The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is a beautiful flagship phone with great camera performance. While it is more expensive (at S$1,248) compared with other Android 5G phones such as the S$599 Vivo X50e 5G, it's still the cheapest of Samsung's other flagship offerings such as the S$1,498 S21+ 5G and the S21 Ultra (S$1,798). It, however, doesn't come with a charger, headphones, and lacks a microSD slot and a headphone jack.
Quick specs
- Samsung Exynos 2100 processor (5nm octa-core)
- 169g
- Triple-rear cameras
That said, with 256GB of onboard storage — there's also a 128GB version for S$1,178 — you'll find that it's more than enough space. The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED display is HDR10+ certified, and features an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This makes the things you see on the screen smoother and sharper. It's also very bright — up to 1,300 nits at max. I found no problem using the screen even under bright sunlight.
As always, Samsung has taken great pains to make the camera as comprehensive as possible. The rear triple camera setup features as 12MP ultra-wide, 12MP wide, and 64MP telephoto. This gives the phone an hybrid optical 3X zoom, and a 30X Space Zoom (digital). The new automatic Zoom Lock also kicks in to help stabilize the shot. Don't expect super clear images though, as digital zoom can only do so much. Other camera features include a Food Mode to help keep your meal in focus, The phone also shoots 4K video at 60fps, and 8K at 24fps.
The octa-core Samsung Exynos 2100 chip is snappy and fast. Apps open instantly, and the One UI is easy and intuitive to use. There's also Bixby, Samsung's own voice assistant, but I'm more used to using Google Assistant. The UI is easy to navigate and you get Google's Discover feed built-in now. There's also Samsung's own Eye Comfort Shield changes the screen for a warmer look at night to help you sleep. A new Director's View feature in the camera app to let you record video with all four cameras, but I don't think you'll use this much.
Battery life for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is about 8 hours 40 minutes in our tests. That doesn't sound like a lot, but this is at maximum brightness, and the S21's screen is a lot brighter than other phones. You will get more juice if you don't use the phone at maximum brightness. The S21 5G is a brilliant flagship phone with a lot to offer, and you can grab it from Samsung's store at online platforms such as Lazada and Shopee.
Note: Review unit provided by Samsung.
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