Samsung Galaxy S21 hands-on images leak

UPDATE: With the Samsung Unpacked event due to take place today, it seems Twitter might just pip Samsung to the post – with one user, Mr.Techie, revealing hands-on images of the brand new Samsung Galaxy S21. These new photos offer new insights into the handset, including its thickness and how it feels in the hand.

Mr.Techie was sent a few demos of the Samsung Galaxy S21 ahead of the Unpacked event and he posted his thoughts on Twitter:

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Mr.Techie also went on to explain that "Carrier employees are being trained to not mention the plastic backs at all… or lack of expendable storage or lack of power adapter in the box…". The "plastic backs" comment seems to refer to the entry-level Samsung Galaxy S21, which is rumored to have a plastic back – although the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra are rumored to have glass backs. 

However, Mr.Techie also claims that the glass backs on the higher-end models also feel like plastic:

To discover more of the new leaks, check out GSMArena's breakdown of Mr.Techie's tweets here.

ORIGINAL STORY: We've seen some impressive phones released this year, from the iPhone 12 to the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. However, with 2020 beginning to draw to a close, we're looking ahead to the new year, where we're sure to see even more advanced handsets be announced. The first of these looks to be the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, which could potentially be announced in January 2021.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 series has been the subject of countless leaks in the run-up to its release in the New Year. However, thanks to the leak of three official video teasers, we can finally get a proper look at these upcoming handsets. 

These videos confirm the Samsung Galaxy S21's design, showing that the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21 Plus will have three rear cameras and flat screens. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will have a curved display and four rear cameras, including a periscope camera with a 10x zoom capability. The Samsung Galaxy S21 family is rumored to be fully revealed at an event on around 14 January - and will then go on sale from 29 January.

Watch one of the teasers below.

You can watch more of these videos at Android Police, which was the first publication to release them. 

Apparently, according to GSMArena, the Samsung Galaxy S21 will retain the 108MP sensor for the main camera and a 40MP sensor in the front-facing camera. However, there are no further details as of yet for the resolution of the other cameras in the rear camera module. 

Other rumors include that the Samsung Galaxy S21+ will have a 4,800mAh battery capacity, compared with the S20+'s 4,500 mAh. Meanwhile, the build of the phone will remain largely unchanged, with the front-facing camera, power and volume buttons and USB-C charging port looking fairly similar to the previous generation.

Not only do we have a potential announcement date, but we're also starting to see rumors and leaks about the features of these new phones as well. Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy S21 family will come in three different handset variations with differing screen designs.

A photograph of what's rumored to be the Samsung Galaxy S21's camera housing has surfaced on Twitter, showing three holes for the rumored three cameras. As reported by GSMArena, this leaked image is in line with the renders of the Samsung Galaxy S21 that were recently revealed as well.

We've also heard that the Samsung Galaxy S21 will measure 6.2" diagonally across, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's screen will measure between 6.8-6.9". 

According to rumor website GSMArena, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ will have '2D screens', which means that there will be no curving at the side where the screen meets the outer housing. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will retain the curving screen seen on the Galaxy S20 series. 

While some users enjoy the immersive experience of a curved screen, others aren't a fan of the increased fragility that it introduces to the display. 

Other interesting leaks regarding these upcoming handsets include the rumor that the S21 series will feature a totally redesigned camera bump. This will apparently be larger than the S20 and will wrap around the frame of the device. The cameras themselves will be vertically stacked within the bump, while the flash will be housed separately. 

Meanwhile, we're expecting to see the Samsung Galaxy S21 handsets to arrive with either the Snapdragon 875 or the Exynos 2100 chipsets, depending on where they're being sold. 

Typically, the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S flagship handsets have been available in China, South Korea and the US. According to GSMArena, these phones have often offered better power management, which has left the users with the Exynos chipsets frustrated that they couldn't experience the same. 

However, apparently Exynos users will have the last laugh with the Samsung Galaxy S21 handsets, as the Exynos 2100 variant will apparently outperform the S21 handsets using the Snapdragon 875.

While these rumors are certainly interesting, we'll have to wait until the near year to see exactly what features the Samsung Galaxy S21 family will be packing. However, we're sure we'll be seeing plenty of leaks in the meantime!

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