Samsung Phones to expect in 2021 – S21, A52, F62 etc. What we know so far

As Samsung overtook Huawei late last year to become the world’s top smartphone company, we give you a run down of what will be another huge year for Samsung. Take a look at the latest news and leaks about Samsung’s new smartphone releases for this year.

Galaxy S21

Firstly, let’s get into the Samsung Galaxy S21, and there’s already a lot to talk about considering the phone is not yet set to launch for another week. Yep, it’s releasing on the 14th of January. A big surprise because Samsung’s Galaxy ‘S’ phones typically launch around March time, but the Samsung store has confirmed that the S21 will launch much earlier in 2021, on 14th January. Sales will commence shortly after – on the 29th of January. Leaks about the phone’s design have been coming from left right and center, here’s a first look at what the phone will probably look like:

The first thing you’ll probably notice is the rear camera design, which is vastly different to the all-black camera humps that debuted in last year’s S20 series. The S21 camera instead blends into the frame of the Galaxy S21, and instead of having a huge hump, the cameras are nestled into more elegant housings of the S21 frame. Speaking of frames, there have been several reports that the Galaxy S21 will use ‘glasstic’ frame instead of the usual glass back. Glasstic is a term used by Samsung which refers to plastic that is made to imitate the look and feel of glass. If reports are true it could be a very divisive move by Samsung. The S21 will also come with 4 color options shown in this image:

To me personally I have no problems with any of the designs, and I quite like that the rear camera gives these designs a more subtle and unique finish. One design that has caused a stir is the phantom violet design, which I don’t mind, but people on the internet have spoken out about.

According to Belgian network operator Voo, the S21 family will include the Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. Here are images of the S21 Ultra’s design:

Samsung has continued on from the S20 Ultra and have created the S21 Ultra, and just like the S20 Ultra, this year’s edition will also include a bigger rear camera. Speaking about cameras, the specs for the S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra rear cameras has been released, here they are:

Samsung Galaxy S21 & S21+:
Triple rear cameras:
Main: 12-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture
Wide-angle: 12MP, f/2.2
Telephoto: 64MP, f/2.0
Punch-hole selfie camera:
10-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra:
Quad rear cameras:
Main: 108-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, laser autofocus
Wide-angle: 12MP, f/2.2
Telephoto #1: 10MP, f/4.9
Telephoto #2: 10MP, f/2.4
Punch-hole selfie camera:
40-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture

Let’s start at the front, where the only difference is resolution, the S21 & S21+ getting a 10-megapixel selfie camera, the Ultra getting a 40-megapixel one – although we expect the latter will use four-in-one processing technology to output 10MP images anyway (or possibly 6.5MP like the S20 Ultra).

To start with, let’s look at the Galaxy S21 & S21+. Based on those specifications, it appears to offer the same setup as in last year’s S20 range. So expect a 12MP main with optical stabilisation, a 64MP tele with 3x optical zoom, and the tried-and-tested 12MP wide-angle.

It’s with the Galaxy S21 Ultra that things differ rather more. There’s the same 108MP main lens as seen in both the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra. The 12MP wide-angle is the same across the board. But the two telephoto lenses are entirely new.

Both the S21 Ultra’s zoom lenses are 10-megapixel, so rather low resolution, but it’s the aperture values that catch our eye. Long zoom lenses that are physically small can’t have large apertures (i.e. small values, such as f/2.0) as there’s just not the physical space. Therefore we have a suspicion that Samsung has a 3x and 5x optical zoom combination here – although given the f/4.9 aperture of the second telephoto lens, that is leaning towards the sort of specification to expect on a 10x optic.

Now let’s get into the pricing, and it looks good! This year’s Galaxy S series is set to be cheaper than last year’s S20 series. A new report from Korean tech site ETNews claims the standard S21 will cost 990,000 won (around $904 / £666 / AU$1,163), a serious discount considering the Samsung Galaxy S20 cost $1,141 USD.

The S21+ and Ultra will also feature big discounts, today’s rumor suggests price drops for the S21 Plus down to $1,095 / £807 / AU$1,410 from the S20 Plus price of $1,199 / £999 / AU$1,649 and a drop in the S21 Ultra to $1,324 / £976 / AU$1,706 from the S20 Ultra price of $1,399 / £1,199 / AU$1,999.

Now let’s set aside the S21, other phones that have been rumored to release include the Galaxy A32, Galaxy A52, Galaxy A72 and the Galaxy F62.

Galaxy A32

The midrange smartphone, Galaxy A32, has now gotten its official support page. The Galaxy A32 5G has popped up on Samsung UK and Samsung Ireland’s pages and while there are no specs, we do know that the /DS ending means the phone will take two SIM cards in those two markets. Previously the phone leaked on Geekbench telling about its Dimesity 720 chipset and Android 11.

Galaxy A52

The Galaxy A52 has also leaked, expanding Samsung’s affordable phone range. Take a look at the leaked image of the phone:

The Galaxy A52 has a similar design to its predecessor, and has keeped the all black camera hump. The new phone’s dimensions will be 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4mm, and the thickness grows to almost 10mm where the camera bump is. So compared to its predecessor it’s 1mm longer, 1.5mm wider, and 0.3mm thinner. It will have a 6.5-inch screen with an embedded fingerprint sensor and centered hole-punch for the selfie camera, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The back will be plastic, while the frame is metal.

Galaxy F62

According to GSMARENA the Galaxy F62 smartphone has entered mass production and is set to launch in Q1 of 2021, expanding the Galaxy F range released late last year. Thanks to Geekbench, we know it will have an Exynos 9825 SoC at the helm with 6GB RAM. The F62 that passed through Geekbench was running Android 11, so chances are it will be one of the first smartphones to boot Android 11 with One UI 3.0 on top. As of now that is all we know about the F62.

Galaxy A72

The Galaxy A72 has leaked, and these newly surfaced images give us a look at its design.

The A72 is the successor to the Galaxy A71, which released last year. The phone’s back will be plastic while the frame is said to be aluminum. The A72 5G sports a 6.7″ flat touchscreen with a single centered punch-hole selfie camera. The Galaxy A72 5G measures 165 x 77.4 x 8.1 mm (9.9 mm with the camera bump). It has a 3.5mm headphone jack and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The expected price point, in unlocked form, in the US, is $599.

WOW, as you can see leaks about Samsung’s new releases have been coming a plenty, and Samsung is set to have a BIG year. Now we will have to wait and see how Samsung will go in its smartphone department for 2021. Can’t wait!