Overview of the Samsung Galaxy A21 smartphone with key features

Samsung's Galaxy line 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, several cameras and a high-capacity battery.

Samsung made a statement about the release of an inexpensive model back in December 2019. On April 8, 2020, the official release for the North American audience took place. The start of sales is scheduled for June this year.

It is not yet possible to order and buy this model in Russia. Therefore, only the main characteristics of the internal “stuffing” and the appearance of the A21 are known, which the company provided for study. Our detailed review of the design and features of the processor will help you decide if the new product is worth your attention.

Case Galaxy A21

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 rather 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 impact 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 positioning of the selfie camera is the latest trend of 2020 and will make the model popular among Samsung fans.

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 hole and a USB port.

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

The smartphone is presented only in black color. Other body colors will be added later. But for now, the choice is very limited.

Screen

The 6.5-inch Infinity-O screen size has a 20:9 aspect ratio, which makes it convenient for users to watch HD+ movies, play games, read books or surf the Internet. The Super AMOLED matrix of the capacitive touch display has an outdated resolution of 720 * 1600, with a pixel density per inch of 270 ppi. Pleasant color reproduction of 16 M has a large viewing angle and a margin of brightness.

Characteristics of the internal "stuffing" 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 performance is an octa-core Media Tek Helio P35 chip, made using a 12 nm process technology, and 3 GB of RAM.

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 The productive Helio P35 surpasses the previously released, but outdated flagship Helio X series.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

Cameras: photo and video

The powerful Galaxy A21 quad module in the future may take a high step in the ranking of high-quality optics. Four cameras support HDR mode - high dynamic range when shooting photos and videos, making the picture more vivid and high contrast. The panoramic photo function provides general 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 leave geographic tags on photos and videos.

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

• 16 MP main sensor;
• 8 MP ultra wide-angle sensor;
• 2 MP macro cameras;
• sensor for image depth at 2 MP.

The description of the quad allows you to judge how it takes pictures at night and in the sun. The user has access to panoramic landscapes of places of different illumination, selfie shots with many effects and the ability to print high-definition photos.

Also, a quad-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 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

The A21 supports Wi-Fi Direct as well as older Wi-Fi b/g/n protocols, except for the latest Wi-Fi ac. The Bluetooth 5.0 technology of the modern format is supplemented with the A2DP profile for transmitting audio to wireless headphones, there is a GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS system. The presence of an 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 dual SIM in a double slot for variable use.

The music speaker provides mono sound. An FM radio tuner and a 3.5 mm audio jack socket allow you to listen to Internet music streaming through wired headphones. The built-in audio player plays audio files in 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. The non-removable 4000 mAh lithium-polymer battery can be charged from a conventional 5V wired adapter and maintains the autonomy of the smartphone for about two days.There is also a 15V fast charging option for quick replenishment of the battery capacity (not included in the phone package).

Additional sensors

The functionality of the Galaxy A21 is supplemented by an ambient light sensor for automatically adjusting the light level, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall sensor, a proximity sensor, a digital compass. The built-in fingerprint sensor on the back panel allows you to quickly and safely unlock your phone for work.

Preliminary cost

In North America, an estimated cost of $250 was announced. But judging by the declared characteristics, the novelty 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 A21 actually costs 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, the Galaxy A21 will occupy its niche in the middle price segment up to 15,000 rubles.

Summary table of technical parameters

Advantages and disadvantages of the Galaxy A21

• new Android 10.0 OS with a modified interface;
• advanced matrix type;
• four-chamber module;
• 13-megapixel selfie camera;
• large battery and fast charging;
• attractive and modern design;
• big 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 release of budget phones. According to customer reviews, the M and A lines turned out to be very successful. Whether the Galaxy A21 can replace the previous generation of smartphones and become a popular model, only time will tell. Now we can say that this is a strong “middle peasant”, it remains to wait for its release and deal with all the advantages and disadvantages in real time.