Samsung Galaxy A21 Smartphone Review with Key Features

Samsung's Galaxy lineup will receive an update this summer with the new Galaxy A21 smartphone. The modern model at a budget price will replace the A20S and will receive a high-quality display, multiple cameras and a high-capacity battery.

Samsung made an announcement to release a low-cost model back in December 2019. The official release for the North American audience took place on April 8, 2024. The start of sales is scheduled for June this year.

There is still no opportunity to order and buy this model in Russia. Therefore, only the main characteristics of the internal "filling" and the appearance of the A21 are known, which the company provided for study. Our in-depth review of the design and features of the processor will help you decide if a new product is worth considering.

Galaxy A21 case

The exact dimensions and weight of the phone are not indicated. It is known that the screen of a medium-sized smartphone with a total area of ​​102.0 cm² received a fairly large diagonal of 6.5 inches. This is due to the thin side bezels and the absence of the top, which gives the front glass surface a neat look. True, the lower volumetric "chin" remained. The screen is protected by scratch and shock resistant glass.

A round hole is cut into the top of the screen for the front camera instead of the central drop-shaped one. This arrangement of the selfie camera is the latest trend in 2024 and will contribute to the popularity of the model among fans of Samsung products.

On the right side of the side plastic frame there are convenient power and volume up / down keys. The bottom edge has a 3.5mm jack and USB port hole.

The back panel of the smartphone is also made of durable plastic. A module with four chambers is linearly placed on it, slightly protruding beyond the wall. The LED dual flash located next to the module is clearly visible. In the center of the panel is a rounded fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device.

The smartphone is only available in black. Other hull shades will be added later. But so far the choice is very limited.

Screen

The Infiniti-O's 6.5-inch screen size has an aspect ratio of 20: 9, making it easy to watch HD + movies, play games, read books or surf the Internet. The Super AMOLED matrix of the capacitive touchscreen has an outdated resolution of 720 * 1600, with a pixel per inch density of 270 ppi. Nice color rendering 16 M has a wide viewing angle and a margin of brightness.

Characteristics of the inner "filling" Galaxy A21

CPU

One of the main selection criteria will always be the speed and performance of the smartphone. This model has a new version of the Android 10.0 operating system with a proprietary modified One UI 2.0 shell. Responsible for the performance is the eight-core Media Tek Helio P35 chip, made according to the 12 nm process technology, and 3 GB of RAM.

The 2019 processor is a confident midrange, equipped with a nimble PowerVR GE8320 graphics accelerator with a frequency of 2.3 GHz cores, which improves video viewing and allows you to use the device for active games.The powerful Helio P35 outperforms the earlier but outdated flagship Helio X series. As a result, the Galaxy A21 has a minimal set of applications and games. 32 GB of internal storage can be expanded with external SD storage up to 512 GB. There is a separate microSDXC slot for the memory card.

Cameras: photo and video

Powerful quad-module Galaxy A21 in the future can take a high step in the rating of high-quality optics. The four cameras support HDR, a high dynamic range for stills and videos that makes the picture brighter and more contrasty. The panoramic photo function provides overall images with high quality and sharpness.

The cameras are equipped with autofocus, touch focus, burst mode and scene selection. With the help of geotagging, the user can place geotagging on photos and videos.

The front camera has a 13MP wide angle lens. The rear camera consists of:

• main sensor 16 Mp;
• 8MP ultra wide-angle sensor;
• 2 megapixel macro cameras;
• sensor for image depth of 2 megapixels.

The description of the quad module allows you to judge how it photographs at night and in the sun. The user has access to panoramic landscapes of places of various lighting conditions, selfies with many effects and the ability to print high-definition photos.

Also, a four-camera module and a selfie camera can be used to view high-quality video in 1080p at 30 fps. The Media Tek Helio P35 processor records and plays back 4K video at 30 frames per second. The smartphone decodes the following video file formats: AVI, H.263 / 264/265, MKV, MP4, VC-1, VP8, VP9, ​​WebM, WMV, WMV7, WMV8, Xvid.

Communication and sound

Model А21 supports Wi-Fi Direct as well as legacy Wi-Fi b / g / n protocols, except for the latest generation Wi-Fi ac. The modern Bluetooth 5.0 technology is supplemented with the A2DP profile for transmitting audio to wireless headphones, there is a GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS system. The presence of the NFC chip and special applications allow the use of a contactless form of payment for purchases in the store.

How many SIM-cards will be in this smartphone is still unclear. According to the declared characteristics, there can be a single SIM card, or a dual SIM in a dual slot for variable use.

The music speaker provides mono sound. An FM radio tuner and a 3.5 mm audio jack allows you to listen to music streaming via wired headphones. The built-in audio player plays audio files of the following formats: AAC, AMR, AMR-WB, eAAC +, FLAC, M4A, MIDI, MP3, OGG, WMA, WAV.

Battery

The device is equipped with a Type-C port for charging and data transfer. A non-removable 4000 mAh lithium-polymer battery can be charged from a regular 5V wired adapter and maintains the smartphone's autonomy for about two days. There is also the possibility of fast charging at 15V for quick replenishment of the battery capacity (not included in the phone package).

Additional sensors

The Galaxy A21 functionality is supplemented with a light sensor for automatic light level adjustment, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall sensor, a proximity sensor, and a digital compass. A fingerprint sensor built into the back housing allows you to quickly and safely unlock your phone for work.

Preliminary cost

In North America, the estimated cost was $ 250. But judging by the declared characteristics, the new product does not differ in any outstanding abilities. There are more productive models of the same Samsung company on the market. The average price of 18,000 rubles for this smartphone seems clearly overpriced. How much does A21 actually cost and where it is profitable to buy this smartphone will become known after the start of sales in our country. Perhaps, in the Russian market, Galaxy A21 will occupy its niche in the middle price segment up to 15,000 rubles.

Summary table of technical parameters

Pros and cons of the Galaxy A21

• new OS Android 10.0 with a modified interface;
• advanced matrix type;
• four-chamber module;
• 13 megapixel selfie camera;
• capacious battery and fast charging;
• attractive and modern design;
• large diagonal.

• outdated Wi-Fi protocol;
• outdated screen resolution;
• small amount of RAM and ROM;
• overpriced starting price.

Samsung has radically changed its strategy for the production of budget phones. According to customer reviews, the M and A lines have turned out to be very successful. Time will show whether the Galaxy A21 can replace the previous generation of smartphones and become a popular model. Now we can say that this is a strong "average", it remains to wait for its release and deal with all the advantages and disadvantages in real time.