Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (2021)
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Samsung cannot be relied on to provide up-to-date services. Having just spent $200 on an e-sim and another three hours trying to load the e-sim, I was told the Australian version of this crappy device does not support e-sims - even though other countries' versions will do so. Show details
Follow-up · Not advertised. Ended up using a physical sim. No support from Samsung
Softest screen glass I have ever encountered – Very disappointed. I chose it because of its large screen size and potential to take good photos, along with its brand compatibility with my Samsung tablet. I was expecting a premium product but I soon found that the screen glass was so soft that even the slightest general wear left conspicuous nicks in the surface. I have never had any problems… Read more
with nicks or scratches on any other phone or tablet that I have owned. My other disappointment is the colour calibration in landscape photos. Clear skies are like a synthetic dye with no resemblance to the blues of Australian skies.
Dead at 6 months old and I have to pay for repair – Phone purchased in January 2022. 8/8/2022 without warning phone completly dead, no screen activity or button reactions. Took to Harvey Norman Woodville SA for warranty claim. Tech guy there noted a tiny crack (3mm corner) in bottom corner of screen but was able to get it to run long enough to do a dignostic on screen and ALL sensors worked then… Read more
phone died again. Sent to TECWORKS Adelaide who want to charge me $425 to repair phone. When I asked why I am expected to pay for repairs to a warranty claim the Lady stated "we can only do so much with a broken screen". I then asked if the tiny crack caused the phone to die? There was no responce. I told her I will consider my options.
Update 21/8/22 Clearly Samsung have no intent on replying. After paying for screen under EXTREME DURESS it took 3 days to fix and surprise surprise the phone I got back seems to be a brand new one. Even had all the manufacturers plastic protection on every surface. Did it need a new screen No my money was the cost of the new phone before any profits I'll bet.
Never buying another Samsung product as they and thier service agents are thieves.
Update 2 - 26/5/23 Yet again without warning phone 110% dead. Cannot soft or hard reset. What a total waste of money this piece of crap has been. HN sending off to repair agent again but not hopefull on getting it back. All data lost again.
Update 21st June 2023. I have had to chase everyone on the timeline below :- 29/5 Tecworks advise… Read more (+2 replies)
Worst phone ever! – Screen started cracking within a few days and after 1 drop from slipping out of hand in bedroom, the entire screen shattered! My widgets constantly stop working (some never have). Absolutely horrible decision only made due to Android and Huawei issues Show details
Simply superb – I find the camera very good compared to my old s9:samsung. The speed best I have had before & ease of usage. The new s21 are the best I’ve ever seen. Would love to try the S22 Samsung Elite but due to funds being short.. I bet this again is a superior product. Show details
Fantastic phone – I have just upgraded from the S9 and I find this phone to be awesome. I love the larger display and the quality of the photos is amazing. The phone has plenty of storage for me, but for those wanting more the cost to go up to double the storage is only about $100 AUD extra so great value. My only negative comment would be on the fact the phone… Read more
doesn't come with a charger plug or cord so those are at an additional cost to add with the screen protector and cover for the phone. A bundle of those extra things would be great to see in future
Display problem in just 10 months of buying the phone – Got this phone and in just 10 months it had a dark screen of death. No display all of a sudden. Instead of getting a replacement from Samsung because it was under full warranty, they sent it off to get it repaired. It's been 10 days and I still don't have the phone. Samsung's customer service here is the worst I've ever seen. Just be aware of… Read more
that before buying. I regret so much in getting this phone. Never going to get any Samsung product after experiencing such an awful customer service.
Bitterly disappointed in my Samsung S21 – I bought this Samsung s21 a few months ago. I had an Apple phone before and I wished I had stayed with Apple. This phone was recommended because it makes very good photos. Unfortunately everything that is sent to me by friends via email or What’s App end up in Gallery between my photos. Super annoying. You can turn it off but then you won’t… Read more
get attachments anymore. Then there are motion photos. Why need motion photos when you can make a short video. I once was stuck in the Gallery and couldn’t get out. I had tried everything but the right to left swipe. I also often get stuck in an email and then I cannot get my list of emails back again. The Garden City Samsung shop/kiosk staff are most unhelpful. I am bitterly disappointed with this phone and the lack of support. The people from the Samsung helpline have been very helpful and been able to set up my “back arrow” and the three dots in my phone. My phone was very unworkable before this was set up
Overheats on video call . Piece of crap – I bought this galaxy s 21 ultra 5 g in march 2021. Since then its a pain. Its vbecomes unbearable hot during video call. Some times it auto shuts due to over heating. I contacted samsung but no one helped Show details
Almost perfect – Upgrading from my p30 was hard as my contract came to a end but after researching for hours. I chose the Samsung s21+ 128gb in purple and honestly the hardware is great, the software is great but my only issue is the battery. My S21+ averages 13 hours battery with 5 hours of medium screen time usage. This is still really good but can be so much… Read more
better when you have the new oppo and pixel 6 being released in the next 4-5 months.
My apps run at a 8.5/10 depending on my battery percentage. I wish the back end would catch up and help the battery match the quality of the phone
- +8
A very good phone with excellent cameras let down by not being pure Google – Note: I bought this as my Pixel 2 XL was running out of space and becoming a pain to use. Otherwise I would have just waited for the Pixel 6. So this is an interim phone till that comes out - but I did choose this over several others, including the S20 FE 5G, Pixel 5 and A52 5G. That said, this is an excellent phone! The cameras are amazing but… Read more · 1
some modes can be hit and miss until you get used to it. The screen in fantastic - just turn of the ultra saturated VIVID setting to make it more realistic otherwise your photos will always look different to the shot you took.
The speakers are good but nothing to write home about. Who uses them anyway right? As with all phone speakers, they're only for YouTube but they're definitely never useful for music. There is no headphone jack so a set of wireless earbuds are highly recommended.
There is also no charger in the box! I bought a couple of Quickcharge 3 wireless pads and a few multi chargers from Kogan to charge this and other devices. All of them using the superior USB Type-C.
Obviously this is an Android phone but with Samsung SUPER DUPER annoying overlay on top. I cannot stress enough how annoying it is after coming from a pure Google experience. Literally only a week in and I was regretting my choice to get this phone. However, I have been here before so here are some tips for Samsung newbies and veterans.
1. Never EVER use Samsung's apps. Gmail for mail, Firefox for your browser, Google apps for everything possible. Change the Bixby button to Google Pay, make sure you log into your Google account. If you don't have one, why are you buying an Android phone?! Get one. Don't log into Samsung if you can help it. Use Google Drive to store your photos, not OneDrive. 2. Clean up your app tray. I'm not going to show you mine but I have folders for Google, Samsung, Business, Finance, Media, Social, etc. All nicely tidied up with only a single screen of icons on the home screen. Nice and neat.
You will regularly run into issues with it being Samsung - like Google Photos needing to ask permission to save or delete a photo. OMG Samsung!! But as long as you try and make it a Google experience as much as possible, it will be a better phone. Samsung's One UI sucks so feel free to install the Nova Launcher or another launcher to make things better. It's a shame we can't install the Google launcher but if you want that - get a Pixel.
3. Put a case on it! They're cheap off eBay or from Kogan. Don't bother with a screen protector as it already comes with one. Plus the camera protectors don't work so don't waste your money there.
Overall it's a great phone. Great build quality. Super fast. Heaps of storage on my 256GB version. But even a 128GB would be acceptable.
Pros: Amazing cameras. But some modes can be hit and miss. Great battery life Excellent performance. Excellent screen & refresh rate Ample storage
Cons: It's Samsung Samsung bloatware Samsung One UI No audiojack? Come on wireless earbuds are cheap now! Get over it! I did. No charger or cable in the box
Sorry, the photos were added in a hurry so they're a little jumbled up. There are various photos from the different lenses shown in standard, portrait, selfie, ultrawide and telescopic. The photo of the moon was taken using the telephoto lens on a tripod and still isn't quite right but it shows what is possible with this cameras zoom function.
Awesome Product Loved It – I've upgraded from an Samsung s8 plus to the Samsung s21 and it was a purchase that I will never regret, The screen quality is awesome, wish that the screen could be a little more brighter for easier use in outdoor scenarios. Performance of this phone is top notch, opening apps are very snappy and smooth, I've played a couple of games on it like… Read more
shadow fight pvp and clash royal, played the games very smoothly without any hiccups. Camera is just plain awesome, very sharp image, colors are great but night mode could be a little better but for the size of the lens awesome. Battery last easily a day for me especially with hotspot on and in use. Charging is unbelievably fast with the Samsung fast charger. All in all this phone is bloody awesome and do not regret the purchase.
Upgraded to S21 – Recently had to upgrade as my last phone decided to take the plunge off a shelf and sadly didnt make it! The S21 is a good size phone and great camera, helps that it comes in a pretty colour too! Not having a headphone port threw me for a bit but am loving the Bluetooth wireless ear buds that I have now. I mainly use my phone for social media, calls and audiobooks and everything seems to work as expected Show details
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Terrible service, poor customer support – My 4 month old Samsung Galaxy S21+ developed a fault -which after some research is described by others as black screen of death - phone was non responsive after a full charge. Samsung have no parts to repair my phone and Samsung support have no idea what to do and continually fail to return my calls. Would recommend staying away from this product - I was not aware how bad Samsung support was! Show details
Good phone – Good quality phone and happy with the specs and performance. I bought this model S21+ because LG is no longer making phones which made me sad. Width and Height ratio of S21+ is just right. Ultra version will be too tall and won't fit your pocket. I give 4 stars because of the expensive price. Show details
Awesome phone – I've been a Samsung user for 7 years but I was a little worried about upgrading to the S21+ from the S9+ due to so many bad reviews. I have to say I love this phone. It's so user friendly. When I looked further into the reviews all the negatively was around the lack of a headphone jack and no expandable storage. I've used wireless headphones for… Read more
years so no headphone jack doesn't bother me. I would perfer expandable memory, but just that one issue doesn't stop me loving this phone. I use a cloud service. Overall, this phone is awesome and I will continue to buy Samsung products in the future.
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Hey, thank you so much for your detailed review. We… Read more (+1 reply)