isn't black, the Phantom White color is a combination of a white rear with a silver trim around the phone and the camera bump. Sign up to receive daily breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis, deals and more from the world of tech.

Samsung has followed in Apple’s footsteps by not bundling a charger with its new phones as it seeks to cut down on e-waste. The 10MP selfie camera on the front of the phone is less headline-grabbing, but it proved capable enough during our testing. There have been two notable cuts, along with a couple of other smaller bits that have been left out. We generally found that the phone would comfortably last a full day, but on one occasion, when we were making more use of the phone’s GPS signal and other power-hungry features we found the device ran out of steam by around 10pm. Battery life on the Samsung Galaxy S21 is solid, although it’s not a game-changing improvement over the S20, as the company may have led some to believe with its new Exynos 2100 chipset.We’ll have to get hold of a Snapdragon version to compare performance in this regard, but I haven’t had any issues whatsoever with the gaming performance here.