Tech
Samsung Galaxy S21's three models compared: S21 vs. S21 Plus vs. S21 Ultra – CNET


Drew Evans/CNET
Samsung has announced its latest flagship: the Galaxy S21 lineup, which includes the S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra. (Here’s the CNET Galaxy S21 review and Galaxy S21 Ultra review.) The whole lineup is now officially on sale, and here’s how you can buy one. As the names suggest, each model is slightly upgraded (and slightly pricier) than the one before it, resulting in a spectrum of specs to meet just about any Android user’s needs. But how do you decide whether you’re a baseline kind of person or if you should go directly to the top of the line? Sure, your budget can make the decision for you, but price doesn’t tell the whole story and, depending on your needs, a higher-priced phone might also be the best value.
Read more: Galaxy S21: Lower prices make the choice between the S21, Plus and Ultra even harder
The most obvious differences among Samsung’s Galaxy S21 line, besides the price, are screen size, battery capacity and camera capabilities. Going up the line, each phone increases in size. If you’re small-handed, you might hate the heft of the Ultra. But if you’re going to be watching a lot of videos, bigger is probably better.
- Galaxy S21: 6.2 inches
- Galaxy S21 Plus: 6.7 inches
- Galaxy S21 Ultra: 6.8 inches
Battery capacity also increases as you move up the line, though we don’t think you’ll have any trouble getting through the day on a charge even with the baseline S21 phone. We’ll be testing the Galaxy S21’s battery soon and will have a better idea of battery life then.
- Galaxy S21: 4,000 mAh
- Galaxy S21 Plus: 4,800 mAh
- Galaxy S21 Ultra: 5,000 mAh
Camera geeks are probably going to want to upgrade to the S21 Ultra. You can tell just by looking at the three phones that the S21 Ultra has some extra camera tricks up its sleeve, evidenced by its extra-large quadruple camera module, which also houses its flash. The S21 Ultra gets Space Zoom, an extra telephoto camera and a 108-megapixel wide-angle lens — so far we’re particularly impressed with S21 Ultra’s zoom.
A few other things to consider: You want a pretty pink phone? Then you’ll have to get the S21. Want S Pen support? Only the S21 Ultra has that. Ditto for storage greater than 256GB: Only the Ultra goes up to 512GB (that model gives you more RAM too), and none of the Galaxy S21 phones accommodates expandable storage. The S21 Plus and Ultra both feature a Gorilla Glass Victus backing, which lends durability that the plastic-backed S21 won’t have.
Check out the chart below for all of the Galaxy S21 specs compared, and read our comparison of the Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12 and Galaxy S21 vs. S20 vs. S20 FE vs. Note 20.
Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. S21 Plus vs. S21 Ultra
Galaxy S21 | Galaxy S21 Plus | Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
---|---|---|---|
Display size, resolution | 6.2-inch Flat FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display (2,400×1,080 pixels), | 6.7-inch Flat FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (2,400×1,080 pixels) | 6.8-inch Edge WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (3,200×1,440 pixels) |
Pixel density | 421 ppi | 394 ppi | 515 ppi |
Dimensions (Inches) | 2.80×5.97×0.31 in | 2.97×6.35×0.30 in | 2.97×6.50×0.35 in |
Dimensions (Millimeters) | 71.2×151.7×7.9 mm | 75.6×161.5×7.8 mm | 75.6×165.1×8.9 mm |
Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 6.03 oz; 171g | 7.12 oz; 202g | 8.07 oz; 229g |
Mobile software | Android 11 | Android 11 | Android 11 |
Camera | 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) | 108-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto), 10-megapixel (telephoto) |
Front-facing camera | 10-megapixel | 10-megapixel | 40-megapixel |
Video capture | 8K | 8K | 8K |
Processor | Snapdragon 888 or 64-bit octa-core processor 2.8GHz (max 2.4GHz+1.8GHz) | Snapdragon 888 or 64-bit octa-core processor 2.8GHz (max 2.4GHz+1.8GHz) | Snapdragon 888 or 64-bit octa-core processor (max 2.4GHz+1.8GHz) |
Storage | 128GB/256GB | 128GB/256GB | 128GB/256GB, 512GB |
RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 12GB, 16GB |
Expandable storage | No | No | No |
Battery | 4,000 mAh | 4,800 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
Fingerprint sensor | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen |
Headphone jack | No | No | No |
Special features | IP68 rating, 5G-enabled, 30x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, | IP68 rating, 5G-enabled, 30x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, | IP68 rating, 5G-enabled, 100x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, 10x optical zoom; S Pen support |
Price off-contract (USD) | $800 (128GB) | $1,000 (128 GB) | $1,200 (128 GB) |
Price (GBP) | £769 | £949 | £1,149 |
Price (AUD) | AU$1,249 | AU$1,549 | AU$1,849 |
Tech
Pokémon Legends Arceus gives the series the Zelda: Breath of the Wild open-world treatment – MobileSyrup


During the series’ 25th anniversary presentation, The Pokémon Company revealed a few new games, including Pokémon Diamond and Pearl remakes and more footage of Pokémon Snap, but Pokémon Legends Arceus stole the show.
The new game looks to modernize the classic Pokémon gameplay formula by making it more of an open-world game with a tighter focus on collecting Pocket Monsters.
The brief presentation showed off how players can crouch and sneak up on Pokémon to surprise them with Poké Balls.
While Nintendo has created offshoot Pokémon games in the past, including Let’s Go and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, this seems different and could perhaps be a new path for the series.
Legends Arceus’ plot sets your player on a mission to create the world’s first Pokédex, suggesting that Arceus is set so far in the past that it could be ripe for sequels.
Pokémon Legends Arceus is slated to release in early 2022 for the Nintendo Switch. If you want to scratch your Pokémon itch in 2021, you’ll be stuck with Pokémon Snap and Brillant Diamond and Shiny Pearl.
Tech
The Final Fantasy VII Remake with a free PS5 upgrade is $30 – The Verge


Yesterday, Square Enix announced that it plans to release an enhanced version of Final Fantasy VII Remake for PS5, and there is a free next-gen upgrade available if you own the game digitally or physically. You can purchase a physical copy of the game right now for $30 at Amazon. Note that if you plan to take advantage of this deal, you will need to own a PS5 with a disc drive to claim your free PS5 copy.
Although the game will be free on PlayStation Plus beginning March 2nd, Sony confirmed that the PS Plus version will not be eligible to receive a free upgrade. So, you’ll either need to buy the next-gen version, which starts at $70, or buy the PS4 version, the latter of which I think is the better deal.
While on the topic of next-gen, if you are in the market for a new TV that takes advantage of next-gen, LG’s CX OLED line is one of the best options at the moment. Right now, the 65-inch model is on sale at a couple of places, most notably Newegg, where you can buy it for $1,997 and also receive a free $200 Newegg gift card. The TV is also on sale at Amazon for $1,950 (when you apply a coupon), but it does not come with a $200 gift card.
Last November, AMD released its new line of desktop CPUs. The Ryzen 5000 line includes the first chips from the company that carry its next-gen Zen 3 architecture. Like most highly anticipated gadgets released at the tail end of 2020, these processors at first were a bit difficult to find. But, if you are looking to buy the midrange $449 Ryzen 7 5800X, it’s available now at Antonline, B&H Photo, and Best Buy.
Lastly, Amazon is currently running a promotion where you can save $40 when you purchase two eligible Surface accessories. Some items eligible for the promotion include the Surface Pen and the Surface Arc mouse, a nice pairing if you’re picking up a new Surface device at the same time.
Tech
PS5 storage upgrades reportedly coming this summer – GamesIndustry.biz


Upcoming firmware update will offer solution to limited SSD space, but owners will need to remove the console’s casing
Sony will allow PlayStation 5 owners to expand the internal storage of their next-generation console later this year.
That’s according to sources close to the matter talking to Bloomberg, who say a summer firmware update will add support for extra storage drives.
The PS5’s current internal storage is a 825GB solid state drive (SSD) that offers around 667GB for storing games, apps and media.
Some players have been frustrated with this limit, since many titles can take up around 40GB each and some AAA games — such as the Call of Duty series — take up over 100GB.
Earlier this week, GamesIndustry.biz sister site Eurogamer reported that a 17GB update for Call of Duty: Warzone required PS5 users to clear 100GB of space before it could be downloaded.
The PS4 allows users to plug in external hard drives via USB, but the PS5’s custom architecture makes this less practical.
The firmware update will allow PS5 users to attach new drives, although they will need to take off the console’s plastic cover to do so.
The firmware update will also reportedly increase speeds for the console’s cooling fan to prevent overheating.
A Sony spokesperson told Bloomberg: “As previously announced, we are working to enable M.2 SSD storage expansion for PlayStation 5. The timing has not been announced and details will be shared later.”
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