SpecEagle review · Samsung

Galaxy S21+ review: The 2021 mid-flagship — glass back, bigger battery than the S21.

Item: Galaxy S21+
Rating: 79
Author: SpecEagle Editorial

SpecEagle Editorial·Jan 2021·$999

Overall

79/100

Class rank

#11 of 16

Tier

Flagship

Buy?

At the right price

The verdict, up front

The premium-feeling middle S21.

Galaxy S21+ added a glass back and bigger battery over the S21. A solid used Android flagship now past its update window.

01Display

84/100

84/100 trails the 86-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2021.

TypeDynamic AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz

Size6.7 inches

Resolution2,400 × 1,080 px

02Camera

78/100

78/100 trails the 81-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2021.

Main12 MP, f/1.8, OIS

Ultrawide12 MP

Telephoto64 MP, 3× hybrid

Selfie10 MP

03Performance

81/100

81/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2021.

ChipsetSnapdragon 888 / Exynos 2100 (5 nm)

RAM8 GB

Storage128 / 256 GB

04Battery

78/100

78/100 puts it above the 75-point average for flagship phones of 2021.

Capacity4,800 mAh

Wired25 W

Wireless15 W

05Build

82/100

82/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2021.

06Value

74/100

74/100 puts it above the 71-point average for flagship phones of 2021.

What works

Glass back vs the S21's plastic.
Bigger 4,800 mAh battery.
120 Hz + IP68.
Wireless charging.

What doesn't

SD888 / Exynos 2100 thermals.
64 MP hybrid zoom, not optical.
No microSD.
Support ended 2024.

Cross-shop it against

iQOO 11

$650 · score 90/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 16-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .