Galaxy A71 to Galaxy S21: Should you wait for the Galaxy A72 instead?

A full year has passed since the Galaxy A71 (4G) was released but a proper sequel has yet to hit the shelves. The Galaxy S21 series, however, was unveiled earlier than usual and the flagship trio is already available for purchase. The base model’s price is closer to the upper-mid-range market than it’s been in previous years, which could make the Galaxy S21 a sound proposition for existing Galaxy A71 owners who might be looking for an upgrade.

Now, Galaxy A71 5G owners obviously have fewer reasons to view the Galaxy S21 as an upgrade because their phones already have 5G connectivity as well as a more powerful Exynos 980 chipset compared to the 4G variant’s Snapdragon 730 solution. Even so, the Galaxy S21 isn’t without flaws, and at the end of the day, Galaxy A71 users could be better off waiting for a mid-range sequel.

Reasons to upgrade from the Galaxy A71 to the Galaxy S21

A high refresh rate display

120Hz displays can have a great positive impact on the user’s experience. It’s the kind of feature that perhaps isn’t very noticeable at a glance but quickly becomes a lot more noticeable when it’s not there. In other words, once you go 120Hz, you’ll have a difficult time going back to 60Hz.

The Galaxy S21, unlike the Galaxy A71, has a 120Hz display. The panel has a smaller 6.2-inch diagonal compared to the A71’s 6.7-inch display, and both have the same resolution of 2400 by 1080. However, the higher refresh rate allows for smoother animations all throughout One UI and supporting apps.

A more competent camera setup

The Galaxy S21 is much better suited for mobile photography than the Galaxy A71, even though the latter has an additional sensor. This is obviously a case of ‘less is more‘ and Galaxy S21 owners will have a superior camera experience with the triple main camera.

The same goes for the 10MP selfie sensor. The latter may not have a resolution of 32MP but it boasts Dual Pixel autofocus and other advantages that will lead to better results.

Better internal hardware

The Galaxy S21 is newer and it belongs to a costlier segment, so it’s only natural for it to boast more powerful internal hardware.

The Exynos 2100 and Snapdragon 888 chipsets are vastly superior to the Exynos 980 and Snapdragon 730 solutions, though the gap in performance usually becomes more noticeable when running demanding 3D apps than otherwise.

In addition, some Galaxy A71 variants have 6GB of RAM, which might not be enough for your multitasking needs. The Galaxy S21 with 8GB of RAM fares a lot better in this regard.

Modern, compact design with dust and water resistance

The Galaxy A71 was a great phone when it came out and it still is a decent mid-range device, but one of its biggest shortcomings is the lack of any kind of dust and water resistance.

In contrast, the Galaxy S21 has an IP68 rating, which means it can survive after being submerged in up to 1.5m of water for 30 minutes. Practicality aside, the Galaxy S21 has a modernized design and it’s arguably a better looking phone.

The new flagship is also considerably smaller and it looks relatively compact next to the Galaxy A71.

Wireless and reverse wireless charging

Out of the two smartphone models, Samsung’s new flagship is the only one to boast wireless charging capabilities as well as reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy A71 has similar (wired) 25W fast charging speeds but no wireless capabilities. Thankfully, battery life on the Galaxy A71 is excellent out of the box so the lack of wireless charging might not be as noticeable.

Samsung DeX

Samsung’s new Galaxy S21 flagship is better suited for productivity, and this is in no small part thanks to Samsung DeX. The platform now works wirelessly too, but it’s not supported at all by the Galaxy A71.

Samsung DeX is reserved for the company’s higher-end devices and it’s almost a certainty that it will never be available for the Galaxy A71. Therefore, any Galaxy A71 owners who want to experience DeX will have to buy a flagship, and needless to say, the Galaxy S21 fits the bill.

Why you might want to skip the Galaxy S21

Missing expandable storage and 3.5mm headphone jack

The missing 3.5mm headphone jack is a given for a 2021 flagship but what was a lot more surprising about the Galaxy S21 series is that it lacks expandable storage. If you rely on your microSD cards for storage, backups, easy file transfer or any other reasons, you’re out of luck as far as the Galaxy S21 is concerned.

The Galaxy A71 does have a microSD card slot on top of the 128GB of built-in storage, and of course, it can take advantage of cloud storage just as easily as the Galaxy S21.

The Galaxy S21 doesn’t support MST and has a smaller battery

The Galaxy S21 has a smaller 4,000mAh battery compared to the Galaxy A71’s 4,500mAh unit, and this wouldn’t have been much of a problem if battery life on the latest flagship had been great. But it’s not. The Galaxy S21 has average battery life at best, and that’s with the high 120Hz refresh rate disabled.

As mentioned before, the Galaxy A71 doesn’t have wireless or reverse wireless charging capabilities, but if battery life on a single charge is more important to you then there’s no other way around it: the Galaxy A71 is a better choice.

Aside from battery life, the Galaxy S21 has dropped support for MST transactions in Samsung Pay, whereas the Galaxy A71 supports this feature. If you’re not ready to switch to NFC-based transactions then the Galaxy S21 won’t make your life any easier.

Galaxy A71 or Galaxy S21: Maybe wait for the Galaxy A72

If you happen to own the Galaxy A71 and you want to switch from the upper-mid-range segment to the fully-fledged flagship market then the Galaxy S21 is probably as good a choice as any. It packs powerful hardware, slightly newer firmware, better cameras and more.

On the other hand, if you’re just looking for any upgrade over your Galaxy A71 and it doesn’t have to be a flagship, then you could wait for Samsung to introduce the Galaxy A72 instead. The device keeps leaking and all signs point to an imminent release.

If for whatever reasons you can’t afford to wait any longer then the Galaxy S21 could be the upgrade you’re looking for, as long as you can live without expandable storage and MST, and you’re fine with burning a whole of at least $450 in your pocket. Because trading-in the Galaxy A71 for the Galaxy S21 isn’t necessarily a cheap endeavor. For customers in the US, Samsung is offering a $350 discount on the new flagship in exchange for the Galaxy A71, which means you’ll have to pay at least $450 on top to acquire the Galaxy S21.

Galaxy A71 review | Galaxy S21 review

Galaxy S21

• Model: SM-G991B
• Dimensions: Bar: 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy A71

• Model: SM-A715F
• Dimensions: Bar: 163.6 x 76.0 x 7.7 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 730
• Camera: 64MP

More specifications

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Samsung quietly releases the Galaxy M12 onto store shelves in Vietnam

Samsung has once again released a new budget phone for 2021 without letting the world know about it. This time, it’s the Galaxy M12 who does the honors, and even though no official announcements preceded it, the device is now available for purchase in Vietnam.

Of note is that, as of this writing, the Galaxy M12 can’t be purchased online from Samsung’s eshop, but customers can refer to a ‘where to buy‘ map and locate nearby physical stores that have the Galaxy M12 up for sale. The phone is available in three color options: black, blue, and green.

Galaxy M12 official specifications

Samsung’s new M-branded budget device would’ve looked entirely like a rebadged Galaxy A12 if it weren’t for the different pattern on the back panel. However, even though both phones look similar and share various characteristics, a few of key differences between them exist.

The new Galaxy M12 has an Exynos 850 chipset instead of a MediaTek one, and it’s powered by a larger 6,000mAh battery, up from 5,000mAh. In addition, it ships to customers with Android 11 instead of version 10.

Otherwise, the phone has a similar 6.5-inch PLS TFT LCD with a resolution of 1600 by 720 and an Infinity-V design, the same 48MP / 5MP / 2MP / 2MP quad-camera configuration and 8MP selfie shooter, as well as similar memory options, though for the time being only the variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage is listed at Samsung Vietnam.

Other details pertaining to the new budget phone include 15W fast charging, USB-C, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 5.0, and Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n. The phone lacks support for Samsung Pay and DeX.

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PSA: Galaxy S21 offers the best wireless DeX support yet

Among other generational upgrades, the Galaxy S21 lineup further refines the wireless DeX experience Samsung first introduced last year as perhaps the most meaningful innovation of its phone-to-PC solution to date. Other than that time when it sneakily made it good, of course. After all, the early days of the former Samsung Desktop Experience platform are hardly the object of much nostalgia.

Fast-forward to today, and the Galaxy S21 range is building on the wireless DeX support for TVs by bringing it to PCs. It thus offers a remarkably different alternative to users who favor convenience above maximizing data speeds. If your connection is good enough for wireless DeX to work on a PC, it should be more than up to whatever file transfer task you have in mind, anyway.

Ready to give DeX another chance?

After the Galaxy Note 20 family launched last year, the Wireless DeX-to-TV connectivity was eventually rolled out to Samsung’s older flagships, all the way back to the Galaxy S9. This was one of the big One UI 2.5 features if you recall.

So, if you thought the (formerly called) Desktop Experience was almost fast enough – or convenient enough – in the past, this Galaxy S generation is very likely the one that will sell you on the viability of Samsung’s platform. As for the wireless DeX support for actual Windows PCs and Macs (instead of just monitors and TVs), this functionality will likely be deployed to a wider array of Galaxy devices in the near future.

In order to start using DeX wirelessly on your Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, or the Galaxy S21 Ultra, pull down the notification shade and tap the appropriate icon to start searching for compatible PCs (pictured above). Meaning those that have the DeX app for Windows or macOS installed – see below.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra even comes with a wild card in the form of Wi-Fi 6E support. It’s the first smartphone ever to have this capability, but it’s so early to the new Wi-Fi improvement party that there are hardly any Wi-Fi 6E-certified routers or gateways to pair with it. So, we have no way of telling how DeX actually performs over this unlicensed spectrum.

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Samsung seeks $806 million in tax cuts if Austin wants its new chip plant

Samsung has been thinking about setting up a new chip manufacturing plant in the United States. The company wants to expand its foundry business to bring in new customers. It aims to invest upwards of $10 billion into a new facility.

Samsung already has a chip plant in Austin and it’s looking to expand the facility. However, the company wants certain incentives. If Austin wants its $17 billion factory, it needs to give Samsung at least $806 million in tax cuts.

Austin may have competition for the project

Documents filed by Samsung with Texas state officials reveal that the company wants to break ground on a new $17 billion chip plant in Austin that would create 1,800 jobs. However, it would like to receive tax incentives of almost $806 million over the next two decades from Travis County and the city of Austin in addition to other tax abatements.

Samsung mentions in the documents that if it selects Austin for the new plant, it will start construction work in the second quarter of this year. The factory would then become operational by the third quarter of 2023.

Nudging officials for the tax incentives, Samsung reminds them that this is a highly competitive project and that the company is “looking at alternative sites in the US including Arizona and New York, as well as abroad in Korea…”

US Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has already shown some interest in winning Samsung’s project for his home state of New York. He has also pledged to secure federal incentives for the plant.

Samsung confirmed to Reuters in a statement that while it’s considering an expansion of its chip facilities, it hasn’t made a decision yet as to where the plant will be situated. The kind of incentives it can secure will obviously be a major factor in the decision.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 FE to Galaxy S21: Should you upgrade?

The Galaxy S20 FE enjoyed a lot of success last year, to the point where it sold better than the Galaxy A51 in some markets. An incredible achievement for a phone that was released as late as October 2020, especially given the Galaxy A51’s own popularity.

Samsung has yet to reveal a Fan Edition device for 2021 but many fans are looking at the new Galaxy S21 5G for a potential upgrade. The latter was released for a relatively-low / flagship-killer price, even though it may have come at a cost. But is the Galaxy S21 5G worth the hassle, or should existing Galaxy S20 FE owners steer away from the new flagship?

Reasons to upgrade from the Galaxy S20 FE to the Galaxy S21 5G

The new Exynos 2100 chipset

The Galaxy S20 FE can be purchased with an Exynos 990 or a Snapdragon 865 chipset, and this is entirely dependent on whether the device is limited to 4G connectivity or if it has 5G. The fact that the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is shipping with a Snapdragon 865 flagship-grade chipset in every market is one of the reasons why it enjoyed as much success as it did.

The newer Galaxy S21 5G is, once again, split between Snapdragon and Exynos variants, namely the Snapdragon 888 and the Exynos 2100 chipsets, but customers no longer have a choice in the matter. The former variant is reserved for a smaller number of markets, whereas the latter SoC is shipping with the international S21 models. In other words, for customers who are normally restricted from buying Snapdragon-powered Galaxy phones, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is the best Snapdragon-powered Galaxy phone available.

Fortunately for international buyers, the Exynos 2100 solution that debuted with the Galaxy S21 5G is shaping up to be a fighter, both in performance and efficiency metrics. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth upgrading from the Galaxy S20 FE, but if you feel like the Fan Edition is lagging behind and you’re looking for any kind of performance upgrade, the Galaxy S21 5G will provide.

Samsung’s latest device has an improved camera combo, with caveats

This is a bit of a mixed bag because not everything about the Galaxy S21 5G camera setup is straight up better than the Galaxy S20 FE’s. For example, both phones have 12MP wide and ultra-wide sensors but the Galaxy S20 FE has an actual 8MP telephoto camera as opposed to a 64MP camera that simulates zoom through cropping.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S21 does have 8K video recording capabilities and it benefits from a few One UI 3.1 additions to the Camera, whereas the S20 FE is limited to 4K and, as of now, One UI 3.0. Besides, the new flagship’s 10MP selfie camera is more competent than the 32MP mid-range sensor facing Galaxy S20 FE users.

It’s a relatively compact flagship

Most Galaxy phones today come with a 6.5-inch display and the same is true for the Galaxy S20 FE. Customers who may be looking for a compact flagship don’t have too many options to choose from, but perhaps the era of true compact flagships — at least that aren’t foldable — will forever remain in the past.

Nevertheless, the Galaxy S21 5G is small enough to be considered fairly compact by today’s standards, even though it might not look like it when placed side-by-side the Galaxy S20 FE. The new flagship has a 6.2-inch display and measures 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm as opposed to 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4mm.

The Galaxy S21 5G has a new design language

On its own, Samsung’s new design for the Galaxy S21 5G might not be a good enough reason for an upgrade, but it is at least an honorable mention. The new flagship looks more modern thanks to the redesigned camera housing, but truth be told, there probably aren’t too many customers out there who buy so-called flagship killers because of how they look. Nevertheless, if you feel like the Galaxy S20 FE’s design has gotten stale, the Galaxy S21 will offer a much-needed change of scenery.

Reasons to skip the Galaxy S21 5G and keep the Galaxy S20 FE 5G

The Galaxy S21 5G lacks microSD storage

The Galaxy S6 may have been Samsung’s first flagship to remove external storage, but the Galaxy S21 series will probably be the one to set an example for future models. Simply put, the Galaxy S21 lacks expandable storage while the Galaxy S20 FE doesn’t, and since both phones come with similar built-in storage configurations (128GB and 256GB), this makes the Galaxy S20 FE a lot more versatile.

MST is no longer supported

In many markets, Samsung’s latest flagship phone series has done away with one of the most popular Samsung Pay features — MST. If you are a Samsung Pay customer and you rely on MST-based mobile transactions because NFC-equipped payment terminals aren’t common in your city or country, then the Galaxy S21 5G just isn’t the upgrade you’re looking for.

The bad news is that if you’ll be looking for a phone upgrade at any point in the future, you will have to give up on MST because none of Samsung’s upcoming flagship phones will have this technology. So, perhaps in a weird way, you could say that now is as good a time to upgrade as any?

The Galaxy S21 5G has a smaller battery with the same charging speeds

Battery life isn’t one of the best selling points of the Galaxy S21 5G. It’s mediocre, as explained in our review, and you’re likely to get more mileage out of the Galaxy S20 FE. The latter provides all-day battery life even with the high 120Hz refresh rate enabled. This is helped by the fact that the Fan Edition has a 4,500mAh battery that’s 500mAh larger than the Galaxy S21 5G’s.

Both batteries have similar charging speeds and support 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

Conclusion: Look for a trade-in deal, if you must

Pros and cons aside, there are a lot of similarities between these two devices, and a few of the improvements that were introduced by the Galaxy S21 5G don’t necessarily call for an upgrade from the Galaxy S20 FE. One example would be that the new model has Gorilla Glass Victus display protection, which is a plus, but they both have a metal frame and a plastic back panel.

We could’ve also mentioned how the Galaxy S21 5G will eventually be updated to Android 14 whereas support for the Galaxy S20 FE will stop after Android 13 –sans consequent security patches — but this shouldn’t be a reason to look for an upgrade this early in the Galaxy S20 FE’s life.

But regardless of whether you keep the Galaxy S20 FE or you buy the Galaxy S21 5G in its stead, you’ll benefit from an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, a 120Hz refresh rate, the same display aspect ratio and resolution, an in-display fingerprint sensor (which is improved on the S21 5G but not majorly so), and compatibility with Wireless DeX.

All things considered, if you feel like you must replace your Galaxy S20 FE with the newer Galaxy S21 5G, a trade-in might be the best way to achieve this. As of now, you can trade-in the Galaxy S20 FE in the US and benefit from a $550 discount on the Galaxy S21 5G with 128GB of storage. This lowers the flagship’s price from $799 down to $249. Trade-in values vary by region and other factors, meaning that customers in other markets might get worse deals.

Galaxy S21

• Model: SM-G991B
• Dimensions: Bar: 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S20 FE 5G

• Model: SM-G781B
• Dimensions: Bar: 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm
  
• Display: 6.5 inch / 165.1 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 865
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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