Samsung’s Galaxy S21+ 5G is the middle seat of the company’s current high-end S21 series, squeezed between the slightly smaller S21 5G and the top-of-the-line S21 Ultra 5G. It sports a 120 Hz, 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, slightly larger than its sibling S21, but with the same resolution (2400 x 1080), and has a centered hole punch for the selfie camera. Here we are testing the US and China version, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset, as opposed to the Exynos version available in the rest of the world. Both have 8 GB memory with either 128 GB or 256 GB storage.
There are three cameras on the back, with specs that exactly mirror the smaller S21. The primary camera has a 12 MP coupled with a 26 mm-equivalent optically stabilized lens. The ultra-wide offers 12 MP and has a 13 mm-equivalent lens. The tele camera used a wide-angle lens (29 mm-equivalent) but uses a 64 MP sensor, which gets binned down to 12 MP output.
The Galaxy S21+ 5G shoots video at up to 8K resolution at 24 fps; however, just like on the S21 Ultra and the standard S21 we used 4K and 60 fps for testing. Lower resolutions and higher frame rates are also available for recording in slow motion.
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 12 MP 1/1.76-inch sensor with 1.8 μm pixels, 26 mm-equivalent f/1.8 lens, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 12 MP sensor with 1.4μm pixels, 13 mm-equivalent f/2.2 lens
- Tele: 64 MP 1/1.72-inch sensor with 0.8μm pixels, 29 mm-equivalent f/2.0 lens
- LED flash
- 8K at 24 fps, 4K at 60 fps (tested), HDR10+
Achieving an overall score of 119, the Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon) captures almost identical image quality to the more diminutive S21 5G (Snapdragon); no surprise as the two models share the same camera hardware. We couldn’t get a cigarette paper between them in our analysis, so if you want to save a few bucks and can live with a smaller screen and lower capacity battery, the standard S21 5G (Snapdragon) is just as good for photography.
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon), neutral white balance and pleasant color rendering
Given the almost identical results, we are posting only this short article for the Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon). For a full set of sample images and measurements as well as a complete analysis, please click on the link below and read the full review of the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon).
Go to the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon) Camera review
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon)

119
camera
83
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (111)
101
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (107)
90
Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
Best: Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (109)
94
Xiaomi Mi 11
Best: Xiaomi Mi 11 (111)
71
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (102)
63
Google Pixel 6
Best: Google Pixel 6 (77)
59
Huawei Mate 40 Pro+
Best: Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ (82)
70
Huawei P50 Pro
Best: Huawei P50 Pro (80)
60
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (80)
91
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (140)
46
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (58)
90
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (118)
95
Honor Magic4 Ultimate
Best: Honor Magic4 Ultimate (107)
89
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (109)
70
Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
Best: Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon) (99)
69
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max (105)
76
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Best: Oppo Find X2 Pro (94)
98
Vivo X70 Pro+
Best: Vivo X70 Pro+ (103)
Position in Global Ranking

51
st
5. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
137
10. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
133
14. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
131
14. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
131
14. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
131
21. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
130
29. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
126
29. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
126
29. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
126
33. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
124
33. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
124
36. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
123
41. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
121
41. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
121
43. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Exynos)
120
43. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Exynos)
120
43. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
120
51. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon)
119
51. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
119
54. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Exynos)
118
58. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
117
62. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Exynos)
116
62. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
116
62. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
116
66. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Exynos)
115
73. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Snapdragon)
112
84. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
109
84. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
109
86. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+
108
93. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
106
96. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
105
96. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
105
96. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
105
105. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
103
108. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
102
113. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
92
114. Samsung Galaxy A71 5G
88
114. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
88
116. Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
87
Position in Ultra-Premium Ranking

37
th
5. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
137
10. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
133
13. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
131
13. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
131
19. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
130
25. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
126
25. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
126
28. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
124
28. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
124
31. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
123
33. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
121
34. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
120
34. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Exynos)
120
34. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Exynos)
120
37. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Snapdragon)
119
39. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
117
41. Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (Exynos)
116
41. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
116
44. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Snapdragon)
112
48. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
109
48. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
109
Pros
- Neutral white balance and pleasant color rendering in most photos and videos
- Accurate target exposure in most photos
- High detail in outdoor and indoor photos and videos
- Pleasant bokeh photos with mainly accurate depth estimation
- Very wide field of view on ultra-wide shots
- Effective stabilization on walking videos
- Good white balance and color rendering on indoor and outdoor videos
- Accurate autofocus on most videos
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