Why is the S21 worse than the S20? - Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 Review

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is here. This is the annual update of the company's flagship phone line, replacing the 2020 Samsung Galaxy S20, and it could be one of the best phones of 2021.

If you don't have time to read all our articles about old and new Samsung phones, you might be interested in learning about the differences between the two phones. As shown in the image above, the Samsung Galaxy S21 is not a complete reimagining of its predecessor with quite minor changes.

To save you time, below you will find a comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the Samsung Galaxy S21. This way, you'll learn about all the new features that have been removed, and whether the changes are enough to tempt you to upgrade your new phone.

Comparison of new and old Samsung phones

Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S20: Price

The Samsung Galaxy S20 comes with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, priced at US $ 999 / £ 899 / AUD $ 1499. In some regions, a 4G-only version of the phone was also available for £ 799 / AUD $ 1,349.

So it seems that the Galaxy S21 is more affordable. It costs $ 799 / 769 pounds / 1249 Australian dollars, for which you get 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Please note that this phone does not have a 4G version.

With the new device, it seems that instead of developing completely new features and ideas for the Samsung Galaxy S21, the company has tried to find more affordable ways to offer the Galaxy S20 features. Sure, the S21 is still an expensive phone, but smaller than its predecessor.

Design

As the images show, the Samsung Galaxy S21 has not undergone major changes in the design of the Galaxy S20, the only noticeable difference is a slightly different camera appearance.

In fact, there is a second change that doesn't show up in the images. While the Samsung Galaxy S20 has a glass back cover, the back of the Galaxy S21 is made of "Glasstic" or plastic, which should be more like glass.

This material is cheaper, and while it's not as premium as glass, it's more durable and therefore better to hold in your hand. In a recent survey, we found that many phone lovers really like this plastic.

Aside from these upgrades, both phones come with USB-C ports, as well as power buttons and volume controllers mounted on the sides of the phones, but without a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 was available in three colors: blue, pink and gray. S21 returns gray, but it also comes in white, magenta, and a slightly different pink.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S21 display is actually an earlier version of the Galaxy S20.

Both phones have 6.2-inch displays with slits at the top, a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10 + , and built-in fingerprint scanners. However, the resolution of the S21 is lower than that of the S20.

While the screen resolution of the Samsung Galaxy S20 was 1440 x 3200 or Quad HD, the Galaxy S21 only has 1080 x 2400 or Full HD +.

Samsung Galaxy S20

Samsung Galaxy S20 (Image Credit: future)

Before rushing to suggest that the Galaxy S20 is better, therefore, it is worth noting that the S20 can only use its QHD resolution or 120Hz update, not both at the same time. So, for all intents and purposes, you'll get the same experience on the S21 that you could have gotten on the C20.

Chambers

On paper, it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S21 comes with identical Galaxy S20 cameras-a 12MP head unit, plus a 64MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultra wide snapper. And it seems that even the sensors and lenses are the same. Both phones also feature 10MP front cameras.

The changes on the Galaxy S21 come via camera modes; the S21 brings some updates to those we saw on the Galaxy S20, in particular for video recording.

Samsung Galaxy S21

The Samsung Galaxy S20's single shot mode has also improved, with improved AI and a greater emphasis on slow motion recording for excellent shots.

If these new camera modes are not attractive, the shooting experience of the Samsung Galaxy S21 may not be much different from that of the Galaxy S20.

Samsung Galaxy S20

Samsung Galaxy S20 (Image Credit: future)

Features and specifications

In terms of software, the Samsung Galaxy S20 came with Android 10, but the Galaxy S21 came all the way to Android 11. However, both have a Samsung user interface on top of everything.

The situation of the chipset is quite confusing. The Samsung Galaxy S20 uses the Exynos 990 processor in Europe and Asia, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in other countries. The Galaxy S21 uses the Exynos 2100 in Europe and Asia, and the Snapdragon 888 is everywhere.

Both chipset versions are approximately the same in terms of processing power and battery efficiency, although Snapdragon chipsets are usually on top of the competition.

Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy S20 comes with 12 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The Galaxy S21 reduces RAM to 8 GB, but is available with 256 GB of storage and 128 GB.

Battery life

Both the Samsung Galaxy S21 and the S20 include 4, 000 mAh batteries, but thanks to software and chipset improvements, we expect the former to offer slightly better battery life. However, the difference is unlikely to be huge.

Both phones also come with 25W wired charging, as well as wireless power and two-way charging, allowing the phone to be used as a wireless charging platform to power other devices.

In general, battery and charging is an area where there are not many changes between the two devices.

Samsung Galaxy S20

(PHOTO: Samsung)

To take away

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is not a breakthrough over its predecessor; it is actually a degradation in many ways and a lateral step in other areas.

However, the Galaxy S20 was more expensive at launch and has now been discontinued. If you can find a cheaper Samsung Galaxy S20 than the Galaxy S21, this might be the Best Buy for you, but looking for it can be difficult.

As such, the Galaxy S21 probably has the best value for money.