Updated : Apr 18, 2025, 3:03 AM

Samsung Galaxy S21 Specs

Released

Jan 29, 2021

Display

6.2-inch
2400 x 1080 px

Camera

12 MP Main
10 MP Selfie

Battery

4000 mAh

Storage

128GB

Hardware

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
8GB RAM

OS

Android 13
Samsung One UI

Description

The Samsung Galaxy S21 specs are top-notch including a Snapdragon 888 chipset, 5G capability, 8GB RAM coupled with 128/256GB storage, and a 4000mAh battery. The phone sports a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. In the camera department, a triple-sensor setup is presented. The Samsung Galaxy S21 price starts at $800 for the base 128GB model.

This device is also known as Samsung SM-G991U1

8.5

PhoneArena Score

Samsung Galaxy S21 Review

9.0

User Score (4 reviews)

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Deals

$289

Popular Comparisons

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Specs Compare

Display Benchmarks
Size:	6.2-inch
Resolution:	2400 x 1080 px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI
Technology:	Dynamic AMOLED
Refresh rate:	120Hz (adaptive)
Screen-to-body:	86.06 %
Peak brightness:	1300 cd/m2 (nit)
Features:	HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware Benchmarks
System chip:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm)
Processor:	Octa-core, 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680, 64-bit
GPU:	Adreno 660
RAM:	8GB (LPDDR5)
Internal storage:	128GB (UFS 3.0), not expandable
OS:	Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI
Device type:	Smartphone
This device has different variants: View all

Battery Benchmarks
Capacity:	4000 mAh
Type:	Li - Polymer, Not user replaceable
Charging:	Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging
Max charge speed:	Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W

Camera
Rear:	Triple camera
Main camera:	12 MP (OIS, PDAF)
Specifications:	Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 26 mm Sensor size: 1/1.76" Pixel size: 1.8 μm
Second camera:	64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF)
Specifications:	Aperture size: F2.0 Focal Length: 29 mm Sensor size: 1/1.7" Pixel size: 0.8 μm
Third camera:	12 MP (Ultra-wide, Autofocus)
Specifications:	Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Flash:	LED
Video recording:	7680x4320 (8K UHD) (24 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps)
Features:	OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS
Front:	10 MP (PDAF, HDR)
Video capture:	3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Design Size comparison
Dimensions:	5.97 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches (151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm)
Weight:	6.03 oz (171.0 g)
Materials:	Back: Plastic Frame: Aluminum
Resistance:	Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics:	2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
Keys:	Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors:	Phantom pink, Violet, Gray, White
This device has different variants: View all

Cellular
5G:	Bands n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave
4G (FDD):	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD):	Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600)
3G:	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed:	LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type:	Nano SIM
This device has different variants: View all

Multimedia
Headphones:	No 3.5mm jack
Speakers:	Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features:	32-Bit DAC, Dolby Atmos, aptX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus
Screen mirroring:	Wireless screen share
Radio:	FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s):	Noise cancellation, Video recording
This device has different variants: View all

Connectivity & Features
Bluetooth:	5.0
Wi-Fi:	802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax(Wi-Fi 6), dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB:	Type-C (reversible), USB 3.2
Features:	Charging, Headphones port, OTG, Video out
Hearing aid compatible:	M3, T3
Location:	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors:	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer
Other:	NFC, ANT+

Regulatory Approval
FCC approval:
Date approved:	Dec 08, 2020
FCC ID value:	A3LSMG991U
Measured SAR:
Head:	0.36 W/kg
Body:	1.08 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission:	3.96 W/kg
Wireless Router:	1.09 W/kg
Phablet:	2.49 W/kg
This device has different variants: View all

Buyers information
MSRP:	$ 800
In The Box:	C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin

Availability
Officially announced:	Jan 14, 2021

Despite our efforts to provide full and correct Samsung Galaxy S21 specifications, there is always a possibility of admitting a mistake. If you see any wrong or incomplete data, please

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Alternative variants

Samsung Galaxy S21

with 256GB storage

Differences from the main variant:
Internal storage:	256GB

Samsung Galaxy S21

SM-G991B for Europe

Differences from the main variant:
System chip:	Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor:	Octa-core, 2900 MHz, 1x 2.91GHz Cortex-X1 + 3x 2.81GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x 2.2GHz Cortex-A55, 64-bit
GPU:	Mali G78 MP14
Weight:	5.96 oz (169.0 g)
5G:	Bands SA, NSA, Sub-6
FCC approval:
Date approved:	Dec 18, 2020
FCC ID value:	A3LSMG991B
Measured SAR:
Head:	0.42 W/kg
Body:	0.94 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission:	3.96 W/kg
Wireless Router:	1.34 W/kg
Phablet:	2.37 W/kg

Carrier Availability

Discontinued

Verizon
T-Mobile
U.S. Cellular
Xfinity Mobile

News

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Samsung's Android 15-based One UI 7 update for your phone is right around the corner. For several months now, owners of devices like the Galaxy S23, S22, S21, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and even S24, Z Fold 6, and Z ...

Samsung's One UI 7 update might land sooner than you expect on the Galaxy S23, S22, and S21 series

Samsung has been hard at work trying to bring its fans the highly anticipated One UI 7.0 update. Unfortunately, the stars didn’t align, and Samsung was forced to delay the release of the software upgrade until April.Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S21 ser...

Samsung confirms these older flagships are getting One UI 7.0 too

Samsung Galaxy S21 family | Image credit: PhoneArenaUnsurprisingly, Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy S21 series is too old to continue to receive updates monthly. While this doesn’t mean that Galaxy S21 owners will no longer get security patches, it...

Samsung stops releasing monthly updates for the Galaxy S21 series

Typically, Samsung starts testing the next version of Android immediately after Google details it at its I/O conference in May, and pushes the stable build in the fall, first to its flagship S-line series.This year, however, due to the drastic uptake...

Samsung leaves Galaxy S21 out of the One UI 6.1.1 update AI party

Links

Overall User Rating

(4 reviews)

1 person recommends this phone.

Build quality

9.3

Camera quality

8.3

Performance

8.5

Display

9.3

Battery life and charging

Value for money

GerGaga

Arena Apprentice

Stripes LCD

Posted: Apr 18, 2025, 7:00 PM

Phone owned for more than a year

My phone is 3 years old. it is prone to heat, and now the screen has green and red lines. i have been to the service center but the availability of spare parts is still empty. it has been more than a month waiting but there has been no news from samsung. they said the item has not been sent from korea. i still have to wait in uncertainty.

Nesouki

Arena Apprentice

I love this phone

Posted: Mar 25, 2025, 3:05 PM

Phone owned for more than a year

I love this phone, my only wish is that you could do 180 turning on the screen. I've dropped it over 100 times outside, inside, on every surface with a basic 5 dollar case no screen protector and still no scratches or damage.

hugorja

Arena Apprentice

Regret

Posted: May 14, 2021, 4:47 PM

Phone owned for less than 3 months

I bought a Galaxy S21 5G grey in Brazil, here the version uses Exynos 2100. I came from an iPhone XR and I regret so much that I trade my iPhone for this phone
Battery: Only 4,5-5h SOT with a 4000mAh cell. My XR used to last 6-7h SOT with the same use profile with a much smaller battery of 2900mAh. My city desn´t have 5G yet.
Screen: Despite the screen operates at 120hz, the phone lags in certain apps, documents and all the times I open the camera. My iPhone XR, an 2018 phone didn´t lag at all.
Camera: I don´t know what samsung does with the camera. I had to take 10 pictures until I found one that I liked. My iPhone XR I had to take only one picture and boom. Samsung uses an oversharp algorhitm that destroys the photo, loses detail and increase noise. I just hated almost every picture I took.
The typing experience is horrible. I miss almost every word I type and I don´t know why
The smartphone heats and drains a lot of battery even when I was doing simple tasks like bluetooth audio, instagram, email.
Overheats and drains a lot of battery when I used the camera.

I sold my S21 and Bought an iPhone 11. Now I am happy again

Build quality

Camera quality

Performance

Display

Battery life and charging

What I like