Updated : May 05, 2025, 4:52 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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I have it 3 users

I had it 5 users

Deals

$288

Popular Comparisons

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is most commonly compared with these phones:

Specs

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
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
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

PhoneArena Battery Test
Battery Life Estimate:	4h 28min
Browsing:	7h 47min
Gaming:	7h 9min
Video:	7h 36min
Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page.

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
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

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

with 256GB storage

Differences from the main variant:
Internal storage	256GB

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

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Samsung Galaxy S21 users, you might want to check your phones very soon

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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

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