8 quirks to perceive referring to the Samsung Galaxy S21 earlier than you preorder

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 is smartly its biggest flagship good buy in years, with the latest flagship Snapdragon processor, an outstanding triple-digicam array, and a top price gaze and feel. Nonetheless whereas you happen to’re taking under consideration it’s valid an updated model of the S20 and even a smaller model of the contemporary Galaxy S21+, there are some things you may well also have gotten to perceive earlier than you plunk down $800 to preorder.

The cloak resolution is Plump HD+ 1080p

Galaxy S investors are mature to getting the absolute biggest monitors around. The Galaxy S20 brought a 6.2-walk Quad HD+ 3200×1440 Infinity-O Edge uncover with a pixel density of 563ppi and a 120Hz refresh price. Whereas the size is the identical, you’re not getting all that with the contemporary Galaxy S21. Moderately, you’re getting a flat Plump HD+ 2400×1080 Infinity-O uncover with a 421ppi pixel density and an adaptive 120Hz refresh price. That’s easy a noteworthy uncover, pointless to remark, nonetheless it completely’s positively a step down from what Galaxy S investors are accustomed to getting.

The support is made of plastic

Ever for the reason that Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S phones have been made fully out of glass, and whereas you happen to’re procuring a Galaxy S21+ or S21 Extremely, that’s what you’re getting. Nonetheless with the S21, you’re getting plastic—er, produce that a “namely bolstered polycarbonate fabric.” That’s not necessarily a execrable element—plastic is much less susceptible to shattering when dropped—nonetheless believe that the S21 is correct quite much less top price this year.

Samsung

There’s no Extremely Extensive Band chip

After first bringing it to the Hide 20 Extremely for immediate file sharing, Samsung goes all in on ultra wide band. Alongside the Galaxy S21, Samsung originate a brand contemporary line of SmartTags that work with the UWB chip to precisely stumble on misplaced objects. Nonetheless whereas you happen to get the S21, you won’t be ready to steal profit of it—biggest the S21+ or S21 Extremely have the UWB chip.

It has much less RAM than its predecessor

When Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 line, it used to be a efficiency beast, with a whopping 12GB of RAM traditional across all three phones. Granted you may well also not have wanted all that reminiscence, nonetheless if there’s the leisure we’ve realized from Samsung phones it’s that they’ve an inclination to get slowed down over time, so the extra RAM will indisputably support withhold things operating smoothly. Nonetheless on the Galaxy S21, you’re biggest getting 8GB and not using a option for 12GB.

Samsung

It doesn’t enhance Wi-Fi 6E

It would maybe well seem love biggest the day long gone by when Wi-Fi 6 arrived, nonetheless the next generation is already here. Wi-Fi 6E affords faster speeds and increased skill to chop latency and bottlenecks, and the Galaxy S21 phones are amongst the first to characteristic what is quickly to be ubiquitous. Nonetheless love UWB, it’s biggest on hand on the S21 Extremely. The S21 sticks to traditional Wi-Fi 6.

It doesn’t have a microSD storage slot

Samsung Galaxy S customers have never indisputably had to disaster about how a lot storage is internal their mobile phone thanks to the addition of a microSD reminiscence card slot in the SIM tray. It’s been a staple of the Galaxy S for the reason that first mobile phone landed in 2010, nonetheless the Galaxy S21 doesn’t have one. So whereas you happen to’re procuring one, you may well must upgrade to the 256GB mannequin.

Samsung

It’s roughly heavy

The Galaxy S21 is the identical dimension as the S20 it replaces and dumps the glass support for a plastic one, so that you just’d question it to be as gentle as the Pixel 4a. That’s not the case. The Galaxy S21 weighs in at 171 grams, which is heavier than the S20 (163 grams), iPhone 12 (164 grams), and Pixel 5 (151 grams). We’re not definite the attach the extra weight is coming from.

It doesn’t enhance the S Pen

The Samsung S Pen has repeatedly been the element that separates the Galaxy Hide from the Galaxy S, so it’s a spacious deal that the Galaxy S21 lineup helps Samsung’s stylus, even though it’s valid for drawing and writing. Nonetheless don’t question to ruin out your S Pen on the vanilla Galaxy S21. Samsung has diminutive stylus enhance to the S21 Extremely, so that you just’ll be tapping away along with your finger love out of the ordinary.

Michael Simon covers all things mobile for PCWorld and Macworld. You would continuously catch him along with his nostril buried in a cloak. The right capacity to wail at him is on Twitter.