Samsung S21 release date: New smartphones to be launched later this month, company announces

The Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra will come with new chips and possibly support for a stylus like Samsung’s Galaxy Notes.

(Samsung)

Samsung has officially announced that its latest smartphones, rumored to be called the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra, will be launched on 14 January.

Under the slogan, “Welcome to the Everyday Epic”, it is likely that the models will follow the same standard set out by the Galaxy S20 devices: two similar devices that only differ with regards to size, and one premium device with a greater array of features.

According to various leaks, it has been suggested that the S21 smartphones will have 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch screen sizes,  

Samsung’s announcement did not reveal much new information about the actual phones, but many possible specifications for the new devices have leaked already.

All devices are expected to have at least three cameras, with a potential five camera array on the S21 Ultra; two 12MP lenses are expected alongside a 64MP telephoto lens for the S21 and S21 Plus devices, while the Ultra could have a 108MP main sensor instead.

The range will also feature Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2100 chipset in the UK, and the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 in the US, and battery capacity that starts at the same 4000mAh we saw for the Galaxy S20 rising to potentially 5000mAh for the S21 Ultra, similar to the Galaxy S20 Ultra, according to Techradar.  

The devices should start with 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage that is likely to be expandable. All phones should also be running Android 11, the most recent version of Google’s operating system that only just came to Samsung’s most recent Galaxy Note devices.

It is also likely that the devices – or at least, the Ultra device – will be compatible with the S-Pen stylus from Samsung’s Galaxy Note range, although there will likely not be a physical compartment in the phone to hold it.

Leaked images of the cases for the Galaxy S21 Ultra show that there is the option for a case that can carry the stylus, but that it is an accessory product and will not come in the box.

It is also likely that Samsung will not add a charger in the box for its new devices, as the company has been slyly deleting adverts which mocked Apple for making the same decision for the latest iPhones.