Stacking Galaxy S10 against S21 - Is it time to Upgrade?
Comparisons to previous generations of Samsung phones are unavoidable with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S21 family. The most noticeable analogy seems to be how this year's versions compare to the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus. After all, if you bought one of those two phones in 2019, you're probably thinking about upgrading to the latest versions.
Although launch prices have remained surprisingly consistent over the two-year period, Samsung has made many significant improvements to its new smartphone line. Both the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus feature stunning displays, a substantial speed boost thanks to the Snapdragon 888 processor, significant camera improvements, and 5G connectivity as standard rather than as an optional, more costly model.
Given the two-year gap between the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus and their S10 counterparts, it is expected that the Galaxy S21 will have the upper hand. But, the newer devices lack a couple of features found on Galaxy S10.
So, let's find out if its time to upgrade from Galaxy S10 to Galaxy S21.
Samsung has taken an interesting left turn with the Galaxy S21. For the first time in the history of the Galaxy S series, Samsung has taken its foot off the gas pedal and put a little more emphasis on value.
That's fantastic news for those looking for a high-end flagship phone at a more reasonable price. However, it raises the question: how much better is the Samsung Galaxy S21 than the Samsung Galaxy S10?
The tenth-anniversary-marking Galaxy S10 may be two generations away from the S21, but it was designed at a time when Samsung poured (almost) all into its signature model except 5G.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
On January 29, 2021, the Samsung Galaxy S21 went on sale for $799 for the 128GB variant. This wasn't more expensive than the Galaxy S20's launch price, which is rare in the smartphone industry.
On March 8, 2019, the Samsung Galaxy S10 was released. Prices for the 128GB model began at $749 at launch, which was more expensive than its immediate predecessor, the Galaxy S9, unlike the Galaxy S21. A 512GB model was also made available for $1,149.
DESIGN
The Samsung Galaxy S21 uses a ‘Glasstic' material for its back surface, which is basically a combination of glass and plastic, to meet its (relatively) lower price point. But you probably already knew that based on the name.
It doesn't have the same high-end feel as the Galaxy S10, which has a classic mix of glass and aluminum. Despite this, the S21's matte finish helps to avoid fingerprints, and the device's metal edges help to restore a sense of class.
TWith Samsung's bold new color choices (Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Pink, and Phantom Violet) and matte finish, the S21 looks the part. The phone's distinctive "Contour Cut Camera" module is readily recognizable, swooping into the device's frame from one perspective while standing tall and proud from another.
Overall, the S21's distinct design is a good touch, and it beats the S10's very secure and samey design every time. It may be available in attractive colors like Flamingo Pink, Prism Black, Prism Blue, Prism White, Canary Yellow, and Prism Green, some of which have a lovely shimmery effect, but the horizontal camera configuration is very boring.
The Galaxy S10 pushes it to the right. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S10 5G extends the camera module to a lozenge form, which is more noticeable.
Galaxy S10 shifts it over to the right. The Galaxy S10 5G, meanwhile, expands the camera module itself to a lozenge shape, which is more intrusive.
The Galaxy S10 is available in two sizes: 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8mm for the 4G model and 162.6 x 77.1 x 7.9 mm for the Galaxy S10 5G model. With dimensions of 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm, the Galaxy S21 falls in the center, but is far similar to the Galaxy S10 4G. That's also true in terms of weight, with the Galaxy S10 weighing 157g, the Galaxy S10 5G weighing 198g, and the Galaxy S21 weighing 169g.
The Bixby button is absent from the Galaxy S21 compared to the S10 (and S20) variants. Samsung's personal assistant has always seemed superfluous, and getting a dedicated button for it didn't help matters.
DISPLAY
The Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S10 have similar-sized displays: the S21's is 6.2 inches, while the S10's is 6.1 inches.
Apart from that, and the fact that they both use Samsung's unrivaled AMOLED panel technology, there are a few notable differences. Will it surprise you to hear that the Galaxy S10's display is, in certain respects, the sharper of the two? It has a QHD+ resolution of 1440 x 3040, while the newer S21 only has an FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400.
While Galaxy S10 can go much sharper, but, the Galaxy S21 can go much faster. Content on the Galaxy S21 will scroll past with twice the smoothness of the Galaxy S10 thanks to its 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
I believe this is a worthwhile trade-off, particularly considering the impact on battery life. Sure, the Galaxy S21 Ultra can handle QHD and 120Hz at the same time, but it has a much larger monitor and battery, as well as a much higher price tag.
The screen on the S10 5G is slightly larger than any of the others at 6.7 inches. In terms of resolution and display properties, it's similar to the Galaxy S10 except for distance.
As we all know, Samsung produces the best displays in the industry, and it also provides AMOLED displays to many of its competitors. Although the S21's screen is the most accurately tuned, all three phones have HDR10+ support, vivid (yet customizable) colors, deep blacks, and high peak brightness.
The S10's display was called the most color accurate smartphone display ever at the time of its release. That has remained true for each subsequent Galaxy S show, though the Galaxy S21 Ultra is currently the best. The simple Galaxy S no longer offers Samsung's absolute best, which can grate on some people's nerves.
Underneath the display of each phone is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. None of them are lightning fast, but the Galaxy S21 accelerates things and increases the surface area by 70%, resulting in a much easier authentication experience than the Galaxy S10.
CAMERA
Both phones come with triple-lens cameras as usual, but the finer points reveal some key differences that give the S21 the upper hand.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 has a 12MP main camera, as well as a 64MP telephoto and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. A 10-megapixel selfie camera is located on the front of the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 has three lenses: a standard 12MP lens, a telephoto 12MP lens, and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. On the front, you get a 10-megapixel selfie camera, much like the S21.
Surprisingly, the Galaxy S10 5G varies slightly from its 4G sibling. It's a quad-camera system with the same sensors as the 4G model plus a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor for precise depth sensing and enhanced AR.
The S10 5G, on the other hand, has a longer, more obtrusive display notch, which is due to the presence of a ToF camera on the front. This not only improves your selfie portraits, but it also allows you to record Live Focus selfie videos. It's very remarkable.
By a large margin, the Galaxy S21 camera is the best in general photography. Despite the fact that the hardware is almost identical to the S20 before it, this is the case.
Unfortunately, some of the S21 hardware tends to be a step backwards in comparison to the S10. Aside from the lower-resolution ultra-wide sensor, the S10 has a convenient f/1.5 + f/2.4 dual aperture that responds to the lighting conditions. The main snapper on the S21 is stuck in the middle, with a fixed f/1.8 aperture.
If you look at the spec sheet closely, you'll notice that the Galaxy S21 has larger pixels - 1.8 microns compared to the S10's 1.4 microns. The S21 takes noticeably better low-light shots as a result of this, as well as Samsung's improved algorithms.
However, the Galaxy S21's 64MP telephoto sensor allows it to take very powerful 3x hybrid optical zoom images.
Samsung has also made some significant video improvements, such as Director's View, which allows you to see all three rear lenses in real time and then jump between them. Vlogger View, on the other hand, allows you to capture footage from both the front and back cameras at the same time. The S21's Single Take feature has also been enhanced, with better AI and a greater focus on slow-motion capture.
Anyone upgrading from the Galaxy S10 to the Galaxy S21 will note major improvements in their photography as a result of these tweaks and adjustments.
PERFORMANCE
Over the years, Samsung's approach to processor technology has been infamously fractured. As a result, the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S10 in the United States and China are faster and more powerful than their international counterparts.
Samsung's Exynos 2100 (for the Foreign model) or Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 power the Galaxy S21 (for the US and China). Meanwhile, the Exynos 9820 and Snapdragon 855 are split evenly across both Galaxy S10 models.
It's a little annoying to know that rest of the world using a lesser version than our American counterparts in both situations. Even, when it comes to computing power and battery life, the two are almost similar, and you won't be able to say the difference unless you use benchmarking apps.
The Galaxy S10 is still capable of running apps and performing intensive tasks, and Samsung's legacy tech support seems to have improved recently. However, since it's two years older than the Galaxy S21, it won't feel as fluid for as long.
Both the S21 and the S10 come standard with 8GB of RAM. In the case of the Galaxy S21, this is yet another way in which it differs from the Galaxy S20, which had 12GB of storage.
In terms of storage, the Galaxy S21 falls short of its predecessor. Although both phones come with 128GB of storage as usual, the newer model is the only one that can be upgraded to 256GB. A 512GB version of the Galaxy S10 is available. Meanwhile, the S10 5G comes in 256GB and 512GB storage options.
BATTERY LIFE
The Samsung Galaxy S21 appears to be the obvious winner in terms of endurance. It has a 4000 mAh battery, which is significantly larger than the Galaxy S10's 3400 mAh battery.
When you add in the Galaxy S21's more efficient Exynos/Snapdragon processor and the fact that its monitor is only 1080p rather than 1440p, victory appears to be a foregone conclusion.
That isn't quite how it turns out. Also with its variable design, which means it can drop as low as 1Hz when the situation needs it, the S21 display's 120Hz refresh rate evens things out significantly.
The Galaxy S21 easily lasted a full day on a single charge, in my experience. However, using the phone's GPS signal and other power-hungry features will cause you to run out of battery right before bedtime.
All of this sounds eerily close to my experience with the Galaxy S10, which would often reach the end of a day of moderate use with about 20% of the battery remaining.
It's a toss-up between the two options. Basically, these are two all-day phones if you don't abuse them with excessive media consumption or leave Pokemon Go open all the time.
5G networking, which the stock Galaxy S10 does not have, is one of the aspects that has the ability to drain the Galaxy S21's battery a little faster. The Galaxy S10 5G's battery capacity has been increased to 4,500 mAh for a reason. Even with the improved model's larger QHD+ monitor and less powerful processor, we could only get through a day of moderate use on a single charge.
The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S10 5G both support 25W wired charging, which isn't particularly fast in comparison. Not with competitors like Oppo reaching 65W. At 15W, the stock Galaxy S10 is even slower.
However, both phones support 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, which is a good feature.
SUMMARY
Samsung's decision to lower the price of the Galaxy S21 allows for a fascinating contrast with its two-year-older predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy S10 has a more premium look and feel, and it outperforms the Samsung Galaxy S21 in terms of display sharpness and storage choices.
Things get even more complicated when you add in the Galaxy S10 5G, which is in many respects a totally different phone than the regular S10. This upgraded model comes with a larger monitor, more room, a larger battery, and a few extra depth-sensing camera tricks.
The Galaxy S21, on the other hand, triumphs in every other category. It's noticeably quicker, with a more sensitive monitor and fingerprint sensor, and a camera that's noticeably better and more versatile than any S10 model.
Although Samsung may not have produced the best Galaxy S21 possible, the two-year gap is very real, and the S10 is simply a better phone. It's also available at a reasonable price by today's standards, partly offsetting the Galaxy S10's price advantage.
FINAL WORDS
If you're still using a Galaxy S10 or S10 Plus, the S21 and S21 Plus are excellent choices if you're in the market for a new phone. Better displays, 5G, camera upgrades, quicker storage, and larger batteries are all on the way. Not only that, but the Snapdragon 888 processor is the most up-to-date Qualcomm has to sell.
It's a much smaller hop from the S20 series, so unless you really want Samsung's new, there's not much you're missing out on. However, it's remarkable how far mobile technology has advanced in just two years.
The S21 and S21 Plus don't come with a battery, but the removal of the microSD card slot is the most egregious flaw. Why Samsung did this is a mystery, but it isn't going to sit well with some of you out there. If you simply must have expandable storage, stick with your S10 or S10 Plus, or pick up one of the S20 phones now that their prices have fallen.
Even so, the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus are clearly superior to their S10 counterparts. If you're in the market for a new handset, these Samsung models might be the ones to convince you to do so.
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