Samsung Galaxy S21 launches January 14 — everything you need to know

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — (Image credit: Max Weinbach)

Normally Samsung Galaxy S21 leaks are covertly shared by insider sources, at high risk to their job security. Sometimes, however, you can just get them by ringing Samsung up and asking.

That's how Android Authority managed to get a pretty big scoop. It made a phone call to one of India's biggest Samsung stores, the Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru, and the staff there were surprisingly obliging. They confirmed Galaxy S21's January 14 date along with the colors and camera info.

Samsung Galaxy S21 release date, price, specs and leaks
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January 14 is the day the phone will be revealed, with the phone going on sale on January 22 globally. Pre-orders, at least at this one Samsung store, are open, with customers able to pay a deposit to reserve a place in the queue and the option to pick a preferred model when the phones are official.

The Samsung store also confirmed the use of the Exynos 2100 chip in the Indian S21 models. While the U.S. version of the Galaxy S21 will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 chipset, users in other countries will see Samsung's new flagship chipset instead.

The store also revealed the colors that each of the three Galaxy S21 models will have. The base S21 will come in "gray, pink, purple, and white", the S21 Plus in "pink, purple, silver, and black", and the S21 Ultra in "black and silver".

The S21 and S21 Plus will reportedly share the same trio of cameras, according to the Samsung store. There's a 12MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide and 64MP telephoto with 3x zoom. The S21 Ultra gets a more formidable array of a 108MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto and 10MP 10x telephoto.

We see a similar story with the S21 series' displays. The S21 and S21 Plus both have FHD panels capable of a 120Hz refresh rate, with the former measuring 6.2 inches and the latter 6.7 inches. The S21 Ultra is slightly larger at 6.8 inches, higher-res with a QHD resolution, and uses LTPO technology to allow an adaptive rather than fixed refresh rate, up to 120Hz.

The January reveal date that now looks to be confirmed is earlier than the S20's release date was this year back in February. Rumors about why this is claim it's Samsung trying to prevent lost sales to phones like the iPhone 12.

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.