Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)

Released January 2021

Premium ($600-$800)
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)

Summary

Pros

  • Accurate photo exposure in all conditions, except in highy contrasted scenes
  • Color performance and natural skin tones in all lighting conditions
  • Fast and reliable video autofocus, allowing good capture of subject in movement
  • Details in selfie stills and videos
  • Overall audio playback performance
  • Performance in audio recording particularly for high volume such as concerts and shows

Cons

  • High noise in photos, especially when taken in low light
  • Low detail in long-range zoom photos
  • Visible noise in selfie stills and videos in most lighting conditions
  • Stabilization performance in selfie videos
  • Slower charging speed than competition in its segment
  • No microSD card slot

Scores

Camera
Audio
Battery
Selfie
! This evaluation is based on the version 5 of our Camera test protocol. Results are not directly compatible with those from the latest version 6, which employs an updated evaluation framework
111
camera
142nd

in Global Ranking

30th

in Premium Ranking ($600-$800)

Overall Camera Score i
111
45
Xiaomi Redmi A3
BEST 169
Top score
Oppo Find X8 Ultra

Sub-scores

Photo i
118
110
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G
BEST 170
Top score
Oppo Find X8 Ultra
Video i
90
90
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G
BEST 166
Top score
Oppo Find X8 Ultra
Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos) camera
118
audio
119th

in Global Ranking

32nd

in Premium Ranking ($600-$800)

Overall Audio Score i
118
86
Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
BEST 161
Top score
Black Shark 5 Pro

Sub-scores & Use Cases

Playback i
115
74
Nokia 7.2
BEST 163
Top score
Black Shark 5 Pro

Use Cases

BEST 172

Listening to music

Through the smartphone's integrated speakers

BEST 161

Watching videos

Through the smartphone's integrated speakers

BEST 156

Gaming

Through the smartphone's integrated speakers

Recording i
124
88
Fairphone 4
BEST 160
Top score
Honor Magic6 Pro

Use Cases

BEST 169

Friends & Family videos

With the smartphone's main camera

BEST 164

Selfie videos

With the smartphone's selfie camera

BEST 158

Concert videos

With the smartphone's main camera

Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos) audio
100
battery
161st

in Global Ranking

31st

in Premium Ranking ($600-$800)

Overall Battery Score i
100
75
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
BEST 164
Top score
Motorola Edge 60 Pro

Sub-scores

Autonomy i
92
55
Xiaomi 12 Pro
BEST 197
Top score
Honor Magic7 Lite
Charging i
107
72
Wiko Power U20
BEST 218
Top score
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Efficiency i
115
47
Xiaomi 12 Pro
BEST 154
Top score
Oppo Reno6 5G

Key performances

Battery Life
1 days 22h
Battery Life
0-80% Charge
0h48
0-80% Charge
Full Charge
1h36
Full Charge
after 5-minute charge
2h28 Autonomy
after 5-minute charge
Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos) battery
132
selfie
33rd

in Global Ranking

5th

in Premium Ranking ($600-$800)

Overall Selfie Score i
132
25
Intex Aqua Selfie
BEST 151
Top score
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Sub-scores

Photo i
125
18
ZTE Axon 20 5G
BEST 149
Top score
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Video i
145
38
Intex Aqua Selfie
BEST 156
Top score
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos) selfie

Specifications

151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm

Dimensions

5G
Dual SIM

Network

Water resistant
IP68

Protection

Wireless

Charging

128/256 GB

Storage

Wide, Tele, Ultra-Wide

Main camera
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Pricing