We got the best Samsung deals! Galaxy S24 Ultra, Watch 6, Z Fold 5 or, Z Flip 5.

SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

Notifications
    News for you

    Galaxy S21/S21+ vs Galaxy S20/S20+: Better, same, worse, all at once

    Phone
    By 

    Last updated: January 14th, 2021 at 16:08 UTC+01:00

    The Galaxy S20 series might be old news in flagship terms, as the Galaxy S21 lineup is getting ready to hit the shelves by the end of the month, but how much has the company's premium smartphone trio evolved over the course of 11 months, really?

    Similar to last year, the new Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ share many characteristics between them. That's to be expected, but more important is exactly how much, or if the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ have anything in common with the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+, respectively. In short, there are some upgrades, a few downgrades, and a handful of reused components all thrown into the mix.

    Galaxy S21 / S21+ vs Galaxy S20 / S20+: Design

    Save for the new wallpapers and other reworked UI elements introduced by One UI 3.1, the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ look nearly identical to the Galaxy S20 models when viewed from the front. Their footprints are also nearly the same to the point where you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference even when viewing them side by side.

    What really sets the 2020 and 2021 flagship models apart is the back panel area, or more specifically the camera housing. The Galaxy S21 series has a more substantial yet elegant camera bump made of metal and the end result arguably makes the Galaxy S20 series look older than it actually is.

    The base Galaxy S21 model, however, has been downgraded to a plastic back, though there are valid arguments to be made in favor of polycarbonate. Whichever side you may be on, the fact remains that the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+ are sandwiched between two sheets of Gorilla Glass 6, while the Galaxy S21 has Gorilla Glass Victus at the front and a plastic back panel. The Galaxy S21+, on the other hand, has Glass Victus at the front and back.

    Galaxy S21 / S21+ vs Galaxy S20 / S20+: Cameras and Display

    Galaxy S20 / S20+ owners who are looking at the Galaxy S21 / S21+ for a camera upgrade are looking in the wrong place and should consider the Galaxy S21 Ultra instead. Simply put, the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ have the exact same cameras as the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+. Technically, it's one identical camera setup – 10MP (f/2.2) selfie sensor included – for all four phones, so whichever you pick, your photos will look virtually the same.

    Hardware-wise, each of these phones come with a triple main camera setup consisting of a 12MP (f/1.8) main shooter with Dual Pixel autofocus and OIS, a 12MP (f/2.2) fixed-focus ultra-wide (120-degrees) sensor, and a 64MP (f/2.0) telephoto camera with Phase Detection autofocus, OIS, and hybrid optic 3x zoom / 30x Space Zoom. Any camera improvements One UI 3.1 has added should be made available for the Galaxy S20 series through later firmware updates.

    As for the display category, it's a mixed bag as far as the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+ are concerned. On the bright side, they have panels with a more gradual adaptive refresh rate of 48-120Hz compared to the 2020 flagship duo which can only achieve 60Hz or 120Hz out of the box.

    Unfortunately, the Galaxy S21 and S21+ have been downgraded to a FHD+ resolution (2400 by 1080), down from 3200 by 1440 pixels. This will benefit battery life and, to many users, it might not even make a visual difference, but it is a technical downgrade worth considering.

    Galaxy S21 / S21+ vs Galaxy S20 / S20+: Hardware and features

    Next to the camera housing design, the most notable change introduced by the Galaxy S21 series is not visible without a set of disassembly tools. We're referring to a pair of new chipsets: the Exynos 2100 and the Snapdragon 888, with availability depending on region.

    They are substantially more powerful and efficient than the last generation, and the new Exynos 2100 chipset looks promising enough to compete with Qualcomm's latest solution. Following the Exynos 990 fiasco, Samsung's new Exynos 2100 SoC that ships with the Galaxy S21 series shines like a beacon of hope.

    Whichever Galaxy S21/S21+ variant you happen to be buying, you'll get 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a choice between 128GB and 256GB of built-in storage. This time the series isn't split between 4G LTE and 5G models, so memory options are also more streamlined.

    One unexpected change is the lack of external storage expansion. None of the new Galaxy S21 variants have a microSD card slot, so what you see is what you get. And if you reach your on-board storage limit, your only way to expand beyond what is offered is through cloud storage.

    Finally, the base Galaxy S21 model has a 4,000mAh battery, same as the Galaxy S20, but the Galaxy S21+ ships with a larger 4,800mAh unit, up from 4,500mAh last year. Android 11 is available for both the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S21 series, but only the latter ships with One UI 3.1. Nevertheless, it won't take long before Samsung brings One UI 3.1 to the Galaxy S20 series through a firmware update.

    One final fact worth noting is that the Galaxy S21+ is the only model of the four to take advantage of UWB (Ultra-Wideband) technology.

    Galaxy S21 / S21+ vs Galaxy S20 / S20+: Conclusion

    So, are the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+ old news? Yes and no. The new Exynos 2100 chipset is the most exciting upgrade and it might be good enough to tempt some Galaxy S20 owners to switch to the Galaxy S21 or the Galaxy S21+. The 2021 flagship duo arguably looks better but not everything about the new lineup was improved over the previous generation.

    The lower resolution displays might put some buyers off, assuming the improved adaptive refresh rate doesn't make up for this downgrade. Expandable storage is gone and the new flagships have the same cameras as last year. All things considered, Galaxy S20 owners probably shouldn't be looking at the 2021 models for an upgrade, unless they find a good trade-in offer.

    Newcomers to Samsung's mobile ecosystem, however, should look at the Galaxy S21 series for a purchase. It's faster, better looking, and it ships with newer software which means the phones will receive an extra firmware update. In addition, you'll be getting a 5G variant regardless where you buy the Galaxy S21.

    You can refer to our device comparison widget below for a closer look at how the Galaxy S20/S20+ and Galaxy S21/S21+ compare side by side, and don't forget to hit the Full Comparison button below.

    Samsung
    Galaxy S20

    Buy Full specs

    Samsung
    Galaxy S20+

    Buy Full specs

    Samsung
    Galaxy S21+

    Buy Full specs

    General Information

    • Model Name

      Galaxy S20

      Galaxy S20+

      Galaxy S21

      Galaxy S21+

    • Model type

      Bar

      Bar

      Bar

      Bar

    • Colors

      Gray (Cosmic Gray)Blue (Cloud Blue)Pink (Cloud Pink)

      Gray (Cosmic Gray)Blue (Cloud Blue)Black (Cosmic Black)

      Violet (Phantom Violet)Pink (Phantom Pink)Gray (Phantom Gray)White (Phantom White)

      Silver (Phantom Silver)Black (Phantom Black)Violet (Phantom Violet)Red (Phantom Red)Gold (Phantom Gold)Pink (Phantom Pink)

    • Announced

      2020, February

      2020, February

      2021, January

      2021, January

    • Released

      2020, March

      2020, March

      2021, January

      2021, January

    Physical specifications

    • Dimensions

      Bar: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm

      Bar: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm

      Bar: 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm

      Bar: 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm

    • Weights

      163g

      186g

      171g

      202g

    • IP rating

      IP68

      IP68

      IP68

      IP68

    Operating system

    • Operating system

      Android 11

      Android 10

      Android 11

      Android 11

    • One UI version

      3.0

      2.1

      3.1

      3.1

    Networks

    • SIM

      Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)

      Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)

      Dual SIM model

      Dual SIM model

    • SIM card sizes

      Nano-SIM (4FF)

      Nano-SIM (4FF)

      Nano-SIM (4FF)

      Nano-SIM (4FF)

    • Networks

      2G3G4G

      2G3G4G

      2G3G4G5G

      2G3G4G5G

    • eSIM support

      No

      No

      Yes

      Yes

    Display

    • Kind

      Main Display

    • Name

      Infinity-O Display

      Infinity-O Display

      Infinity-O Display

      Infinity-O Display

    • Technology

      Dynamic AMOLED 2X

      Dynamic AMOLED 2X

      Dynamic AMOLED 2X

      Dynamic AMOLED 2X

    • Size

      6.2 inch / 157.48 mm

      6.7 inch / 170.18 mm

      6.2 inch / 157.48 mm

      6.7 inch / 170.18 mm

    • Resolution

      QHD+ / 3200x1440 pixels

      QHD+ / 3200x1440 pixels

      FHD+ / 2400x1080 pixels

      FHD+ / 2400x1080 pixels

    • Pixel density

      563 PPI

      525 PPI

      421 PPI

      394 PPI

    • Screen to body ratio

      ~89.5%

      ~90.5%

      ~87.2%

      ~88.3%

    • Refresh rate

      120Hz

      120Hz


    Phone Galaxy S20Galaxy S20 PlusGalaxy S21Galaxy S21 Plus

    You might also like

    Galaxy S21 series grabs March 2024 security update

    Galaxy S21 series grabs March 2024 security update

    Samsung has started rolling out the March 2024 security update to the Galaxy S21 series in several countries worldwide, including the US. The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S23, and Galaxy S24 series have already received the update. The update could be released in other countries soon. Galaxy S21 gets March 2024 security update in Europe, Latin […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 1 week ago
    Galaxy S20 March 2024 update is live in some countries

    Galaxy S20 March 2024 update is live in some countries

    The Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra are receiving a new update in some markets today. This update brings the March 2024 security patch to the trio and comes almost exactly a month after the February update was released for the lineup. The March update comes with a firmware version that ends with the characters […]

    • By Abhijeet Mishra
    • 2 weeks ago
    Galaxy S20 gets February 2024 security update in Europe, USA

    Galaxy S20 gets February 2024 security update in Europe, USA

    Earlier this week, the February 2024 security update reached the Galaxy S20 series in the US. However, the update was limited to carrier-locked models of those smartphones. Now, Samsung is rolling out the new security update to Galaxy S20 series phones more widely. Galaxy S20 gets February 2024 security update more widely The new software […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 1 month ago
    Carrier-locked Galaxy S21 gets February 2024 security update in the USA

    Carrier-locked Galaxy S21 gets February 2024 security update in the USA

    A few days ago, Samsung released the February 2024 security update to the Galaxy S21 series in Europe. A couple of days later, the update was released to the factory-unlocked units of the Galaxy S21 series in the US. The company has now started rolling out the new security update to the carrier-locked units of […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 1 month ago
    One UI 6.1 update: Will your Galaxy phone get it?

    One UI 6.1 update: Will your Galaxy phone get it?

    The Galaxy S24 series was officially announced in mid-January with One UI 6.1 onboard, and Samsung will be spending the first half of 2024 working on and bringing One UI 6.1 to older Galaxy devices. A lot of Galaxy phones were eligible for Android 14 and One UI 6.0 and pretty much all of them […]

    • By Abhijeet Mishra
    • 1 month ago
    Galaxy S20 gets February 2024 security update in the US

    Galaxy S20 gets February 2024 security update in the US

    Samsung has released the February 2024 security update to the Galaxy S20 series. The update is available to carrier-locked units of the phones in the US. Other variants of the phones will also get the update soon. The Galaxy S20 series will get the same update in other countries as well. Carrier-locked Galaxy S20 gets […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 1 month ago