Samsung typically announces two flagship smartphone series every year - the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note - with the former launching in the first half of the year and the latter in the second half. With the Galaxy Note 20 officially unveiled on 5 August, all heads have now turned to the next Galaxy S, which could be called the Galaxy S21 or the Galaxy S30.
This is everything we have heard so far about what we can expect for the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ smartphones. What will the next Samsung Galaxy S be called?
Before the Samsung Galaxy S20 arrived, the naming strategy for Samsung's Galaxy S devices was easy to predict as the company followed sequential numbers. After Samsung jumped from the Galaxy S10 to the Galaxy S20 in 2020 however, it's now harder to determine what the next Galaxy S will be called going forward. We would put our money on the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra as this would tie in with the year too, but the company could also use Galaxy S30. For now, Samsung has not confirmed the name for the next Galaxy S device but as most rumours call it the Galaxy S21, that's what we will refer to it in this feature until there is any substantiating evidence suggesting otherwise.
Release date and price
Samsung usually announces the Galaxy S range of smartphones in February, followed by a March release so we would expect the same for 2021, though there have been reports suggesting the devices might arrive early in January 2021. The Samsung Galaxy S9 was announced on 25 February and on sale from 16 March. The Galaxy S10 was announced on 20 February and on sale from 8 March and the Galaxy S20 was announced on 11 February and on sale from 6 March. We'd expect to see the Galaxy S21 series go on sale either on 5 March or 12 March, but we're just taking an educated guess for now. In terms of price, we'd expect the devices to be in a similar ballpark to their predecessors, with the Galaxy S21 the cheapest and the Galaxy S21 Ultra - if there is one - the flagship device. Design
The Samsung Galaxy S20 series made a few changes on the design front compared to the S10 series (ignoring the S10 Lite), moving the camera housing on the rear from the centre to the left corner. The front remained largely unchanged however with a punch hole camera in the centre of the display at the top. It's not yet clear if Samsung will change the design drastically from the Galaxy S20 - we expect to see some changes but we don't expect to see an entire redesign. A waterproof body with a glass rear and metal frame are likely to remain for the Galaxy S21 with new colour options. The biggest change might come if Samsung succeeds in offering an under-display front camera but there's only one rumour to say this is a possibility so far. Display
The Samsung Galaxy S20 has a 6.2-inch display and the S20+ has a 6.7-inch display. Both have curved edges and a Quad HD+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. We'd expect similar display sizes in the Galaxy S21 and S21+ and we'd expect to see the 120Hz refresh rate again too. We'd also expect curved displays, at least on the S21+. Hardware and specs
It's also been claimed there will be 5G variants of both devices and they will be offered in 128GB and 256GB storage options. In terms of battery capacities, the S21 Ultra is likely to have the largest, followed by the S21+ and then S21. Early leaks suggest that the Galaxy S21+ will have a bump to 4800mAh, but nothing has been mentioned for the S21 as yet. Cameras
Samsung will be looking to boost the offering of the cameras for the S20 models. Little has been said so far about what we might see on the Galaxy S21/21+ models in terms of their camera capabilities however.
Samsung Galaxy S21 rumours: What's happened so far?
Here are all the rumours surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S21, or Galaxy S30. 27 October 2020: Samsung Galaxy S21 could come without charger and headphones Sammobile reported that Korean media has claimed the Samsung Galaxy S21 could come without a charger and headphones, like Apple's iPhone 12 range. 23 October 2020: Colours of Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ revealed Twitter user Ross Young tweeted the colours expected for the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+. ![]() Comments are closed.
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