The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is the middle child of the S21 family: it's a little bigger and better than the standard Galaxy S21, but it's not exactly the all-singing, dancing, all-singing Galaxy S21 Ultra.

That's not to say it doesn't have a market niche within this vast and crowded ecosystem of smartphones. In fact, the larger screen and longer battery life of the Galaxy S21 Plus make it more tempting than the entry-level one.

If we add to this a slight price cut compared to the previous generation, the S20 Plus, and that it is also much cheaper than the high-end S21 Ultra, you will realize that you are facing a great mobile with tremendous specifications. balanced.

Design and build quality

Although the Galaxy S21 Plus shares similarities with its predecessor, design is certainly not one of them, with the entire S21 range sporting a more sophisticated look, with a new rear camera housing that virtually blends into the phone's frames.

It's a premium look befitting Samsung's flagship range, and the new color options, particularly the gold and purple combo supplied for the review, look great. But if purple isn't your thing, it's also available in silver, black, gold, and red.

That colorful back is protected by glass, an update to the so-called 'glasstic' back of the standard Galaxy S21, giving it a more premium feel in your hands. The matte finish also repels fingerprints well.

Turn the phone over and you'll find a 6.7-inch AMIKED display with downright tiny bezels and a hole-punch selfie camera in the center of the display, offering an 88.6% screen-to-body ratio.

Some may be a little disappointed that Samsung has put an end to screens with curved edges, and while we agree that curved screens look nicer than flat ones, manufacturers have never managed to eliminate touch screens. touch error.

That means touch bugs were the order of the day, along with issues with text curling around the edges when displayed by certain apps. So it seems like a smart move overall.

It's likely that after using the phone for a few days, you won't even notice the absence of these curved edges. This was my particular case.

Continuing with the description of the S21 Plus, it should be said that it does not feel particularly large or heavy when held in the hand, despite measuring 75.6 x 161.5 x 7.8 mm with a weight of 202 grams .

Of course this depends on one's personal preferences, so it might be better to go for the smaller 6.2-inch Galaxy S21 if you struggle with larger smartphones.

Samsung also offers IP68-certified dust and water resistance, which means the S21 Plus can be used in the rain, and might even survive being submerged in water, though I wouldn't leave it submerged for long. Water damage is not covered by Samsung's warranty.

Display

In a world where new smartphones typically feature more cameras, more megapixels, and more power, Samsung made the controversial decision to lower the resolution of the Galaxy S21 Plus compared to what its predecessor offers.

While last year's S20 Plus featured a high-resolution QHD+ panel, the S21 Plus maxes out at Full HD+ resolution. On paper and the spec sheet, at least, that's quite a downgrade.

In real life, however, it's barely noticeable, even on the phone's large 6.7-inch AMOLED screen. Only those who have been using the S20 Plus are likely to notice degradation in certain circumstances such as watching high-resolution movies.

Either way, there won't be many users who own an S20 Plus and now decide to invest in the new model. For the rest, the screen has a pixel density of 394 dpi that leaves text, apps, photos and games looking sharp.

The 409 nits of screen brightness support the fact that you can use the mobile comfortably outdoors. Thus, Full HD + seems the ideal point for most users thinking of increasing the autonomy of the phone.

In the previous generation, Samsung let you choose between a high resolution, or a high refresh rate. Since the 120 Hz refresh rate is much more noticeable when handling the interface, Samsung would have chosen here to impose what is mostly used by its users.

So now we have on the S21 Plus the adaptive refresh rate that can vary between 48Hz and 120Hz depending on what you're doing in an attempt to improve battery life.

Gaming will give you a full experience at 120Hz, while less graphics-intensive tasks like listening to a podcast will lower the refresh rate for less power consumption.

Resolution and refresh rate aside, the other big change on offer is the in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is 70 percent larger than the one on the S20 Plus, making it easier to locate and unlock.

Some have complained about the performance of the S21 Plus's on-screen scanner, but I haven't encountered any issues, successfully scanning my print and unlocking the phone most of the time. Larger area translates to better response.

Specs and Performance

Samsung likes to split up its processor offerings across the flagship Galaxy S range, which typically results in those living in the US having access to Qualcomm chips, while most of the world access to Samsung's proprietary Exynos.

And considering the fact that Qualcomm chips typically offer better performance and battery life than Exynos chips, it's been a problem for buyers in Europe and other parts of the world.

There is no doubt that the Exynos 2100 chipset has advanced by leaps and bounds, currently offering performance comparable to the Qualcomm option, so the results we will see here are based on the Exynos chip of the S21 Plus.

The big question is: how does it perform in key benchmarks? We see that there is good news as Exynos reaches 3589 in multi-core Geekbench 5 CPU tests.

Also in the graphics section with tests like Aztec Ruins OpenGL we achieved high benchmarks of 43 fps, easily competing with most of the chipsets of the considered competition in this 2021. You can see the breakdown below:

Of course, benchmarks are a good way to quantify performance, but they never tell the whole story. In real world performance, the Galaxy S21 Plus is lightning fast.

Apps open instantly, you can handle tons of them like Twitter and Facebook without a hint of slowdown, and you can run high-end mobile games like Call of Duty Mobile with hardly any stuttering.

That super-fast experience is enhanced by its smooth and constant 120Hz display refresh rate, making the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus a sheer delight in everyday use.

Like its standard sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has 8GB of RAM as standard. That's more than enough for the average user, but if you're one of those who multitasks and edits/exports videos on the go, the S21 Ultra's 12 or 16GB of RAM may be more suitable for you.

That's paired with either 128 or 256GB of storage, but unlike some of its rivals, this is more important as there's no microSD card slot on any of the S21 models.

Considering that it's long been a huge advantage for Android phones compared to the iPhone, it's disappointing to see it disappear from Samsung's flagship Galaxy 2021 range, especially if you intend to shoot a lot of videos in 4K quality .

In terms of connectivity, you'll find the latest and greatest, including 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and support for ultra-wideband (UWB), allowing for easier location of Samsung's new Bluetooth tracker, among other benefits. associated with SmartThings.

Software-wise, the Galaxy S21 Plus runs Android 11 with Samsung's One UI 3.1 customization skin. One UI has come a long way to get here, now offering unique features including Samsung DeX support.

It's generally very slick in operation, but there are some nuances you'll need to get used to if you've regularly used a pure version of Android One.

It should be noted that while the Galaxy S21 Plus will receive the update to Android 12, don't bet on it any time soon. Even if Google releases the software in the next few months, Samsung is somewhat slower than other brands like OnePlus in updating them.

It is for this reason that Android 12, meeting Google's planned dates, would not be available in these new Galaxy until the end of 2021 or well into the year 2022.

Cameras

One area that has remained largely unchanged is the camera department, with the Galaxy S21 Plus sporting what is essentially the same setup as the from the S20 Plus from the previous year.

In this way, the set of cameras is made up of a 12 MP main camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide angle and a 64 MP telephoto lens with 3x hybrid zoom. That might sound disappointing, but considering the great performance of the Galaxy S20 Plus, it's not a complaint.

As you'd expect, shots are detailed, vibrant and deliver true color accuracy, with an f/1.8 aperture meaning it also excels in low-light photography, improving night catches.

The 120-degree ultra-wide angle captures more of the scene with a slightly more warped fisheye perspective that can distort slightly at the edges. Based on what you catch, it doesn't sound like it will be a big problem.

It's great for landscape photography, and also for group shooting settings once we can start gathering with crowds of family and friends again.

It's not quite as capable in low light as the main pair, with an aperture of f/2.2, but using it in conjunction with night mode generally produces pretty decent results.

As for the telephoto lens, note that it offers a 3x hybrid zoom that produces results to share on social networks. As we increase the digital zoom to 10x, 20x or the maximum 30x zoom, the quality degrades at times.

Digitally enlarged shots typically lack real detail, comparable to early-decade CCTV footage, so you're unlikely to use it that often.

On the other hand, you will find a 10 MP selfie camera that is responsive enough to get quality selfies, and possibly in the current pandemic situation, it is also excellent for video calls.

It's all very familiar, but the lack of hardware changes means Samsung has focused on improving the software side. Proof of this is the new director's view, which allows you to take photos and videos using the front and rear cameras at the same time.

This is great for vloggers who want to capture live shots while recording with the rear camera, merging the two shots into one without the need for editing software. It is something that works quite well.

You also get a preview of all three rear cameras at once, allowing you to preview and change the lens mid-record. As you can see, the possibilities for handling cameras are endless.

What is a bit counterproductive is the return of video to 8K quality at 24 fps, when in the Galaxy S20 range we already had the same frame rate. Now that both the Snapdragon 888 and Exyno 2100 support higher performance with 8K video at 60 fps.

And it is that even an increase to at least 30 fps, would have provided a high resolution footage with smoother and more professional results. However, few will be the users who record at 8K due to the large size of the files that are generated.

More useful may turn out to be the 4K 30 or 60fps options and 240fps slow-motion modes that are also available on the Galaxy S21 Plus.

Battery Life

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a 4,800 mAh battery, but as we know from previous Samsung phones, big capacity doesn't equal big battery life battery; it also depends on the power efficiency of the chipset, and that's where the Exynos has struggled.

The good news is that Samsung has come a long way in that area. The Galaxy S21 Plus far exceeds a full day of moderate use, managing WhatsApp messages, taking the occasional photo, and playing Call of Duty Mobile.

If you use your phone less frequently, you could extend it to about a day and a half before you need a recharge. If you choose to limit the screen refresh rate to 60Hz instead of 120Hz, you also earn extra hours.

Interestingly, Samsung has phased out fast charging across the range this year, capping it at 25W compared to the 45W offered by last year's models, but Samsung claims that's due to improved battery efficiency. 25W charging capabilities.

Not a claim that can be easily proven, however, as Samsung followed Apple's lead and decided not to ship headphones or a charger, assuming most users already have a charger on hand.

If you need a compatible 25W charger, Samsung currently sells them for €25.

There's also 10W wireless charging support, and if you need to recharge your Qi-enabled wireless headphones or smartwatch, 5W reverse wireless charging is also offered.

There's also 10W wireless charging support, and if you need to recharge your Qi-enabled wireless headphones or smartwatch, there's also 5W reverse wireless charging to provide power.

Pricing

Samsung's mid-tier Galaxy S21 Plus has an MSRP of €1,109 for the 8GB/128GB configuration, and there's also a mix of 8 GB / 256 GB that will cost you an additional €50 to €1,109.

That may sound expensive, and it is, but it's cheaper than the S20 Plus, which launched at a suggested retail price of €1,199. You can check specific offers in distributors such as MediaMarkt, El Corte Inglés for Spain, or in the Samsung Mexico Store if you purchase it in this country.

You can also get it by contract with an operator, or, if you want to finance it, Samsung itself offers the possibility of acquiring it for €44.13 per month.

Verdict

The new design offered by the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus looks great and the new color options add a vibrant feel to the smartphone. There is a glass back, which is an improvement in sensations compared to the standard S21.

Plus, the matte finish means it's not a fingerprint magnet either. Some may lament the lack of a model with a curved screen, but without the bugs that these sometimes caused, most will appreciate the change for the better.

Although the screen resolution has been reduced from QHD+ to FHD+, you probably won't notice a difference in real-world use. Plus, it means you can take full advantage of the 120Hz refresh rate, something that isn't available in QHD+ on the S20 Plus.

Speaking of which, Samsung has finally cracked the chipset formula and produced an Exynos chipset capable of competing with Qualcomm's offerings, delivering blazing-fast performance and all-day battery life with moderate use.

However, there may be a problem when it comes to charging the handset, as Samsung follows Apple's lead, ditching both the charger and earphones out of the box. If you need a 25W charger, you will need to purchase it separately.

There aren't many changes on offer to the camera hardware, but with the great performance of last year's S20 Plus, it's not a step back. Samsung has focused more on software advancements, introducing multi-camera Director Mode among other enhancements.

There doesn't seem to be enough reason to tempt S20 Plus owners to upgrade, as they share many of the same features and, in some respects, a downgrade in specs.

However, it's a great option for those coming from an older smartphone (2-3 years earlier) who want to experiment with a 2021 flagship.

Specifications