Last night, to absolutely no-one’s surprise, Samsung debuted its latest – and according to the company, greatest – entries in its Galaxy line.

The new flagship phones have followed the convention, featuring an entry level more compact iteration, and larger version. While the S21 offers a 6.2-inch display, the Galaxy S21+ sports an expanded 6.7-inch display and a larger battery.

Both devices Galaxy have an intelligent, edge-to-edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and viewing, with the device automatically adjusting the frame rate based on  whether you’re swiping through your social feeds, playing games or watching content.

A new feature being introduced is what Samsung calls Eye Comfort Shield, which automatically adjusts the blue light based on the time of day, content you’re viewing, and your bedtime.

Snap happy shooting

Much attention during the presentation was given to the camera system, and for good reason – the S series has traditionally been where Samsung has introduced its latest onboard camera functionality, and where it has pushed the boundaries of previous iterations.

The devices sport AI-powered triple-lens pro-grade cameras which can intuitively assesses and adjusts to your scene to ensure optimal exposure. Samsung explained that in Portrait Mode, the AI-powered camera leverages an improved 3D analysis that more accurately separates the subject from the background. It also brings in options for virtual studio lighting and AI background effects to make sure the subject pops from the frame. Additionally, an improved Space Zoom helps ensure steady shots, while the new Zoom Lock minimises shaky hands and captures clearer images at 30x zoom on Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+, by leveraging AI to keep your focal point in the centre of the frame.

Furthermore, the devices have improved 8K Snap to grab clear images from your 8K video footage, along with Super Steady video at an improved 60fps.

A new Director’s View lets you capture video with the front and rear cameras at once for real-time reactions with Vlogger View, and preview or change the angle, zoom or go wide without losing any action with Live Thumbnails.

On the audio capture front, by pairing with Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds Pro, content creators will be able to capture both ambient sounds and your voice at the same time using multiple mic recording. That means you can set up Galaxy S21 in Pro Video Mode on a tripod and use Buds Pro as your voice mic, so you can step away and record speech, movement and background sound in crisp quality.

Availability

The big question of course is almost how much will it cost? Pricing for the Galaxy S21 starts at R17 999 and Galaxy S21+ starts at R21 499 with eligible trade-in value up to R10 000 on Samsung.com

The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ will be available from the 5th of February, but preorders are now open. Both devices will be available in the following colours and capacities featuring deluxe haze finishes:

•          Galaxy S21: Phantom Violet, Phantom Gray, Phantom Pink and Phantom White in 128GB and 256GB models with 8GB RAM

•          Galaxy S21+: Phantom Violet, Phantom Silver and Phantom Black in 128GB and 256GB models with 8GB RAM

•          Additional colours will be available exclusively on Samsung.com including Phantom Gold and Phantom Red[13].

Between January 14 and January 28, 2021, all pre-orders will also include Galaxy Buds Live and a free Galaxy SmartTag. Those who do pre-order will be able to redeem their Samsung Credit on Samsung.com or the Shop Samsung app towards curated bundles and select products for a limited time.