Samsung’s Galaxy S21 5G Series, which was launched early January this year and saw record pre-orders, has now been in the market long enough for some initial thoughts and reviews.

The major point of interest here was that the premium devices were being sold at a lower rate than other flagship devices, a difference of $200 from the previous Galaxy S20 series. The cost savings can be seen in what is (not) provided in the box, but with the improvements in camera specs and processor refresh rate, the S21 is a serious competitor in the smartphone market.

International Performance:

• Europe: Pre-orders for the S21 hit a record level in the UK and the series is currently outperforming both the previous S20 and S10 models. The S21 has cracked the top 10 in Germany, although it is still being outsold by the S20 in other markets.
• India: The S21+ 5G and S21 Ultra 5G captured the second and third spots respectively in the ultra-premium market segment (>$650) in the India smartphone market. It should be noted though, that the S21 series sold at a higher price than the S20 series in the India market due to the lack of a 5G network.
• Saudi Arabia/UAE: S21 series has been available here for approximately three weeks and has already reached the top spot among all the Samsung models in Saudi Arabia while landing within the top five for all smartphone models.

 North America Performance and Reviews:

Consumers have been quick to point out the features that have made the updated model worth the change from the previous version. However, some drawbacks have been noted. At the same time, it was expected that all the new features coming at a lower cost would have some drawbacks.

Listed below are some of the things that consumers are excited to have in the latest Samsung series, and a couple from previous models that they miss:

The reaction to the Galaxy S21 series has, in general, been positive with the new features introduced to the Samsung line-up. An important catalyst in the success of this series will be the expansion of 5G networks. At the same time, the S21 series will be a good competitor along with the previous S20 series in the coming year in the global market.

For a comprehensive look at S21 global sales, see Handset Sales by Model 2019Q1-December 2020.