Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 256GB Pink - Amazon (Renewed)

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With its 4000mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy S21 isn’t a multi-day device and you shouldn’t expect the same mammoth endurance offered by the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. But with real world use I never struggled to make it through the day on a single charge.

The S21 is the lowest entry point to Samsung’s flagship phone line and it comes with a few key changes to last year’s Galaxy S20. Expandable storage is gone, you’ll have to make do with a plastic rear and the screen’s resolution tops out at just FHD+. On top of that, you’ll have to spend extra for your own charger and headphones – cheers for setting this precedent last year with the iPhone 12. While it’s not as technically advanced as previous S series phones, the S21 feels like a solid device that’ll suit most people’s needs. It’s slim, ever so light and importantly, doesn’t skimp on performance. The design is also just downright fun and the colour options are nicely varied and interesting. 2. You want a reliable and versatile camera This is the current high-end chipset from both companies and the Galaxy S21 is one of the first phones to use them. Like Apple’s A14, they’re both built on a highly efficient 5nm process which to non-techies is a key reason why it offers improved battery life compared to the S20. The software available on this phone works well, and you've got access to a whole host of extra Samsung services on top of the normal Android apps you expect from a modern smartphone. There have been two notable cuts, along with a couple of other smaller bits that have been left out. The biggest, especially for those who still want this to be a high-end flagship phone, is the drop in maximum screen resolution. Specifically, Samsung’s dropped it from WQHD+ to FHD+, basically 1440p down to 1080p. While yes, you can – if you really look for it – see a difference, on a 6.2-inch panel this isn’t much of an issue for me.Along with that 8GB of RAM you’ve got the choice of either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The big news here is that Samsung has dropped microSD support from the S21, so you can’t expand on the built-in storage. Another benefit these chips have over their predecessors is that the 5G modem is built-in, rather than sitting separately. All Galaxy S21 models have support for at least sub-6Ghz 5G (that’s the only one available in the UK so don’t worry about mmWave support) and you don’t need to pay extra for the 5G version as you did last year. Camera

The other thing to note here is that the Galaxy S21 doesn’t come with a charger in the box. Samsung has followed in Apple’s footsteps by not bundling a charger with its new phones as it seeks to cut down on e-waste. The company is instead just offering internal storage, and again this seems to be a cost-saving measure from Samsung, but it’s likely to disappoint anyone who wants the most affordable handset but needs a lot of storage. There’s a good 10MP selfie camera that produces far more realistic and natural images than previous Samsung attempts.You’ve got four color choices at launch: Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Pink, and Phantom Violet (the shade you see pictured throughout this review) – we think Violet is the standout color here. Even though the panel is of a high quality, 6.2-inches is a little small if you want a phone for lots of gaming and media binges. Thankfully there’s the 6.7-inch Plus model which has a far roomier display. 2. You want a camera with an amazing zoom