In January 2021, Samsung released the Galaxy S21 series. Let's breakdown the differences between the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus to help you understand how to choose between these two models.

Camera

Both the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus have the same rear camera system hardware with 3 lenses: 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 64MP telephoto. You'll find the same features and modes on both models including 8K video recording, portrait mode, and night mode.

Battery

Battery is where we'll start to see some differences between the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+. The S21 has a 4000 mAh battery that can last up to 11 hours when web browsing or streaming video. The larger 4800 mAh battery on the Galaxy S21 Plus 5G can last up to 13 hours when performing the same tasks. Both phones support up to 25W fast charging.

Display

You'll also find a bigger screen on the Galaxy S21+, which measures 6.7-inches diagonally compared to the Galaxy S21, which is smaller at 6.2-inches. The screen performance and quality will be the same, however, as both phones offer an FHD display with a max refresh rate of 120Hz.

Storage 

Both phones come with 8 GB RAM and options for 128 GB or 256 GB internal storage capacity.

Processor

Every model in the Galaxy S21 series comes with the same Snapdragon 888 chipset, so you likely won't notice much of a difference in performance between the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus.

There's not much to consider between deciding on buying the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus. The upgraded S21+ was released at a $200 higher price point, but you'll only want to consider it as a better option than the Galaxy S21 if you need more battery life and a bigger display screen.