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If the leaks are true, the Samsung Galaxy S21 will arrive on January 14. That’s earlier than usual, and the logic is that Samsung wants to respond to what appears to be a very successful iPhone 12 launch.
While there are many strong Android phones on the market, such as the Google Pixel 5 and OnePlus 8 Pro, the Galaxy S21 seems to be the Android phone to beat and the biggest rival to take on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
The biggest updates to the Galaxy S21 are expected to be improved camera systems, especially on the S21 Ultra, more powerful performance through the new Snapdragon 888 chip, and a better fingerprint scanner to unlock these devices.
We don’t expect the Galaxy S21 to outperform Apple’s A14 Bionic chip or necessarily outperform its computational photography, but there are a number of ways Samsung can win. Here are 5 ways the Galaxy S21 can beat the iPhone 12.
Bigger and even better zoom
The iPhone 12 Pro Max uses a fusion of the 2.5x optical zoom on its 12MP telephoto lens with the 12MP wide-angle camera to deliver a 5x optical zoom range. And in our tests we found that it offered pretty good zoom shots.
However, the Galaxy S21 is configured to have a 64MP telephoto camera, just like the Galaxy S20. We currently expect a similar 3x hybrid optical zoom and up to 30x super resolution (digital) zoom.
It’s when we hit the Galaxy S21 Ultra that Samsung could take down the mighty iPhone 12 Pro Max. According to the leaks, the S21 Ultra is configured to have a pair of telephoto cameras on its rear. One is set to offer 3x optical zoom, while the other will go up to 10x optical.
But we must also emphasize that Samsung will need to make sure to bring its A-game on the image processing side, as phones like the Pixel 5 have shown that better lenses don’t always mean better smartphone photos if you don’t have computational photography to back it up.
Enhanced 120Hz displays
The Galaxy S21 is configured to have 120Hz refresh rate displays on the Standard, Plus, and Ultra models. That’s not surprising, as the Galaxy S20 range has 120Hz displays. But there’s a good chance that Samsung has found a way to adjust the displays so they don’t consume as much power.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is configured to get the LTPO technology found in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. LTPO panels allow the screen refresh rate to dynamically adjust, reducing it to as low as 1 Hz, saving battery life. This “adaptive movement” function could improve over the Note 20 Ultra and make it even more energy efficient.
Another rumor suggests that the Galaxy S21 Ultra could come with a powerful 144Hz refresh rate. That would put it on par with the displays on some gaming phones, like the Asus ROG 3 Phone. Thus, the Galaxy S21 Ultra could do double duty as a powerful flagship phone and an impressive gaming phone.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are still stuck at 60Hz, with no ProMotion screen in sight.
A better built-in fingerprint sensor
The Galaxy S21 is tilted to get a fingerprint scanner under the larger screen. That should improve the responsiveness of the Galaxy S20’s scanner, making unlocks faster and more reliable.
While Face ID is great on the iPhone 12, the coronavirus pandemic has meant a lot more use of skins, which can trip up Face ID. And without the Touch ID sensor, iPhone 12 users safe for COVID-19 must enter their passcode. If you do it many times a day, it could be very annoying.
With an under-screen scanner, the Galaxy S21 avoids that situation and outperforms the iPhone 12, at least as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Larger batteries and longer battery life
From the leaks so far, it appears that the Galaxy S21 range has almost the same battery capacities, with one exception. The Galaxy S21 will have a 4,000 mAh battery, the S21 Plus a 4,800 mAh battery (instead of 4,500 mAh) and the S21 Ultra 5,000 mAh.
The iPhone 12 (2815 mAh), iPhone 12 Pro (2815 mAh), and iPhone 12 Pro Max (3687 mAh) have smaller batteries than expected for the S21.
In our web battery test, the Galaxy S20 lasted 9 hours 31 minutes over 5G in 60Hz display mode and 8:04 in 120Hz mode. The iPhone 12 lasted 8:25. However, Samsung is moving towards a more efficient 5nm Snapgragon 888 chip for the Galaxy S21, so the phones should last even longer on a charge.
S Pen support
One of the main features of the Galaxy Note series is the S Pen. But with Samsung increasing the size and capabilities of the Galaxy S series with its Ultra model, and making larger screen devices with its Galaxy Fold phones, the days of the Note series could be numbered. In fact, there are rumors that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will have S Pen support.
If those bits of information materialize, then the Galaxy S21 Ultra will not only make the Galaxy Note range a bit moot, but it will also bring another feature that the iPhone 12 can’t match. As impressive as the latest Apple Pencil is, it just doesn’t work with the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
And while all of the S Pen’s features may not suit everyone, simply navigating a large screen with the precision of a smart pen is a joy, and comes in handy for taking notes and drawing. Just don’t expect the S21 Ultra to have a sleeve for the S Pen.
