Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 256GB Phantom Gray

Die neue S-Klasse. Das Samsung Galaxy S21 ist das kleinste und preiswerteste der drei neuen Galaxy-S21-Modelle und dürfte für die meisten User auch die ganz klar beste Wahl sein. Zwar fehlen dem 6,2-Zöller ein paar Features der teureren Galaxy-S21-Kollegen, doch das ändert nichts am High-End-Status: Leistung, Display und Kamera sind klasse, der Preis sogar niedriger als beim Galaxy S20.

Premium features in a handset that offers better value for money and a performance that won't let you down.

The Galaxy S21 cuts just enough to bring the price down without sacrificing what makes it a great phone.

Samsung's Galaxy S21 line is an overall refinement of last year's models, but feature bloat still weighs these phones down.

There's a lift in design for the Galaxy S21, resulting in a phone that looks fresh and exciting, and a great display, offering adaptive refresh rates. While there's plenty of power - and a flagship performance - the camera doesn't reach the highs that you get from the Galaxy S21 Ultra, leaving this feeling like the lesser device. Sadly, sitting so close to the cheaper S20 FE, that might see some opting for the cheaper phone instead.

The S21 is a significant rethink by Samsung, which may have tried to push the S20 to be too premium. But the company found a good balance in terms of price, features and design for the S21.

The S21 gives here and takes there, but ultimately strengthens the Galaxy reputation

The Galaxy S21 isn’t the star of Samsung’s S series in 2021, like we’ve been used to for most of the past decade, but it’s a solid smartphone choice with an impressive camera, powerful internals and great battery life. If you want the best of the best, look to the Galaxy S21 Ultra; but if you want a handset that’s cheaper than the Galaxy S20 was at launch, with a whole load of premium features, the Galaxy S21 is a delight to use, and will do you proud.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 is a more refined, smarter and crucially cheaper new flagship phone.

There are sacrifices yes, but this is still a great phone for a more enticing price. It has a lovely screen, a reliable camera and a slick new design that feels a little bit futuristic. The basics are here and they're all done excellently.

Unsurprisingly, the S21 is a good phone. It has a powerful processor, a lovely screen, capable cameras and a long-lasting battery. It even has some useful software and a gorgeous new design in eye-catching colors. At $800, the S21 is more reasonably priced than its stablemates. If you prefer a pure Google experience and want to save $100, the Pixel 5 may be good enough for you. But the S21 has a more versatile camera setup and faster processor, making it the best Android phone for the money.

Aside from a rejuvenated design and the obligatory spec bump, the Galaxy S21 does little to improve upon or surpass its predecessor (and in some areas steps backwards). That said, as ever this year's S21 has everything you'll likely want and need in a high-end 2021 smartphone, without pushing the boat out.