Samsung Galaxy S21 5G Philippines Price is PHP 47,990, Officially Announced! Arriving in February 2021!

On Friday - January 15, 2020, Korean Giant Samsung Mobile officially announced its three new flagship-level 5G-enabled Galaxy S Series smartphones for the global market this 2021 -- and as in the past several years, previously leaked details about each of them turned out to be highly accurate.

The smallest and "most affordable" of these three ultra-premium smartphones is the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, which dons an official price tag of PHP 47,990 and is slated for release in the Philippines within February 2021.

Essentially, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is just the smaller version of the pricier Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G as the two have the same design identity, display type and resolution, processor model, as well as amount of RAM and internal storage.

I think this model, which is practically "the base" of the trio, is ideal for consumers who want to enjoy the power and imaging prowess of the larger and pricier 2021 S-Series models but they prefer to have a smaller handset that can fit better in their hands, pockets, or purses.

In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G looks like a cross between the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Samsung Galaxy Note20 from 2020. It has rounded sides and corners as well as a near bezel-less face with an Infinity-O punch hole in the upper middle part of the flat or non-curved display. The sides are crafted from aluminum, giving the phone an air of durability and sophistication. The back panel features three cameras neatly lined in a column and housed in a metallic module located in the upper left corner when the phone is held upright, similar to what we see on the Note20. Oddly enough - however - unlike the Galaxy S20, the S21 5G features a polycarbonate back plate instead of scratch-resistant glass, which I believe makes the use of a back-cover a must.

Another thing that's odd about Samsung Galaxy S21 5G is that the resolution of its 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is just FullHD+ or 1080 x 2400, which is a step down from the more pixel-packed QHD or 1440 x 3200 resolution of the Samsung Galaxy S20 from 2020.

However, what's good about this year's S21 5G in terms of screen, is that its display is protected by the new Corning Gorilla Glass Victus panel which has been tested to survive drops on rough surfaces from a height of 2 meters and is 4X more scratch-resistant than competing aluminosilicate glasses.

Like previous Samsung Galaxy S-Series ultra-premium models, this year's Galaxy S21 5G excels in three specific areas: Photography, Video Recording, and Raw Performance.

In terms of imaging, I would say that the three rear cameras of the S21 are largely the same as that of the Galaxy S20 from 2020 in terms of technical specifications -- and the same thing can also be said about the front-facing camera.

At the back, the Galaxy S21 sports the following shooters:

1. 12 MegaPixel Primary Camera with f/1.8 Aperture, Dual Pixel Phase Detection AutoFocus, and Optical Image Stabilization

This is the best of the three when it comes to low light performance and dynamic range in everyday point and shoot photography.

2. 64 MegaPixel Secondary Camera with f/2.0 Aperture, Telephoto Lens, PDAF, and OIS

This one enables 1.1X Optical Lossless Zoom and 3X Hybrid Zoom, which is very useful when you don't want or can't move closer to your subject to take a tighter shot.

3. 12 MegaPixel Tertiary Ultra-Wide Camera with f/2.2 Aperture and AF

This third camera is ideal for capturing scale, making it great for landscape and architectural photography.

For vloggers and Youtube content creators, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G's rear camera set-up can shoot up to 8K videos 24fps -- but if your PC can't handle very large file sizes for editing, you can always record 4K videos at 30 or 60 frames per second, which I recommend in 2021. You may shoot in FullHD at 30, 60, and even 240fps for slow motion.

For those who still love to take selfies, you can do that using the S21 5G's 10 MegaPixel f/2.2 Dual Pixel PDAF front-cam with 26mm field of view. This camera can also shoot 4K videos at 30 or 60 frames per second so you can rely on it for recording your talking head videos while traveling or even in your home studio.

For power users who demand stellar performance from their smartphones day and night, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G meets your demands with its incredible set of internal hardware.

This handset runs its One UI 3.1 customized Android 11 operating system with its very powerful yet ultra-energy-efficient 5nm 2.9GHz Octa Core Exynos 2100 processor, which is the best mobile chipset from Samsung as of writing. The S21 5G also has 8GB RAM for multitasking and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, which is sadly non-expandable, unlike last year's model which has a microSD card slot.

As for the battery, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G has a non-removable 4,000 mAh Li-Po Pack easily delivering up a whole day of uptime with regular use and supporting 25W Wired Fast Charging Support via USB Power Delivery 3.0 as well as 15W Fast Qi Wireless Charging. The phone can also charge wireless accessories on the go with its 4.5W Reverse Wireless Charging Support.

For privacy and security, this 2021 release has an Under-Display Fingerprint Scanner that's integrated with the screen, Facial Recognition, Samsung Knox, and your familiar set of pattern and passcode unlock methods. Combined, these features provide a veritable layer of protection for the user against those who may want to check content on the phone without permission.

To enhance the user's productivity, the S21 5G comes with Samsung DeX and Wireless DeX that provides a desktop-like experience for processing documents. Simply connect the phone to a larger display and you're good to go.

Interested? Looking to upgrade to the S21 5G from your Samsung Galaxy S10 or S20? Well, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G will be officially released in the Philippines sometime in February 2021 via Samsung's retail outlets and via Smart Signature Postpaid as well as Globe's The Plan. The suggested retail price of this model is PHP 47,990, which is PHP 2,000 lower than the price tag of the Samsung Galaxy S20 upon launch. Then again, S21 5G won't ship with a travel charger or power brick due to "environmental reasons" and you'll have to buy one separately for $20 USD or around a PHP 1,000 if you've lost the one that came with your S10 or S20.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Specs

151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm

169 grams

IP68 Certified Water and Dust Resistant

6.2-inch, Flat, FullHD+, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio, 421 ppi density,

Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus

Triple Rear Camera Module:

12 MegaPixels, Wide, f/1.8 Aperture, 26mm, 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS

64 MegaPixels, Telephoto, f/2.0, 28mm, 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x Optical Zoom, 3x Hybrid Zoom

12 MegaPixels, Ultra-Wide, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ Lens, 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video

Front-Facing Camera:

10 MegaPixels, f/2.2, 26mm, 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF

Video Recorder:

Back - 8K 24fps, 4K 30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/240fps, HD 720p 960fps, HDR10+, Stereo Sound Recording, Gyro-EIS

Front - 4K 30/60fps, 1080p 30fps

One UI 3.1

Android 11 Operating System

5nm 2.9GHz Octa Core Exynos 2100 Processor

8GB RAM

256GB UFS 3.1 Internal Storage

No microSD Card Slot

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6

Bluetooth 5.0

4G LTE-A

5G

Ultrasonic Under-Display Fingerprint Scanner

Facial Recognition

No 3.5mm Audio Jack

Samsung DeX

Wireless Samsung DeX

Bixby Support

25W Wired Fast Charging Support

USB Power Delivery 3.0

15W Fast Qi Wireless Charging Support

4.5W Reverse Wireless Charging Support

Non-Removable 4,000 mAh Li-Po Battery Pack

No Travel Charger in the Box

Aluminum Mid-Frame, Polycarbonate Back Panel

Phantom Grey, Phantom Violet

Samsung Galaxy S21 Official Price in the Philippines

Suggested Retail Price: PHP 47,990

Availability: February 2021 via Samsung Authorized Retail Outlets and Network Carriers