Huge Samsung Galaxy S21 5G leak reveals announcement & release date, colors

The Galaxy S21 series could be announced on January 14, 2021

The next Samsung Unpacked event will take place Thursday, January 14, per information received by Jon Prosser. That’s almost a full month earlier than the company's Q1 2020 event, which lines up perfectly with reports.

The chosen date is quite unusual because Samsung press events are typically held on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Nevertheless, Jon Prosser has a decent track record when it comes to Samsung leaks, even if it is a limited one.

Making an appearance at the event, which could be pre-recorded due to the pandemic, is going to be the 5G Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and its cheaper siblings, the Galaxy S21+ and vanilla Galaxy S21.

These smartphones will be made available to pre-order immediately after the event in a range of colors – Black, White, Grey, Silver, Violet, and Pink – according to the details shared today.

Prosser didn’t provide a breakdown of the colors by model, but analyst Ross Young did so a couple of weeks ago. He believes Samsung will sell the standard Galaxy S21 in Grey, Pink, Violet, and White.

The Galaxy S21+, on the other hand, may only be available in Black and Silver, whereas those of you hoping to get your hands on the premium Galaxy S21 Ultra should be able to choose between the Black, Silver, and Violet colorways.

The earliest Galaxy S series release date ever

Samsung’s next-gen flagship smartphones will be available to pre-order for two weeks following the announcement. The release date is reportedly set for Friday, January 29, in the United States.

That is by far the earliest release date for a Galaxy S flagship lineup ever. The current-gen Samsung Galaxy S20 series holds that title at the moment with its launch date of March 6, 2020.

The South Korean company hasn’t officially confirmed these earlier launch plans, but reports suggest the decision has something to do with arch-rival Huawei.

Specifically, with the latter now mostly out of the equation in Europe and other international markets, Samsung will face almost no competition in February, putting it in the perfect position to boost sales.

Leaked renders and CAD files of all three devices have revealed an almost identical front panel design and a revised camera bump that now extends over the sides. Sitting inside should be updated cameras, including a next-gen 108-megapixel sensor on the Ultra model, although the full setups are yet to be detailed.

The smartphones should arrive powered by the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 in the United States and Samsung's next Exynos chipset elsewhere. These will sit alongside Android 11 and One UI 3.0 straight out of the box.

On the battery side of things, recent certification listings have revealed the presence of a 5,000mAh battery inside the Galaxy S21 Ultra, a 4,800mAh cell for the Galaxy S21+, and a smaller 4,000mAh alternative with the Galaxy S21.