Samsung Galaxy S21 leak just revealed a big missing feature

We know a lot about what we’re getting with the Galaxy S21, which is widely believed to be making its debut later this month. But lately, it seems we’re hearing more about what’s not coming with Samsung’s next flagship.

Earlier this week, reports seemed to confirm the rumor that the Galaxy S21 will ship without a charger, following the lead set by Apple with its iPhone 12 launch. Now it appears the Galaxy S21 will have something else in common with Apple’s phones — there’s no microSD slot for expanding storage on Samsung’s upcoming phone, apparently.

That tidbit comes from phone leaker Roland Quandt, who has a solid track record for details on Samsung’s phones. Quandt  took to Twitter with a simple message: a “memory card reader” isn’t included on the Galaxy S21 spec sheet. A subsequent tweet suggested that would be true for all three Galaxy S21 models, even the pricey Galaxy S21 Ultra.

S21 spec sheets say:memory card reader: “No”Some markets might still get a charger in the box though, while others don’t.December 31, 2020

If the microSD slot is truly a goner, it looks like the upcoming phone will be jettisoning one of the last bastions of classic smartphone design, up there with headphone jacks. Still, it’s hardly a surprise. There was no such slot on all the manufacturer’s flagships in 2015, and some Galaxy Note models like the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 20 have missed the feature, too. 

There’s some potential good news from Quandt, who also notes that some markets may receive chargers in the Galaxy S21 box. Nothing’s official until Samsung unveils the phone.

And that could happen very soon. Rumors point to a Jan. 14 launch event for the Galaxy S21, with the phone shipping before the end of January. We’re expecting three models — a standard Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung has begun letting prospective buyers reserve a place in line to pre-order the “next Galaxy” device.