Samsung Galaxy S21 teaser video confirms a new phone is on its way

Galaxy S21 teaser video
(Image credit: Samsung/YouTube)

A new year will bring a new Galaxy S model. Everyone who follows Samsung's phone releases assumed that would be the case, and Samsung essentially confirmed the news with a teaser video for its upcoming Galaxy S21 release.

There's no actual mention of the Galaxy S21 specifically in Samsung's 30-second video. But the video promises that a "new Galaxy awaits" as the calendar flips from 2020 to 201. That just happens to be the same phrase Samsung's using on its page for reserving your pre-order of the next Galaxy device.

To remove any doubt that we're talking about a new Galaxy S model here, Samsung's video features outlines of various Galaxy S phones over the years starting with the original. You then watch as the phone morphs into each subsequent model, ending with 2020's Galaxy S20 and the promise of a new model to come.

Based on the Galaxy S21 rumors that we've heard so far, we're not expecting the new phone to be a radical departure from the Galaxy S20 lineup. Like those models, the new version is expected to come in standard, Plus and Ultra versions, with the Ultra offering a dynamic refresh rate on its 6.8-inch screen. You'll also get a 108MP main camera on the S21 Ultra along with a pair of telephoto lenses and support for the S Pen. The Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus are expected to offer many of the same features as one another, save for a larger screen and battery on the Plus version.

The arrival of a video teasing the Galaxy S21's release would seem to suggest its unveiling is very close. In fact, the most common rumor suggests that Samsung will show off its new phone on Jan. 14 — two weeks from today.

With the existence of the Galaxy S21 now essentially confirmed along many of its features, there's very little about Samsung's next phone that we don't know. Still, with the price of the S21 up in the air, expect a few more details to trickle out over the next couple weeks.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.