Galaxy Note 10+ owners: Is the Galaxy S21 Ultra a good replacement?

It’s time to take a look at the Galaxy S21 Ultra from the perspective of a Galaxy Note 10+ owner who might be looking for an upgrade. Long story short, the Galaxy S21 Ultra isn’t the Note replacement some people were expecting or fearing, even though it supports the S Pen.

Let us save you the suspense and start off by saying that Galaxy Note 10+ owners who consider the S Pen to be the primary reason why they got a Galaxy Note device in the first place might be disappointed by the S Pen experience delivered by the Galaxy S21 Ultra, though not necessarily. It really depends on a few factors which will be explained below, and of course, not everything about these devices revolves around the iconic S Pen. There are other pros and cons to consider.

Reasons to upgrade from the Galaxy Note 10+

The 120Hz high refresh rate display and, the S Pen?

It may seem contradictory at first but bear with us and keep reading until the end, because in reality, the S Pen both is and isn’t a reason to upgrade to the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

In other words, the S Pen experience delivered by the Galaxy S21 Ultra as a whole may not be optimal, however, Samsung’s new flagship does take advantage of a 120Hz display, and this one particular upgrade results in smoother animations throughout the UI, as well as a more responsive S Pen.

If you want to experience the S Pen on a 120Hz display and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra isn’t your cup of tea for whatever reason then the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the next-best thing.

A refreshed design backed up by Gorilla Glass Victus

The Galaxy Note 10+ still looks fairly modern today and came in the stunning Aura Glow paint job, though the camera bump might be one design element that may have not aged very well. It’s not off-putting but it looks underwhelming and of somewhat mid-range quality in 2021.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra doesn’t shy away from highlighting its main camera setup with a prominent camera bump, and it seems to be working well in its favor. The phone certainly flaunts one of the most striking designs we’ve seen in recent years, so if this aspect matters to you then you might get more enjoyment out of the new flagship.

On the practical side of things, the Galaxy Note 10+ is wrapped in Gorilla Glass 6, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra has the newer Glass Victus solution at the front and back. Speaking of which, the new flagship’s back panel has a frosty, matte finish, which is a big departure from the Galaxy Note 10’s highly-reflective coating, though whether you prefer one or the other is subjective. What we can confirm is that the Galaxy Note 10+ attracts a lot more fingerprints.

The next-generation chipsets and new cameras are a pretty big deal

Although you can still use the Galaxy Note 10+ for virtually any task without much difficulty, and even though its triple camera setup + TOF sensor remain viable for mobile photography today, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is a lot newer and it delivers meaningful upgrades in both categories.

To begin with, the new flagship introduces a new Exynos 2100 chipset with ARM cores as opposed to custom cores, while in other markets, the phone is equipped with the Snapdragon 888 SoC. Both were built on a 5nm process as opposed to 7nm, which makes them not only more powerful but also more energy efficient.

As for mobile photography, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has an amazing setup comprising a new 108MP main shooter, a 12MP ultrawide, and two 10MP telephoto sensors with different properties, working together to deliver up to 100x zoom. The new flagship supports 8K video recording and it has a much more competent 40MP selfie camera.

Bigger battery with excellent autonomy

Samsung’s new flagship comes with a 5,000mAh battery, which means it’s 700mAh larger than the unit inside the Galaxy Note 10+. These figures aside, what really makes a big difference for the Galaxy S21 Ultra are the other upgraded components working together for better autonomy.

As mentioned before, the 5nm chipsets are more power efficient than the previous 7nm-based solutions, but another factor that greatly contribute to the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s excellent battery life is the new AMOLED technology. The phone can even provide all-day battery life with the 120Hz mode enabled.

Galaxy S21 Ultra supports 5G, UWB, and Wi-Fi 6e

The Galaxy Note 10+ was released in a 5G variant but it’s not as widespread as the 4G model, and chances are that if you’re reading this, you own the latter variant.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra comes with 5G everywhere as standard, but even without 5G, the phone would still offer a few other connectivity upgrades over the Galaxy Note 10+, such as Wi-Fi 6e and UWB (Ultra-Wide Band).

As always, the new flagship comes with newer firmware

The Galaxy S21 Ultra ships with Android 11 and One UI 3.1, whereas the Galaxy Note 10+ was released with Android Pie but can be upgraded to Android 11. So, given that both phones run the same version of Android, why would the Galaxy S21 Ultra be better in terms of software?

Well, first of all, the phone ships with One UI 3.1 whereas the Galaxy Note 10+ runs One UI 3.0. More importantly, the Galaxy Note 10+ has already received two major Android OS updates and it’s eligible for one more. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is looking at three upcoming Android OS updates, which means it’s a lot more future-proof.

Reasons for Galaxy Note 10+ owners to avoid the Galaxy S21 Ultra

The S Pen experience is not optimal

The Galaxy S21 Ultra wasn’t built around the S Pen the way the Galaxy Note 10+ was, which means it doesn’t have a dedicated S Pen holster. The S Pen is sold as an optional accessory and it can be carried around in a protective case with a dedicated holster, but this implementation is far from optimal.

If you own the Galaxy Note 10+ and you’re an avid Air Actions user, you have to steer away from the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Its S Pen lacks Bluetooth connectivity, the gyroscope, and any associated apps and features that would normally use these technologies. An S Pen Pro with those features will be released later, but that will also have to be carried around separately.

As mentioned above, the Galaxy S21 Ultra does have a 120Hz display which will lead to a smoother S Pen experience, however, there’s more to the Galaxy Note series than a low S Pen latency, and it’s up to each customer to decide which S Pen characteristics matter more to then.

Less on-board storage as standard with no possibility to expand

Galaxy Note 10+ owners who haven’t kept up to date with the Galaxy S21 Ultra might be shocked to learn that the new flagship offers less storage as standard, all the while lacking a microSD card slot.

The 2019 S Pen flagship comes with 256GB of on-board storage at minimum and it was also released with 512GB. In contrast, storage options for the Galaxy S21 Ultra include 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, but more isn’t always better.

Not only will the Galaxy S21 Ultra start you off with less storage from day-one, but the phone also lacks an external storage slot, so what you see is what you get.

Slower fast charging speeds and no charger in the box

The Galaxy S21 Ultra offers better battery life overall, but it’s worth noting that the phone is limited to 25W fast charging, whereas the Galaxy Note 10+ boasts 45W fast charging capabilities.

Granted, the Galaxy Note 10+ was shipped with a standard 25W charger and only the most dedicated customers went ahead and bought the 45W charger, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra doesn’t ship with a charger of any kind.

Fortunately for prospective Galaxy S21 Ultra buyers who own an optional 45W charger, it will work with the device, except it will be limited to 25W.

MST transactions are no longer supported for Samsung Pay

This is no news and it’s not very interesting to keep bringing it up, but it’s the reality we live in, and if you do happen to use MST transactions with Samsung Pay (that is, NFC-based payment terminals aren’t common in your area), you’re probably better off keeping the Galaxy Note 10+.

Samsung has abandoned MST for Samsung Pay with the new flagship series and the feature is unlikely to ever return.

Conclusion: Avid S Pen users might be better off with the Note 10+

If the S Pen really is the main reason why you are a Galaxy Note 10+ owner in the first place then the Galaxy S21 Ultra might not be the best alternative. The addition of an S Pen accessory is most welcomed by Galaxy Note users who might want to transition to the Galaxy S series without having to abandon the S Pen entirely, but the Galaxy Note 10+ offers a much more complete S Pen experience overall.

On the other hand, if you no longer care as much about the S Pen, or at least its more fancy features like Bluetooth connectivity, then the Galaxy S21 Ultra does offer a handful of good reasons for an upgrade, at least as long as expandable storage and Samsung Pay working everywhere aren’t very important to you.

Galaxy Note 10+ review | Galaxy S21 Ultra review

Galaxy S21 Ultra

• Model: SM-G998B
• Dimensions: Bar: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.8 inch / 172.72 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy Note 10+

• Model: SM-N975F
• Dimensions: Bar: 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.8 inch / 172.72 mm Dynamic AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 16MP

More specifications

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Samsung was second-biggest chip buyer in the world in 2020

Samsung is not only the world’s biggest memory chip maker but also the second-biggest chip buyer globally. The company spent tens of billions of dollars in buying semiconductor chips during 2020, driven by higher demand for computers and other consumer electronics during the pandemic.

According to a new report from market research firm Gartner, Samsung Electronics spent $36.4 billion on semiconductor chips last year. The company’s spending in 2020 was 20.4% higher than in 2019. Apple was the world’s biggest chip buyer in 2020, spending $53.6 and accounting for 11.9% share of the global chip market. The iPhone maker’s spending on chips increased by 24% in 2020 compared to 2019.

Samsung benefited from the ban on Huawei products and the higher demand for laptops, tablets, and servers during the pandemic. As e-learning and work-from-home rose sharply last year, demand for cloud servers spiked, raising demand for Samsung’s DRAM and SSDs. Apple’s chip demand boost was driven by higher sales of AirPods, iPads, iPhones, and Macs.

The South Korean tech giant aims to become the world’s largest chipmaker by investing $115 by 2030. It is trying to beat chip fabrication market leader TSMC by the end of this decade. However, its 5nm EUV process is reportedly still not as power-efficient as TSMC’s 5nm process, and TSMC has already made significant progress in moving to a 3nm process.

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Avoid malware, use your Galaxy phone’s camera to scan QR codes!

It’s 2021, and people are still infecting their smartphones with malware while trying to scan QR codes on the regular. The latest such incident revolves around Barcode Scanner, an innocuous Android app that turned into a malware injector back in early December. Cybersecurity researchers at Malwarebytes estimate the malicious update infected around ten million users before Google finally pulled the app from the Play Store. While it’s unlikely a significant portion of the victims were Samsung customers, this is as good of a time as any to reiterate that virtually every modern Galaxy device features a built-in scanner for barcodes and QR codes, alike.

This has been the case for several years, by now. Even the original One UI version based on Android 9 Pie offered matrix barcode recognition along with some highly convenient implementations of the same tech such as QR-based Wi-Fi sharing. Basically, all you need to do is point your phone’s Camera at a barcode or QR code to scan it and hit the link that shows up on-screen. Alternatively, you can pull the notification shade and tap an icon that says Scan QR code, wherever it might be sitting.

Are Android purists still justified in their obsession with a vanilla OS experience?

So, there’s really no reason for you to even risk falling victim to foul play if a capable barcode and QR reader is all you’re after. And given the details of what happened with the aforementioned scanner-turned-scammer, it’s pretty much impossible to blame a lack of user tech-savviness as the primary cause of this particular debacle. Legitimate apps can get hijacked or sold to ill-meaning owners, as can advertising SDKs used for freemium monetization. What’s worse, none of that appears to have been the case for Barcode Scanner, Malwarebytes reports.

We’re hence looking at the latest in a long list of examples underlining Google’s continued struggles with combating malicious Android apps. These growing pains have been around since the early days of the platform, back when everyone longed for vanilla Android implementations and Samsung’s software was far from the fastest option on the market. Well, times have certainly changed, at least from this side of the ecosystem.

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Galaxy S21 series sets new pre-order record, beating the S10 and S20

Even though Samsung has reportedly lowered its shipment expectations for the Galaxy S21 series, it turns out that the new flagship has enjoyed massive success throughout its pre-order period, not only in South Korea but also in the UK.

According to Samsung UK, the Galaxy S21 series has outperformed both the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S20 series in terms of pre-orders. Samsung UK hasn’t revealed exactly how many Galaxy S21 units were pre-ordered during the two-week period ending January 28, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra was apparently the main driving force behind this success.

Galaxy S21 Ultra accounted for over 50% of pre-orders in the UK

Samsung UK claims that the Galaxy S21 Ultra was the most sought-after model of the three, surpassing the pre-order figures of both the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+ combined. In Samsung’s exact words, the phone accounted for over half of sales during the pre-order period.

It’s usually the Plus variant that gains more traction. Last year, by the end of H1, the Galaxy S20+ became the best-selling model of the series, so only time will tell if the Galaxy S21 Ultra will carry its momentum in the months to come.

According to Samsung, the reason why the Galaxy S21 Ultra has enjoyed this much success is because it delivered innovation in spades. It has a new AMOLED display that leads to great energy efficiency gains, 5G connectivity, and industry-leading cameras.

As of this writing, the Galaxy S21 Ultra with 128GB of storage is available in the UK for £1,149 and customers who purchase the device before February 25 will receive a pair of Galaxy Buds Live for free.

Galaxy S21 review | Galaxy S21+ review
Galaxy S21 Ultra review

• Buy the Galaxy S21 / S21+ / S21 Ultra at Samsung UK

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 S21+

• Model: SM-G996B
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S21 Ultra

• Model: SM-G998B
• Dimensions: Bar: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.8 inch / 172.72 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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Samsung’s cheapest 5G phone yet, the Galaxy A32, has been released

It’s been a few weeks since the Galaxy A32 5G was officially unveiled as Samsung’s most affordable 5G phone of 2021, and now the company has finally spilled the beans on the phone’s price and availability in Europe.

The Galaxy A32 5G is now technically available for purchase in Spain, though as of this writing, the Buy option is grayed out on the company’s online store. Officially, the phone went live at the Samsung e-shop less than 24 hours ago, with customers having two memory configurations from which to choose: 64GB and 128GB.

Galaxy A32 5G prices start at €279

Samsung Spain is offering the 64GB variant for €279, says the official announcement, but because prices are missing from the store page as of this writing, there’s no information regarding the 128GB variant’s launch price.

Samsung is selling the device in four color options including black, blue, violet, and white. The phone is equipped with a 6.5-inch HD+ Infinity-V (TFT) display, a MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging. And of course, the phone takes advantage of 5G connectivity and, for the time being, it remains Samsung’s most affordable device to do so.

The back of the phone has a rather unique design with a quad-camera setup comprising a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, a 5MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. Samsung’s been oddly quiet about the version of Android / One UI that ships with the Galaxy A32 5G, but in theory, at least, it should be Android 11 and One UI 3.0.

• Check Galaxy A32 5G online store availability at Samsung Spain

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The Android 11 / One UI 3.0 update for the Galaxy A71 5G is now live

Samsung’s distribution of Android 11 continues and the latest device to receive the coveted One UI 3.0 firmware update is the Galaxy A71 5G. If you happen to own the device but have yet to receive the update, fret not, it’s presently rolling out only in the USA on Sprint’s network for model number SM-A716U.

The firmware update carries build number A716USQU2CUA7 and it includes the January 2021 security patch. It fixes a memory corruption exploit along with other vulnerabilities, none of which are critical. More important is the Android 11 / One UI 3.0 update itself and all the new features it brings.

A redesigned UI, improved performance, and more

The changelog for build number A716USQU2CUA7 is vast and details all the important changes and additions to the Galaxy A71 5G post-update. The entire UI was redesigned with smoother animations and a more uniform look, while performance is boosted by enhanced dynamic memory allocation, allowing apps to run faster.

New and improved customization options are par for the course, and so are all the enhanced features, such as better autofocus for the camera, modernized 1st party apps, an improved Samsung Keyboard and a whole lot more.

You can verify if the Android 11 / One UI 3.0 firmware update is available for your Galaxy A71 5G by opening Settings, accessing Software update, and tapping Download and install. As always, SamMobile offers an alternative method of acquiring Samsung updates and you can refer to our firmware archive where you can download and install the latest updates manually using a PC.

As for other markets, we suspect that the Galaxy A71 5G will get a similar update to Android 11 / One UI 3.0 fairly soon, so stay tuned.

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Samsung Galaxy S21+ review: Feels like money well spent

The ‘Plus’ variants of Samsung’s recent Galaxy S flagships have to strike a balance. They have to differentiate themselves from both the base and the Ultra variants. Otherwise, they risk being neither here nor there, something that wouldn’t really bode well for their sales prospects.

These aren’t cheap phones, mind you, so any compromises made in the interest of differentiation must not lower the value proposition. Samsung has done a good job of positioning the Plus variants so far. In this Galaxy S21+ review, we’ll find out whether that’s the case for the 2021 model as well.

Note: This review is based on the Exynos 2100 variant. 5G networks were not used during the review period.

Galaxy S21+ design

It’s a given that flagship phones aren’t really going to be one-handed devices. That’s because they need to have big and tall displays with plenty of space on the inside for the powerful internals. This is the story of the Galaxy S21+, too. It feels almost as big as the Galaxy S21 Ultra so one-handed use is going to be a bit of a stretch.

While the glass back was sacrificed for the Galaxy S21’s lower price tag, the Galaxy S21+ retains it. There’s Gorilla Glass Victus on the back for increased durability. Combine that with the metal frame and you’ve got a pretty standard Samsung flagship feel. That is to say, it feels every bit the premium device you’d expect it too.

I particularly like the matte finish on the back. It does a great job of hiding the fingerprints and scratches. The new colors also work well with the finish. Phantom Silver is my personal favorite as it looks simply fantastic.

Despite its size, the phone feels pretty light in the hand. You also get a more comfortable and secure grip thanks to its flat display. Even though the panel is flat, the bezels are quite thin which is a good thing. The risk of accidental touches is reduced by the flat panel.

“Contour Cut” is the signature design element for this year’s flagship lineup. That’s what Samsung calls the effortless merging of the camera housing with the handset’s frame. The housing itself is made out of metal which only elevates the look even further.

It’s another solid effort by Samsung in the design department. The Galaxy S21+ looks and feels good, it’s very well made and offered in a variety of stunning colors. What more could you ask for?

Galaxy S21+ display

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S21+ gets a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display. However, unlike its predecessor, the display resolution maxes out at FHD+ instead of QHD+. Granted, the Galaxy S20+ couldn’t maintain its 120Hz refresh rate above FHD+ anyway. On the other hand, the Galaxy S21+ has an adaptive refresh rate of 48-120Hz.

The phone is capable of intelligently adjusting the refresh rate depending on what you’re looking at. This helps improve battery consumption. Displays with higher refresh rates are just a joy to use and you’re never going to get enough of it on the Galaxy S21+.

Samsung makes some of the best OLED displays on the market so it’s no surprise that this handset’s panel is exceptional. It gets nice and bright while being exceptionally sharp with vivid colors. The viewing angles are excellent, too.

I didn’t experience the hiccups with the touchscreen that we pointed out in our Galaxy S21 review. Perhaps everything is a bit more optimized on this device. There were no jitters when scrolling through apps nor did it feel like the scrolling action was leaving a trail behind.

The Galaxy S21+ also gets an upgraded in-display fingerprint sensor. It actually felt faster here than it did on the Galaxy S21 Ultra for some reason. The entire Galaxy S21 lineup uses the same sensor, though, so perhaps it’s another optimization story. I rarely had to put up with any recognition failures which was much appreciated.

Galaxy S21+ camera

There’s not much to report on as far as the cameras are concerned. The Galaxy S21+ has the same camera hardware as the Galaxy S20. It gets a 12-megapixel f/1.8 primary sensor with Dual Pixel autofocus and OIS. There’s also a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide and a 64-megapixel f/2.0 telephoto (zoom) camera with OIS. A 10-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera is also present. The Galaxy S21 also has the exact same camera setup.

The gist of it is that the Galaxy S21+ is able to take bright and sharp photos in daylight. Performance in low-light or during nighttime is good enough but you’ll feel that there’s still room for improvement. The selfie camera tends to perform well in both indoor and outdoor scenarios.

In addition to 3x optical zoom, the Galaxy S21+ also supports up to 30x “Space Zoom.” This is achieved by way of a digital crop of a 64MP image. The zoom quality is satisfactory up until 10x, going beyond that results in shots that will be overly soft. The new Zoom Lock feature is a good addition, though, as it reduces blur at high zoom levels.

The Galaxy S21+ does have some new tricks up its sleeve. It can capture 8K video, allows you to switch between all rear and the front cameras in Director’s View, as well as take advantage of new studio-quality effects in Portrait mode.

If you’d like to read about the camera setup’s performance in more detail, check out our Galaxy S21 review.

Galaxy S21+ performance

Like the entire lineup, the Galaxy S21+ also gets Samsung’s new Exynos 2100 chipset. Customers in select markets will get it with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. The new chipset makes a noticeable improvement in performance compared to the predecessor. Your Galaxy S21+ will always feel super fast even though it has 8GB of RAM.

Apps launch in the blink of an eye, high-intensity gaming is fluid, the adaptive refresh rate never lags. The Galaxy S21+ is more than capable of handling whatever you throw at it. The handset also appears to keep temperatures in check, it never felt that the device was getting unbearably hot when the chipset was heavily strained.

Like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Galaxy S21+ gets support for UWB or ultra-wideband. There’s one thing that most customers will dislike. They’ll not be happy with Samsung’s decision to remove the microSD card slot. You can either be content with the internal storage or opt for cloud storage. There is no other way to expand storage.

Galaxy S21+ software, audio quality

One UI 3.1 only brings a handful of new features with most of them being limited to the camera app. The base OS version is Android 11. Some of the new features that Samsung has introduced include the ability to blur the background in video calls made using third-party apps, a blockchain-based sharing app called Private Share, the option to configure Google Discover on the home screen and the ability to remove location data from your photos before you share them.

Samsung made a commitment last year that it would provide select devices with three years of major OS upgrades. The Galaxy S21+ is among the Samsung devices that will receive three Android OS updates.

The software experience is the same across the entire lineup. You can learn about it in more detail by checking out our Galaxy S21 Ultra review. It also provides details about the audio quality which is standard across all three Galaxy S21 models.

Galaxy S21+ battery life

The Galaxy S21+ got an upgrade in this department. It has a slightly larger 4,800mAh battery compared to the 4,500mAh battery of the Galaxy S20+. I was very pleasantly surprised by the screen on time of over 6 hours and 12-13 hours on a single charge with moderate use on most days. The Exynos 2100 is more power efficient which is reflected by the ridiculously low idle drain. This was with mobile data enabled for several hours throughout the day. We weren’t able to test 5G’s impact on the battery life but you can expect it to shave off a couple of hours, at least.

However, it feels that the Galaxy S21+ could use more optimization to squeeze more out of the battery. Despite being only slightly smaller than the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery, the Galaxy S21+ wasn’t able to last me well into the next day, unlike the top-of-the-line model. The more efficient display of the Ultra may also be a factor here.

The entire series supports 25W fast charging only and Samsung doesn’t provide a charger in the box. A complete charge with the 25W brick will take around 75 minutes. The handset supports both fast wireless charging and Wireless PowerShare (reverse wireless charging). Both work as advertised.

Galaxy S21+ verdict

You’re reading this because you have $999 burning a hole in your pocket and you want to see if it’s worth spending that money on the Galaxy S21+. The simple answer is yes, the Galaxy S21+ is definitely worth the asking price.

What you need to decide is whether you value the luxurious feel of a glass back, better battery life and larger screen size more over the compactness of the Galaxy S21. If the answer is in the affirmative then, by all means, get the Galaxy S21+. If the answer is in the negative, perhaps the $799 Galaxy S21 will be a much better choice. Both handsets have the exact same power package, camera setup and software, after all.

If you’re looking for the closest possible match from last year’s lineup, then you can probably pick up the Galaxy S20+ at a discount these days. Even the Galaxy S20 FE will be suitable because of its sufficiently large screen, comparable battery life, and similar camera performance.

I understand that the Galaxy S21+ is tantalizingly close to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which costs only $199 more. If you can spend that extra bit of cash then the Ultra is a no-brainer. It has an even larger display (which is also curved), has much more powerful cameras, a bigger battery etc.

If $999 is what you’re willing to part with, then the Galaxy S21+ is going to feel like money well spent.

Pros	Cons
Beautiful high refresh rate display	Cameras, while good, are not an upgrade over the Galaxy S20+ or S20 FE
Unique, stunning design	No microSD slot
Main 12MP camera captures excellent pictures, new features like Director’s View are cool	128GB base storage
64MP camera captures great 3x and satisfactory pictures till 10x zoom	No charger or earphones in the box
Exynos 2100 processor offers improved performance, good battery life	Samsung Pay doesn’t support MST in some markets
Newer generation in-display fingerprint sensor is more accurate	Battery optimization can be improved
Gets three major Android OS updates
5G connectivity and UWB

 

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New update brings ANC improvements to Galaxy Buds Pro

The Galaxy Buds Pro, which were unveiled last month, have already shipped to users. They are being hailed as the best truly wireless earphones of 2021 and the ones that can truly compete with AirPods Pro. The Galaxy Buds Pro are now receiving a new software update that improves the audio performance even further.

Samsung has started rolling out a new firmware update to the Galaxy Buds Pro in the US. The new update, which carries firmware version R190XXU0AUB3, improves the performance of active noise cancellation and Ambient Sound. It also improves system stability and reliability. With the new update, the operating concept of Galaxy Buds has been changed when only one earbud is being used.

A similar update was rolled out in some markets last week, but its firmware version was R190XXU0AUA5 and it lacked the optimizations for one earbud usage. The new 2.2MB update can be downloaded and installed from the Galaxy Wearable app on Android smartphones by navigating to Earbuds software update and then tapping on Download and install.

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This Galaxy S21 has been chilling underwater since release day

It’s not that we ever doubted the waterproof capabilities of the Galaxy S21. After all, Samsung’s been quite adept at waterproofing its smartphones for over half a decade at this point. But that didn’t stop one YouTuber from leaving theirs in an aquarium since release day.

You can tune in to the said broadcast from Photo Owl Time Lapse below if you need to confirm that their Galaxy S21 is still going strong, more than 11 days since the start of this bizarre experiment.

How long could this go on?

The undertaking already delivered one unexpected bit of insight into Samsung’s flagships. Namely, it would appear the stopwatch app built into One UI 3.0 only works up to 99 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds. In effect, it had to be manually reset twice already.

Near the end of the fifth day of broadcasting, the Galaxy S21 issued a “moisture detected” warning, after which the screen became unresponsive and started registering incessant ghost touches, the streamer recalled. But some random button presses did the trick and the problem went away. Yesterday, the owner of this unlucky unit confirmed that its speakers aren’t sounding too hot after ten days underwater.

What makes this experiment all the more amusing to witness is looking at its wider context. Because Samsung is still fighting a legal battle over its waterproof claims from the days of the Galaxy S7 series. Of course, the company isn’t advising you to submerge your expensive flagships. And it goes without saying that this streamer probably won’t be getting a free warranty repair after this stunt.

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Galaxy M31s is the latest Samsung smartphone to get Android 11 update

After rolling out the Android 11 update to mid-range smartphones like the Galaxy M21, Galaxy M30s, Galaxy M31, and the Galaxy A51, Samsung has released the One UI 3.0 update to the Galaxy M31s. The Galaxy M31s was launched in August 2020 with Android 10 and One UI 2.5.

Samsung has started rolling out the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update to the Galaxy M31s in Russia and Ukraine. The new software update, which carries firmware version M317FXXU2CUB1, also brings the latest (February 2021) security patch to the smartphone. While we don’t have the official changelog yet, the new update should bring Android 11 features like one-time permissions, permissions auto reset, chat bubbles, conversations section, media playback widget in the notifications area, and easier smart device controls to the phone.

On top of Android 11 features, the update should also bring One UI 3.0 features such as refreshed UI design, newer stock apps with additional features, improved Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls, more lockscreen widgets and AoD customizations, and a new design for Bixby Routines. You can see the differences between One UI 2.5 and One UI 3.0 here.

If you are a Galaxy M31s user in Russia or Ukraine, you might have already received the notification regarding the latest update. If not, you can check for the update manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install. You can also download the correct firmware from our firmware section and flash it manually.

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Galaxy S21 series gets first real discount in the US

The Galaxy S21 series was launched just a few days ago, but the new phones have already started receiving discounts in the US. The Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra were originally priced at $799, $999, and $1,199 in the US, and Samsung has dropped their prices for the first time.

The Galaxy S21 has received a $100 price cut, while the Galaxy S21+ and the Galaxy S21 Ultra have received a $200 price cut. This means that you can buy the Galaxy S21 for just $699 from Amazon, which is an amazing price for the no non-sense flagship smartphone. The Galaxy S21+ and the Galaxy S21 Ultra can be purchased for just $799 and the $999, respectively. B&H Photo and Video is offering discounts similar to Amazon, offering the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra for $699, $799, and $999, respectively.

Best Buy is offering even higher discounts on the Galaxy S21 series if you activate the phone on the same day. You can buy the Galaxy S21 for $649, Galaxy S21+ for $749, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra for $949 while factoring in the $50 discount for same-day activation.

Samsung had already priced the Galaxy S21 series sensibly, at least compared to the Galaxy S20 series from last year. Factoring in the current discounts, the Galaxy S21 series is a no brainer for anyone searching for a great high-end smartphone in the US.

• Buy Galaxy S21 from Amazon, Best Buy, or B&H Photo and Video
• Buy Galaxy S21+ from Amazon, Best Buy, or B&H Photo and Video
• Buy Galaxy S21 Ultra from Amazon, Best Buy, or B&H Photo and Video

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 S21+

• Model: SM-G996B
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S21 Ultra

• Model: SM-G998B
• Dimensions: Bar: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.8 inch / 172.72 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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