Updated : Jul 17, 2025, 8:21 AM

Samsung Galaxy S21

Full Specifications

Released · Jan 29, 2021

This device is also known as Samsung SM-G991U1

8.5

Read Samsung Galaxy S21 Review

9.0

Read All User Reviews (4)

I want it 0 users

I have it 4 users

I had it 9 users

Deals

$164

$320

$550

Popular Comparisons

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

Availability
Officially announced	Jan 14, 2021
Prices (MSRP)	$800

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

Display
Size	6.2-inch, 86.06% screen-to-body
Type	Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR, 1300 nits
Resolution	2400x1080px, 20:9 ratio, 424 PPI
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus

PhoneArena Display Test
Bright Max (20 APL)	Untested
Bright Min	1.2 (Good)
Learn more on our PhoneArena Display Test Results page.

Hardware
System chip	Snapdragon 888 (5 nm)
Processor	Octa-core 1x2.84GHz Kryo 680 3x2.42GHz Kryo 680 4x1.80GHz Kryo 680
GPU	Adreno 660
Memory	8GB (LPDDR5)/128GB (UFS 3.0) 8GB/256GB
Storage expansion	not expandable
OS	Android (13, 12, 11)
This device has different variants: View all

Battery
Type	4000 mAh, Li - Polymer
Charging	Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging
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
Learn more on our PhoneArena Battery Test Results page.

Camera
Rear	Triple camera
Main camera	12 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 26 mm Sensor size: 1/1.76" Pixel size: 1.8 μm
Second camera	12 MP (Ultra-wide, Autofocus) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Third camera	64 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F2.0 Focal Length: 29 mm Sensor size: 1/1.7" Pixel size: 0.8 μm
Flash	LED
Video recording	8K UHD (24 fps), 4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p (960 fps) OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS
Front	10 MP (PDAF, HDR) Video capture: 4K UHD (60 fps)

Connectivity & Features
Bluetooth	5.0
WLAN	a,b,g,n,ac,Wi-Fi 6,dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax
USB	Type-C, USB 3.2
Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
Hearing aid compatible	M3/T3
Location	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Other	NFC, ANT+

Multimedia
Headphones	No 3.5mm jack
Speakers	Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features	32-Bit DAC, Dolby Atmos, aptX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus

Cellular
5G Bands	n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave
4G (FDD) Bands	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 66, 71
4G (TDD) Bands	38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48
3G Bands	1, 2, 4, 5, 8
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

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

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:
Memory	256GB

for Europe

Differences from the main variant:
System chip	Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor	Octa-core 2900 MHz 1x2.91GHz Cortex-X1 3x2.81GHz Cortex-A78 4x2.2GHz Cortex-A55
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

Samsung clearly tested the patience of its customers with the Android 15-based One UI 7 update. As if it wasn't enough that it was already six months behind schedule, the company delayed the update another week after kicking off the rollout in early ...

T-Mobile users with old Samsung phones get the notification they were waiting for but be careful

Following Samsung’s terrible handling of the One UI 7 update, the South Korean company seems to have finally found its rhythm and is now rolling out the software upgrade to at least 2-3 devices almost every day.After the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Fli...

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

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Samsung's Android 15-based One UI 7 update for your phone is right around the corner. For several months now, owners of devices like the Galaxy S23, S22, S21, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and even S24, Z Fold 6, and Z ...

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