Samsung Galaxy S21 (Galaxy S30): Release date, price, specs and leaks

The Samsung Galaxy S21 series rumors have already begun, and based on Samsung’s previous launch schedule we can expect the new range of phones to launch in February or March.

Of course, it’s early in the Galaxy S30 rumor cycle, given that Samsung only just launched the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. But we’ve already seen some leaks for Samsung’s Galaxy S21 phone. And we also have our own wishlist for the Galaxy S21 series.

Based on the rumors, it looks like Samsung could finally deliver a true full-screen phone in the Galaxy S21 and an even more sophisticated camera system. But there are plenty of other areas for improvement, judging from our Galaxy S20 review, Galaxy S20 Plus review and Galaxy S20 Ultra review.

Here’s what we’ve heard so far about the Galaxy S21 and what we would like to see from Samsung for its early 2021 flagships.

Samsung Galaxy S21 latest news (Updated October 3)

Samsung Galaxy S21 release date

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series was launched this year at a Samsung Unpacked event February 11 and the phones went on sale March 6. Pre-orders started Feb 21. If Samsung followed a similar schedule for its next phones, the Galaxy S21 release date would be March 5, which would be the first Friday in the month.

If Samsung stuck with similar timing for the Unpacked 2021 event as well, the Galaxy S21 would launch February 9, which would be the second Tuesday that month. And pre-orders would begin as soon as Feb. 19. Of course, that time frame doesn’t take into account any delays or rescheduling caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Samsung Galaxy S21 price

Samsung made a gamble with the Galaxy S20 line by not offering a cheaper Galaxy S20e variant in the $700 to $750 range. Instead, the cheapest Galaxy S20 was $999. The Galaxy S21 price will presumably be in the same ballpark, with the prices starting at $999 / £899 / AU$1,499 for the regular Galaxy S21.

The Galaxy S21 Plus would likely cost $200 more and the and Galaxy S21 Ultra $200 more than that. 

Some reports have suggested that the Galaxy S21 could cost more than what Samsung charged for this year’s phones because of the Snapdragon 875, the system-on-chip expected to power the new phones. However, some people dispute the report of pricier Snapdragon chipsets.

Samsung Galaxy S21 cameras

The Galaxy S21 is rumored the up the ante even more when it comes to camera resolution and possibly zooming.

Korean tech publication The Elec says that the Galaxy S21 may feature a 180MP sensor, which would be even higher than the 108MP sensor in the Galaxy S20 Ultra. In addition, the Galaxy S21 may drop the time-of-flight sensor in order to support two optical zoom lenses. One would be a 3x lens and the other a 10x periscope lens.

A previous report from SamMobile says that Samsung may be developing a new 150MP sensor for flagship phones. 

Not much is known about this sensor, but apparently it has a footprint of 1 inch and it uses the same Nanocell technology that the S20 Ultra does with its ISOCELL Bright HM1 sensor. The new 150MP sensor will likely show up in phones for the first time in Q4 2020, possibly a Xiaomi handset. 

Other phone makers could also beat the Galaxy S21 to the punch in employing this camera, including Oppo and Vivo, but Samsung would likely make the most noise. 

One interesting bit of news reported by prominent Samsung leaker IceUniverse indicates that the company views high-megapixel sensors — like the 108MP one in the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra — as the way forward for the industry, and will remain committed to their development. In fact, a Samsung executive who heads up the firm’s sensor business theorized that one day, the company could introduce a 600MP sensor that would technically “exceed the limits of the human eye.”

That’s not the only crazy camera idea Samsung is considering for future phones. A patent for a six-camera array with lenses and sensors that can move, pivot and zoom in and out has made the rounds, courtesy of LetsGoDigital. This idea seems as though it may be too radical to debut in a phone as soon as the Galaxy S21, though the increase in lens quantity and the idea to allow those lenses to move sounds like a worthwhile long-term goal for Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S21 design

Samsung has been working on a “perfect full-screen phone” design for well over year, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 could make this vision a reality. Samsung Display started talking about the possibility of eliminating the punch holes on the front of its phones in March 2019.

The idea is that the camera hole would be invisible, “while not affecting the camera’s function in any way.” Samsung is also eyeing technology that would leverage the display as a speaker. However, it’s not clear whether Samsung will be able to deliver this type of design in time for the Galaxy S21.

Samsung is also experimenting with displays that would be rounded on all four sides, which could come to the Galaxy S21 series. The device would still have a metal frame, but the curved panel would make the screen more immersive. This is based on a patent discovered by LetsGoDigital.

Samsung Galaxy S21: Processor and performance

If Samsung follows past practices, it will use two different chipsets to power the Galaxy S21 — the latest Snapdragon 8 Series system-on-chip for phones released in the U.S. and one of its one Exynos processors for models that ship in the rest of the world. But that may not be the case this time around.

On the Snapdragon front, the new chipset is expected to be the Snapdragon 875, if Qualcomm sticks to its numbering conventions for new versions. An early report from 91Mobiles claims that this will be a 5-nanometer chip, as opposed to the 7-nanometer Snapdragon 865. There will also be a 5G modem included with the chipset.

A report from BusinessKorea says that Samsung will actually be manufacturing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765 chip in a deal that could be worth $1 billion. So it remains to be seen whether Samsung will go ahead with its next-gen Exynos chip.

Samsung’s next processor is expected to be named either the Exynos 1000 or Exynos 992, and it’ll be another 5-nanometer chip. Leaked benchmarks promise big performance gains, with the new Exynos chipset delivering a 3x improvement over the Snapdragon 865. The silicon was rumored to begin production by partner TSMC this summer according to ZDNet.

Samsung Galaxy S21: Other features

Based on reporting from South Korean publication The Elec, the Galaxy S21 Ultra may feature an S Pen. Should that come to pass, Samsung might discontinue the Galaxy Note line, as that device will be losing its signature, defining feature.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 could be marked by a feature that isn’t there. A report claims that Samsung will ship next year’s flagship without a charger. Basically, the idea is that most people already have a USB-C charger on hand, and removing one from the box of new phones reduces e-waste while also keeping costs of the new phone down slightly.

Samsung may not be the first phone maker to skimp on including a charger with its flagship phone. Apple is reportedly considering such a move with the iPhone 12, which may arrive this fall without either a charger or wired earbuds.

Samsung Galaxy S21: What we want

The Galaxy S21 will be fighting the iPhone 12 by the time it is released. And it will also face competition from  the Google Pixel 5 as well. Both those phones are expected to debut this fall, several months before the S30 would arrive.

Here’s how Samsung can improve on the Galaxy S20 while staying one step ahead of the competition.

A lower starting price: Not having a direct answer to the $699 iPhone 11 with the Galaxy S20 has been Samsung’s biggest mistake with its phone lineup. The Galaxy S20 starts at $999, which is $300 more. Samsung should find a way to make the Galaxy S21 more affordable so that there’s a least one device in the lineup that’s priced for the masses. 

Longer battery life: Despite packing larger batteries across the board in the Galaxy S20 lineup, Samsung’s phones did not all last as long as their predecessors on our web surfing battery test. For example, the regular Galaxy S20 lasted 8 hours and 31 minutes, compared to 10:19 for the S10. And the Galaxy S20 Plus lasted 10:31, compared to 10:56 for the Galaxy S10 Plus 5G.

Only the Galaxy S20 Ultra made our best phone battery life list with a max runtime of 12:13. However, that time dropped all the way down to 9:13 with 120Hz mode enabled. Our best guess is that the addition of 5G took a toll on the endurance of these phones, so perhaps it will take a more efficient modem from Qualcomm to deliver more juice for the Galaxy S21.

A true full-screen design: Samsung has been doing a better job than Apple at minimizing the eye sore on the front of its phones. The punch hole at the top of the Galaxy S20 is tiny compared to the notch on the latest iPhones. However, we would still like to see a a true full-screen look on the Galaxy S21.

Samsung has already teased a full-screen phone in one of its appliance ads, which could be an early look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. But for such a big design change our money is on the Galaxy S21, which is Samsung’s true flagship.

Less bugs at launch: The good news is that Samsung issued a software update for the Galaxy S20 that addressed some early reviewer and user complaints. The bad news is that the company didn’t catch those issues before launching the phones. The biggest problem we had was with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which was slow to focus when shooting video. The Note 20 Ultra thankfully uses the same 108MP sensor to much more reliable effect, but here’s hoping Samsung does more internal testing and quality control before releasing the Galaxy S21 lineup.