You might be looking at the Samsung Galaxy S21 and wondering if it’s the best phone you can get right now. While it’s definitely one of the best phones available, each of the three S21 models have their share of flaws. What’s more, while Samsung has knocked the price of each model down by a couple hundred dollars from previous Galaxy S phones, the S21 is still pretty expensive compared to some of the other best Android phones.
It’s those rivals we’re looking at here. If you’re weighing whether to buy a new Android phone, but aren’t convinced by Samsung’s latest offering, we have rounded up the best Galaxy S21 alternatives for you to check out.
Organized by key features, some of the phones do a better job than the S21 in certain areas, while others offer identical or comparable abilities while costing less. We highly rate all of them, so whether you pick up an S21 or a different device, you’re guaranteed to get a great phone.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative for fast charging
OnePlus 8T (Image credit: OnePlus)
Samsung doesn’t include a charger with any phone in the Galaxy S21 series, requiring you to either use a charger you’ve already got or pay up for a new accessory. It’s the same move Apple made with the iPhone 12, and while it may be good for the environment, it does add on to the cost of your phone.
Even if you pick up a charger for your Galaxy S21, all three models offer a maximum of 25W fast charging when plugged in and up to 15W for wireless charging. That’s acceptably quick, but certainly not class-leading.
The OnePlus 8T and Oppo Find X2 Pro offer 65W charging out of the box, which is certainly impressive. The OnePlus 8 Pro offers more modest 30W fast charging, but also up to 30W wireless charging if you want to ditch the cables. Even the budget-centric OnePlus Nord N10 5G offers 30W charging for less than $300, beating the Galaxy S21 on both charging speed and price.
Our pick: OnePlus 8T — it’s more fully featured than the Nord N10 and more widely available than the Oppo Find X2. OnePlus’ flagship lasts longer than every S21 model save for the Ultra, and it charges much faster.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative for compact phones
Pixel 5 (Image credit: Google)
The smallest available Galaxy S21 is the basic S21, which measures 6.2 inches. That’s fairly small compared to the 6.7-inch Plus and 6.8-inch Ultra models, but it’s no good if you like to have a phone that will easily slip into a jeans pocket.
It’s surprisingly hard to find smaller phones than that these days. If you want something much dinkier, there’s the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini, or the 4.7-inch iPhone SE if you want something a lot cheaper. On the Android side, your best option is probably the Google Pixel 5 at 6 inches. There’s also the Pixel 4a at 5.8 inches if you don’t mind a phone with less stylish design and fewer flagship features.
Our pick:Pixel 5 — Assuming an iPhone 12 mini is a non-starter for Android fans, the Pixel 5 is a compact phone that delivers a great camera.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative for storage
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (Image credit: Future)
Samsung killed off a big legacy feature this year for users who like using expandable, removable storage with their phones. All Galaxy S21 models ship without an SD card slot, limiting you to the onboard storage for whatever model you buy. That’s a potential problem if you’re a keen photographer or videographer who will easily fill up even 256 GB or 512GB of storage.
If you want removable storage, you can turn to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which still features a microSD card slot. Alternatively, less expensive phones like the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G let you expand storage by up to 1TB via a microSD card. Another option — spring for cloud storage, as Google One storage plans cost $9.99 a month for 2TB.
Our pick:Galaxy Note 20 Ultra — not only can you max out on-board storage at 512GB, but the microSD slot lets you add up to 1TB of storage.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative for stylus compatibility
Galaxy Note 20 (Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
Only the Galaxy S21 Ultra works with an S Pen, the first Galaxy phone outside of the Note to offer such support. But the stylus is sold separately, meaning you’re paying another $40 on top of the $1,199 cost of your phone. And that’s before you buy a case, which you’ll need to do as the S21 offers no slot to store the S Pen.
In this case, it’s hard to top the original, as both the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra offer a built-in S Pen. If you don’t mind going the bargain route, Motorola’s $299 Moto G Stylus — an updated version to last year’s Moto G Stylus— includes a stylus, though it’s not nearly as fully featured as the S Pen. You will get long battery life from the Moto G Stylus, though.
Our pick:Galaxy Note 20 — This is the cheaper of Samsung’s two Note 20 models, and it’s also $200 less than the Galaxy S21 Ultra. And you don’t have to pay extra for the S Pen.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative for battery life
Moto G Power (2021) (Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
The battery life for the Galaxy S21 Ultra impresses, as Samsung’s phone lasted 11 hours and 25 minutes on our Tom’s Guide battery test. That places it on our best phone battery life list (though the S21 Ultra achieves that result with the adaptive display feature turned off). The other S21 models turned in times that were closer to the result for the average smartphone.
The longest lasting smartphone we’ve tested this year is the Moto G Power (2021), and while that phone boats some good features for a $249 device, it’s a big step down from the experience of using a Galaxy flagship. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the device to get if you want a long battery life, but don’t want to skimp on features.
It’s hard to outdo the camera hardware of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Not only do you get a 108MP main camera, a 40MP selfie camera and a 12MP ultrawide, you also benefit from two 10MP telephoto cameras, one with 3x zoom and the other with 10X zoom. The S21 and S21 Plus still have outstanding photography powers too, with their combination of 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 64MP telephoto and 10MP selfie cameras.
In terms of the best camera phones, there’s only one that beats the Galaxy S21 Ultra – the iPhone 12 Pro Max. That’s almost as expensive as the S21 Ultra, but it’s the price you have to pay for ultimate photo performance.
For cheaper options that still give the S21 series a run for its money, the Google Pixel 5 will offer equally good main and ultrawide photography, though it lacks a dedicated telephoto sensor. Still, the Pixel’s Super Res Zoom feature more than makes up for that lack of hardware by tapping into Google’s computational photography powers. For a cheaper version, the Pixel 4a 5G boasts the exact same camera hardware as Google’s flagship device.
Our pick:Pixel 5 — assuming you don’t want to convert to an iPhone, Google’s flagship is the best camera phone you can get outside of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative for pure Android
Motorola Edge Plus (Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
At its core, Android 11 is the same on every device. But phone makers can tweak the interface, and Samsung’s One UI 3.0 on the Galaxy S21 models can come across as overbearing to some people.
We’re big fans of OnePlus’ OxygenOS because of its sharp design and limited number of unwanted apps. You’ll find it preinstalled on the OnePlus 8T, but it’s also available on older OnePlus phones like the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. Motorola also does a good job of not cluttering up Android, and the few things it introduces, such as gesture-based Moto Actions, are actually useful. The $999 Motorola Edge Plus comes the closest to matching the Galaxy S21 feature set.
Still, the purest version of Android can be found on the Google Pixel line of phones. The Pixel 5 is the pinnacle of Google’s crop of phones for the moment, and while its hardware is lacking in a few areas compared to the Galaxy S21’s, the user experience is top notch.
Our pick:OnePlus 8T — OnePlus’ phones offer the best assortment of features without imposing too much on the Android experience.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative on performance
iPhone 12 Pro Max (Image credit: Future)
It’s hard to beat any of the Galaxy S21 models and their Snapdragon 888 system-on-chip — at least among Android phones. The Galaxy S21 benchmarks are the best we’ve seen from any Android phone, which isn’t surprising since Samsung’s devices are the first to arrive in the US with the new Qualcomm chipset.
But as good as the S21 models are in terms of performance, they’re still out-muscled by the iPhone 12 family and Apple’s A14 Bionic processor. The iPhone 12 produces better benchmarks in our testing, including real-world tests like transcoding videos.
If you’re committed to Android, a powerhouse like the iPhone 12 Pro Max may be a non-starter. In that case, you may want to hold off a few months to see what other Android phones arrive with a Snapdragon 888 inside and how they compare to the Galaxy S21.
Our pick:iPhone 12 Pro Max — iOS or Android debate aside, this is the best performing phone out there, and it’s cheaper than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Best Galaxy S21 alternative on price
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)
While the Galaxy S21 models may be cheaper than their predecessors, the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra still cost $999 and $1,199, respectively. That’s a lot to pay for a phone for some people, though at least the Galaxy S21 offers a decent alternative at $799.
For lower-priced flagships, it’s hard to beat either OnePlus or Google. The OnePlus 8T starts at $749 and features a display with a 120Hz refresh rate as well as solid performance and fast charging. The Pixel 5 is even cheaper at $699, though Google dialed back on the processing power to reach that price.
Our pick: OnePlus 8T — Outside of Samsung’s own phones, the flagship devices out of OnePlus come the closest to matching the Galaxy S lineup on a feature-by-feature basis.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.
The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells.
There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.
Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate.
“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”
Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.
“Call of Duty,” which first began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set in World War II, has expanded into an empire worth billions of dollars now owned by Microsoft. But it also has been controversial as its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. China and Russia both banned chapters in the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.
But there have been other games recently that won praise for their handling of the Mideast. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” published last year won praise for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.
Copenhagen, 22.10.2024 – COBOD International, the global leader in 3D construction printing technology, proudly introduces the BOD3 3D Construction Printer for 3D printing of real concrete. Equipped with an extendable ground-based track system, the BOD3 advances the construction process by eliminating printer downtime between multiple buildings on the same site, setting anew benchmark for productivity and efficiency. The BOD3 is the most advanced solution for high-volume low-rise construction and a very effective alternative to conventional construction methods.
The heart and key feature of the new BOD3 3D printer is the advanced extendable ground-based track system. This system enables limitless extension along the Y-axes (length), expanding the printable area to cover 2 or 3 buildings, and reducing setup time to a single installation for multi-building projects. It’s a game-changer, allowing continuous, uninterrupted printing across large sites, increasing efficiency for high volume and mass production at an unmatchable scale.
Render of COBOD BOD3 3D Construction Printer.
The BOD3, COBOD’s third printer model, is the outstanding achievement of years of dedicated research, development, and close collaboration with customers. It is a vital advancement in automated construction technology, directly addressing the urgent global demand for faster, smarter, more efficient and sustainable building solutions. Like every COBOD 3D printer, the BOD3’s modular design offers customization, allowing it to easily adapt to any customer’s size wishes in addition to complying with the various sizes of construction sites anywhere in the world.
The BOD3 follows COBOD’s vision to build smarter through automation. Its operational stand combines the control and monitoring of both the 3D printer and supplementary equipment in one user-friendly system. The Advanced Hose Management System (AHMS) transports 3D printable material from the materials delivery system to the printhead via hoses secured within E-chains, minimizing physical labor and optimizing material flow. With the addition of the dual dosing system for additives, operators can better control the concrete and adapt it to onsite environmental conditions. By introducing additives directly at the printhead, the system reduces drying time between layers, speeding up the overall construction process. Designed for easy operation and precision, the BOD3 can be operated by a small, trained, and certified team, reducing the costs of projects.
Incorporating the innovative Universal X-Carriage, the BOD3 is ready for future COBOD advancements and technologies, like the introduction of additional tools for the printer aimed at insulating, painting, sanding, etc. This ensures long-term versatility and performance that will keep the BOD3 at the forefront of the industry for years to come.
Universal X-Carriage with Printhead.
Already deployed to the global market, the BOD3 is currently active in Indonesia, by Modula Tiga Dimensi, Angola, by Power2Build, andBahrain, by Ab’aad 3D. The customers report faster project execution with near-zero downtime between individual buildings on the same site. The projects showcase the BOD3’s ability to speed up construction and print with real concrete, with 99% locally sourced materials and 1% of innovative D.fab, a co-developed solution by COBOD and Cemex to make concrete 3D printable.
Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder and General Manager of COBOD, commented on the BOD3: “The global housing crisis demands a more efficient construction solution that is faster, more efficient, and scalable. The BOD3 is our answer to this challenge. Drawing on years of research and expertise, we’ve designed the BOD3 with innovative features, making it our most cost-effective and efficient model yet for multiple low-rise buildings. Its design supports high-volume, linear production of houses, enabling mass production without compromising quality. The fact that six units have already been sold before its official launch speaks volumes about the BOD3’s market demand and the trust our customers place in our technology.”
Michael Holm, Chief Innovation Officer at COBOD, states, “The advanced ground-based track system was developed as a response to our customers’ needs to increase efficiency and productivity. Now the 3D construction printer can be easily extended, and multiple consecutive structures can be printed with minimal repositioning and zero downtime between projects, making 3D construction printing more efficient than ever before.”
The BOD3 is now available for purchase worldwide; for more information, please visit our website, www.cobod.com, or contact us at info@cobod.com.
COBOD stands as the global leader in supplying 3D printers for the construction sector, with over 80 printers distributed across North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Driven by a mission to revolutionize construction through multifunctional robots based on 3D printing, COBOD envisions automating half of the construction processes to achieve faster, cost-effective, sustainable results with enhanced design versatility.
From residential, commercial, and public buildings, COBOD’s 3D printers have been instrumental in erecting 1- to 3-story structures across all six inhabited continents. The innovative technology also extends to fabricate large-scale data centers, wind turbine towers, tanks, and more.
Embracing an open-source material approach, COBOD collaborates with global partners, including customers, academia, and suppliers. The company, backed by prominent shareholders such as General Electric, CEMEX, Holcim, and PERI, operates from its main office in Copenhagen, Denmark, and regional competence centers in Miami, Florida, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. COBOD’s dynamic team comprises over 100 professionals from 25 diverse nationalities.
ABOUT MODULA TIGA DIMENSI
PT Modula Tiga Dimensi is a joint venture between Bakrie & Brothers (BNBR) and COBOD. BNBR focuses on offering and providing solutions for housing backlog problems currently encountered by the country.
Teaming up with COBOD International, the company is now set to adopt the latest 3D printing construction technology and is ready to offer the Indonesian market a new and better solution to housing obstructions.
ABOUT POWER2BUILD
Reshaping the construction sector and adapting it to urgent human needs.
Power2Build is a technology company for the construction industry, prepared to establish partnerships with private, public, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) so that they can make the transition to Build 4.0 through 3DCP.
We offer our clients value-added services and high-quality projects, always with a multidisciplinary approach that brings together the necessary experience to deal with complex issues.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence‘s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them.
Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Only 50% of the respondents fell under the Maximalist or Underground categories, posing a challenge for businesses that want their workers to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently discussed the excitement and tension surrounding AI at work with Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics.
Q: What do you make about the wide range of perceptions about AI at work?
A: It shows people are experiencing AI in very different ways, so they have very different emotions about it. Understanding those emotions will help understand what is going to drive usage of AI. If people are feeling guilty or nervous about it, they are not going to use it. So we have to understand where people are, then point them toward learning to value this new technology.
Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI at work, but what is different about their attitudes?
A: Maximalists are all in on AI. They are getting value out of it, they are excited about it, and they are actively sharing that they are using it, which is a really big driver for usage among others.
The Underground is the one that is really interesting to me because they are using it, but they are hiding it. There are different reasons for that. They are worried they are going to be seen as incompetent. They are worried that AI is going to be seen as cheating. And so with them, we have an opportunity to provide clear guidelines to help them know that AI usage is celebrated and encouraged. But right now they don’t have guidelines from their companies and they don’t feel particularly encouraged to use it.
Overall, there is more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great We just need to figure out how to harness that.
Q: What about the 19% of workers who fell under the Rebel description in Slack’s study?
A: Rebels tend to be women, which is really interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t like to see. Also, rebels tend to be older. At a high level, men are adopting the technology at higher rates than women.
Q: Why do you think more women than men are resisting AI?
A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat, more likely to worry that AI is going to take over their jobs. To me, that points to women not feeling as trusted in the workplace as men do. If you feel trusted by your manager, you are more likely to experiment with AI. Women are reluctant to adopt a technology that might be seen as a replacement for them whereas men may have more confidence that isn’t going to happen because they feel more trusted.
Q: What are some of the things employers should be doing if they want their workers to embrace AI on the job?
A: We are seeing three out of five desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines with AI, because their companies just aren’t telling them anything, so that’s a huge opportunity.
Another opportunity to encourage AI usage in the open. If we can create a culture where it’s celebrated, where people can see the way people are using it, then they can know that it’s accepted and celebrated. Then they can be inspired.
The third thing is we have to create a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying it out, testing it, getting comfortable with it because a lot of people just don’t know where to start. The reality is you can start small, you don’t have to completely change your job. Having AI write an email or summarize content is a great place to start so you can start to understand what this technology can do.
Q: Do you think the fears about people losing their jobs because of AI are warranted?
A: People with AI are going to replace people without AI.
