Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Galaxy S20: The biggest changes

Samsung Milky way S21 vs. Milky way S20: The biggest changes

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

This Samsung Milky way S21 vs. Milky way S20 face-off looks at the similarities and differences between the two generations. Although the Samsung Milky way S21 didn't go a radical redesign, information technology would exist wrong to think of the Galaxy S21 as a "more of the same"-fashion update.

While many of the improvements are what you might expect — a faster processor, updated UI and better bombardment efficiency — you lot might be surprised that one of the new models has S Pen back up and dual telephoto lenses. Did we mention all the new phones price $200 less than 2022'due south comparable Samsung Galaxy S20 models?

Samsung Galaxy S21 review: Our verdict is in
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We'll need to conduct a full review of the Galaxy S21 to guess its functioning confronting the S20 — you tin read our Galaxy S21 review, Galaxy S21 Plus review, and Galaxy S21 Ultra review. while our testing continues. Yet, we know enough to compare the 2022 flagships with the electric current handsets Samsung offers. Hither'southward how the Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Milky way S20 showdown is shaping up so far.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Galaxy S20: Specs

	Galaxy S21	Galaxy S21 Plus	Galaxy S20	Milky way S20 Plus
Screen size	6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED (2400 x 1080; 48Hz - 120Hz)	6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED (2400 x 1080; 48Hz-120Hz)	6.2-inch QHD+ AMOLED, 120HZ	half-dozen.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED, 120HZ
CPU	Snapdragon 888	Snapdragon 888	Snapdragon 865	Snapdragon 865
Storage	128GB, 256GB	128GB, 256GB	128GB	128GB, 512GB
Rear cameras	Ultra wide: 12MP; Primary: 12MP; Telephoto: 64MP	Ultra wide: 12MP; Master: 12MP; Telephoto: 64MP	Ultra wide: 12MP; Primary: 12MP; Telephoto: 64MP	Ultra wide: 12MP; Main: 12MP; Telephoto: 64MP; VGA time-of-flying sensor
Battery size	4,000 mAh	4,800 mAh	four,000 mAh	iv,500 mAh
Colors	Phantom Violet, Phantom Gray, Phantom Pink, Phantom White	Phantom Violet, Phantom Silver, Phantom Black	Cosmic Gray, Cloud Blueish, Cloud Pink	Catholic Grayness, Cosmic Black, Cloud Blue

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Milky way S20: Price and availability

Samsung gave a price cutting to its Due south series this yr. The Samsung Galaxy S21 starts at $799, while the Galaxy S21 Plus starts at $999 and the top-shelf Galaxy S21 Ultra costs $1,199. Each of these starting prices apply to 128GB storage versions of Samsung'due south new smartphones. Yous can upgrade to 256GB by calculation another $50 to the price.

These new prices are $200 less than what Samsung charged for the comparable Milky way S20 models. You might remember the $999 starting price for the Galaxy S20, followed by the $ane,119 Samsung Milky way S20 Plus and $i,399 Samsung Milky way S20 Ultra.

In terms of availability, the Galaxy S21 arrived earlier than the S20 debuted. Samsung held its S20 issue in Feb 2022, with the phones arriving a few weeks later. The S21 was announced on January fourteen, with orders shipping on January 29.

Samsung Milky way S21 vs. Galaxy S20: Design and models

The Galaxy S20 family debuted with three models in 3 different sizes (at to the lowest degree until the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fe came along), and Samsung has continued with the large/bigger/biggest approach for the S21 lineup.

Galaxy S21 render (Paradigm credit: Samsung)

Samsung's new phones wait a lot similar the old ones with a full-screen display interrupted only past a punch-hole cutout in the center of the screen. The S21 and S21 Plus feature straighter edges, while the S21 Ultra'due south display has more of a curve to information technology.

The biggest visual deviation between the S20 and S21 phones in the camera array. This year, it'southward designed to blend into the metallic frame around the phone. Samsung calls this the Contour Cut camera housing, and we call up it looks pretty sharp.

Samsung Milky way S21 vs. Galaxy S20: Display

The marquee feature introduced with the Galaxy S20 lineup — a brandish that refreshes at a faster charge per unit for smoother scrolling and more immersive viewing — gets a major comeback with the Galaxy S21.

The Galaxy Note twenty Ultra released at the end of summertime besides featured a 120Hz refresh charge per unit, but added the ability to dynamically adjust that rate based on your on-screen activity. That ways when you're doing things like looking at static images, the display can conform to a slower refresh rate, saving on battery. The Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus follow that trend with variable refresh rates that adjust from 120Hz down to 48Hz. (The S21 Ultra has an even wider range, scaling down to 10Hz.)

Y'all no longer have the pick to cull betwixt a QHD+ resolution at 60hz or Full Hard disk+ at 120Hz with the S21 and S21 Plus. Both are fixed at Total HD+ and use the dynamic 120Hz refresh charge per unit, though you lot can opt to drib downwards to 60Hz. The S21 Ultra does offer the total QHD+ experience with a dynamic refresh rate.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Galaxy S20: Cameras

Other than fast-refreshing displays, no Milky way S20 feature commanded as much attention as the cameras on those older phones — particularly the loftier-end array Samsung introduced with the Milky way S20 Ultra. That detail model featured a 108MP primary photographic camera forth with a zoom lens capable of delivering a 100x "Infinite Zoom" for greater details on shots. Unfortunately, the S20 Ultra photographic camera also ran into some autofocus troubles triggered in some part by those enervating specs.

Samsung learned its lessons, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra reflects that. The 108MP main sensor returns in the new version of the telephone, likewise the telephoto lens and its 100x zooming power. For optical zooming, the S21 Ultra features two telephoto lenses — one with a 3x zoom and the other capable of 10x optical zoom.

Galaxy S21 Plus — (Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

This fourth dimension, though, Samsung has included laser autofocus to address any focusing issues; the characteristic certainly helped the Galaxy Notation twenty Ultra produce great zoom shots.

In addition to those cameras and sensors, the Galaxy S21 Ultra rounds out the camera array with an ultra-wide-bending lens. This gives Samsung's most expensive S21 model a four-camera array on the back. Meanwhile, the S21 and S21 Plus feature a more than common three-photographic camera setup — a 12MP chief lens, 12MP ultra-broad shooter and a 64MP telephoto lens. Like the S21 Ultra, these ii phones add a Zoom Lock feature that keeps zoomed shots in better focus — an improvement over the Milky way S20 lineup.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Milky way S20: Performance

The Galaxy S20 family featured the Snapdragon 865 system-on-flake, at least for phones released in the U.S. (In other parts of the earth, Samsung used its ain Exynos 990 processor.) The Milky way S21 continues Samsung's tradition of grabbing Qualcomm's best mobile processor available for its Galaxy S series, by introducing the Snapdragon 888 in its new flagship phones.

The Snapdragon 888 promises a number of enhancements for mobile gaming, photography and artificial intelligence. For performance, Qualcomm says the new chipset'southward Kryo 680 CPU volition deliver upward to a 25% heave in overall performance compared to the Snapdragon 865. The Adreno 660 GPU should render graphics 35% faster than the previous generation.

The Galaxy S21 powered past the Snapdragon 888 (or the Exynos 2100 for models outside the U.S.) handily outperforms the Milky way S20 rather handily and narrows the operation gap with the A14 Bionic-powered iPhone 12. But the A15-powered iPhone 13 jumped quite a scrap ahead of the Galaxy S21.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Galaxy S20: Bombardment life and charging

On the surface, in that location's not much deviation between the bombardment sizes in the Milky way S21 models and terminal year's S20 lineup. The Milky way S21 has a 4,000 mAh battery while the S21 Ultra relies on a 5,000 mAh power pack. These are the same battery capacities institute in the comparable S20 models. Only the Galaxy S21 Plus received a bigger battery — a 4,800 mAh pack replaces the 4,500 mAh module establish in the S20 Plus.

Ultimately, though, the lack of any change to battery size may non matter when information technology comes to battery life, as to the lowest degree for the Galaxy S21. With that model featuring a less demanding resolution, power consumption falls off for the Galaxy S21 — as long as y'all disable the adaptive refresh rate. (The Milky way S21 turned in a lamentable issue in its 120Hz mode in our battery life test.)

Throw in a more efficient chipset — the Snapdragon 888 is expected to characteristic improve power efficiency than the Snapdragon 865 — and the S21 models final longer on a charge than the last round of Milky way flagships.

Samsung did non include a charger in the box with its new phones, mirroring a move Apple made with the iPhone 12. You may recall Samsung put out an advert mocking Apple'south determination, and then it may be worth request who'due south laughing at present.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Galaxy S20: Software and S Pen

The Galaxy S21 phones arrived with Android 11 pre-installed with Android 12 ready and raring to go. That ways a new skin on top of Android, with the new I UI 4 interface introducing tweaks more UI customization and privacy features.

The biggest edge the Milky way S21 Ultra holds over the S20 series is support for Samsung's S Pen, the stylus previously express to Galaxy Notation devices. It's the first not-Galaxy Note phone to offer S Pen support, though you'll have to buy the stylus separately. You'll also want a case for storing the S Pen.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — (Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Samsung Galaxy S20: What about the Milky way S21 FE and Galaxy S22?

The Galaxy S21 FE is official, offering much of what makes the Milky way S21 not bad all for $699. Information technology'southward not perfect and at that place are noticeable corners cut to proceed the toll downward. Yous're probably better off finding a good deal on a Galaxy S21.

Merely the Galaxy S22 is right around the corner, so it's worth waiting to see what Samsung is going to do adjacent. If null else, yous'll probably discover an S21 cheaper, much like what happened with the S20 in 2022.

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. Samsung Galaxy S20: Outlook

The lower entry prices and stronger performance certainly give the Galaxy S21 phones an edge over their S20 counterparts. While the Milky way S21 and Milky way S21 Plus are modest upgrades, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is leagues better than the S20 Ultra.

As we expect forward into 2022, we're of grade considering the next big affair: the Galaxy S22. We might be in for some interesting changes, but that'south not the point here. With the Galaxy S21, you go a peachy bang for your buck, especially if you find a expert carrier or trade-in deal.

Philip Michaels is a senior editor at Tom'due south Guide. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics and old movies. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.