Today, we have another Galaxy S21 leak, which seems to confirm some of the specs that have been floating around, published by WinFuture. Information about it and images of the upcoming Galaxy S21-series phones have been landing almost every day before the Samsung event in January. With this latest leak, we now have a better idea of what to expect – especially in the camera sector. In short, the hardware seems to be a big part of Samsung’s plan to take over the much-capable iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The S21 Ultra 3x seems to deliver and 10x telephoto cameras (equal focal lengths of 72mm and 240mm, respectively), both with optical image stabilization. That’s one more front-facing camera compared to the S20 Ultra’s three rear sensors.
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Photo: WinFuture
The S21’s 10x lens uses a folded optic design similar to the S20’s telephoto camera. We expect Samsung to once again offer a hybrid zoom that reaches much longer than that 10x optical range.
Some other subtle camera updates look along the way as well. The 108-megapixel main camera gets a slightly wider 24mm (versus 26mm) equivalent lens. It also gets laser-assisted autofocus: something the S20 Ultra only offered the later introduced Note 20 Ultra. And WinFuture says, despite what looks like a paper on the main camera sensor to the last generation, this is a new sensor that should offer better image quality than the last one.
Samsung needs all the advantages to compete with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which we think is the best smartphone camera on the market today. Historically, Samsung has taken more of a bold approach to moving images, increasingly using their own home-made sensors rather than grabbing Sony off the bat. shelf, and being early to adopt dual and triple-lens cameras on its devices.
Part of the reason Samsung has stuck so hard into advanced hardware is that their computer images have not kept up with Apple or Google. It’s only recently that it has become synonymous with features like Night Mode. But now it’s another year, and more work needs to be done to get up to date with the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Video may be the basis for Samsung to balance the playing field with Apple, too. This is one area where software can only do so much without the right hardware behind it. Samsung has usually had big specs when it comes to video – the S21 Ultra offers 8K recording for the 12K Max Pro 4K – but the proof will be in the film. Samsung says it is committed to continuing to push its capabilities in this area.
There are some specific details that are not related to camera in WinFuture’s report. These specs feature a 6.8-inch display with variable refresh rates from one to 120Hz, a battery-saving move also taken from the Note 20 Ultra. There is also an S Pen support, which will be sold separately.
Samsung will also follow Apple’s lead in delivering the S21 devices without wallpapers in the box. The company, like Apple, may cite the environmental benefits as an incentive for this change, although conversations among us will note that it is also beneficial to each company ‘s baseline. But there is no doubt that e-waste reduction is a good thing, and Samsung’s use of USB-C rather than proprietary connectivity scores even more environmental bonus points.
No start date or pricing has yet been confirmed for the S21 Ultra, although reports indicate a release on January 14th.