Latest Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G leak makes us excited... about the S21+ 5G
Galaxy S20 and S20+
In the last couple of weeks alone, we've heard news about the revised camera specifications of the jumbo-sized handset widely expected to be dubbed Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, as well as the purported battery capacity of the S21+ 5G and the largely unchanged design of the entire flagship series.
The biggest and most impressive member of the 5G-enabled Galaxy S21 (or S30) family is back in the spotlight today, with the prolific and almost always reliable folks over at GalaxyClub in the Netherlands claiming to have discovered conclusive information on the battery size of this absolute powerhouse (translated here).
More juice than the Note 20 Ultra, but no change from the S20 Ultra
While many Samsung critics focused on lambasting the "standard" Note 20 variant for going with a cheap plastic construction, flat 60Hz screen, and no microSD card slot, the company certainly deserves some scrutiny for crippling the Note 20 Ultra in the battery size and charging speed departments compared to the state-of-the-art S20 Ultra as well.
Although we wouldn't call the battery endurance scores of the S Pen-wielding 6.9-inch giant modest, they're obviously lower than those of the non-stylus-supporting 6.9-incher, which packs a gargantuan 5,000mAh cell.
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
On the bright side, it looks like the unremarkable 4,500mAh juicer under the Note 20 Ultra 5G's hood will be upgraded to 5,000mAh capacity on the S21 Ultra 5G. Well, technically, we're dealing with a rated battery capacity of 4,855mAh here, which just so happens to be identical to the corresponding figure for the S20 Ultra 5G, resulting in a typical (aka advertised) size of 5,000mAh.
Naturally, that doesn't necessarily mean the S20 Ultra and S21 Ultra battery life will be identical, as many other factors also make crucial contributions to those real-life numbers, but we fully expect Samsung's "next big thing" to eclipse the Note 20 Ultra from that particular standpoint. Unfortunately, there are no words on fast charging capabilities yet, so we have no idea if the S21 Ultra 5G will go back to them insane 45W speeds or settle for a middling 25W ceiling.
The Galaxy S21+ (S30+) is already shaping up like the most interesting model of the three
Obviously, it's far too early to make any such predictions for the Galaxy S21 (S30) lineup, but the middle variant is tipped to bump the 4,500mAh battery size of the S20+ 5G all the way up to 4,800mAh. Depending on the screen size, which remains under wraps for the time being, the S21+ 5G could squeeze more life out of its hefty cell than the undoubtedly larger S21 Ultra 5G.
Galaxy S20 Ultra
Of course, the S21 Ultra is expected to offer a number of other advantages over its little brothers as well, starting with not one but two rear-facing telephoto shooters, the latest of which should replace the largely useless 3D Time-of-Flight sensor on the back of the S20 Ultra.
With a larger battery than the Note 20 Ultra 5G, this fancy dual telephoto system, the same old primary 108MP camera, and possibly even a built-in stylus, we're pretty sure the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G will cost more than $1,300. We could even see this bad boy surpass the $1,400 starting price of the S20 Ultra 5G stateside, in which case it might be difficult to argue with the value proposition of a more compact Galaxy S21+ 5G likely to fetch $1,200 tops in its entry-level US configuration.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: