Galaxy S21: The main differences between Samsung’s three new phones

Samsung just announced its latest flagship: the Galaxy S21 lineup, which includes the S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra. (Here’s the CNET Galaxy S21 review and Galaxy S21 Ultra review.) As the names suggest, each model is slightly upgraded (and slightly pricier) than the one before it, resulting in a spectrum of specs to meet just about any Android user’s needs. But how do you decide whether you’re a baseline kind of person or if you should go directly to the top of the line? Sure, your budget can make the decision for you, but price doesn’t tell the whole story and, depending on your needs, a higher-priced phone might also be the best value.

Read more: Galaxy S21: Lower prices make the choice between the S21, Plus and Ultra even harder

The most obvious differences among Samsung’s Galaxy S21 line, besides the price, are screen size, battery capacity and camera capabilities. Going up the line, each phone increases in size. If you’re small-handed, you might hate the heft of the Ultra. But if you’re going to be watching a lot of videos, bigger is probably better. 

• Galaxy S21: 6.2 inches
• Galaxy S21 Plus: 6.7 inches 
• Galaxy S21 Ultra: 6.8 inches 

Battery capacity also increases as you move up the line, though we don’t think you’ll have any trouble getting through the day on a charge even with the baseline S21 phone. We’ll be testing the Galaxy S21’s battery soon and will have a better idea of battery life then. 

• Galaxy S21: 4,000 mAh
• Galaxy S21 Plus: 4,800 mAh
• Galaxy S21 Ultra: 5,000 mAh

Camera geeks are probably going to want to upgrade to the S21 Ultra. You can tell just by looking at the three phones that the Ultra has some extra camera tricks up its sleeve, evidenced by its extra-large quadruple camera module, which also houses its flash. The S21 Ultra gets Space Zoom, an extra telephoto camera and a 108-megapixel wide-angle lens, though it remains to be seen exactly how much of a difference the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s cameras will make — so far we’re particularly impressed with S21 Ultra’s zoom.

A few other things to consider: You want a pretty pink phone? Then you’ll have to get the S21. Want S Pen support? Only the S21 Ultra has that. Ditto for storage greater than 256GB: Only the Ultra goes up to 512GB (that model gives you more RAM too), and none of the Galaxy S21 phones accommodates expandable storage. The S21 Plus and Ultra both feature a Gorilla Glass Victus backing, which lends durability that the plastic-backed S21 won’t have.

Check out the chart below for all of the Galaxy S21 specs compared, and read our comparison of the Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12 and Galaxy S21 vs. S20 vs. S20 FE vs. Note 20.