Samsung Galaxy A21 Review 2023: Why Should You Buy It?

May 1, 2023June 14, 2023

Are you looking for a new Samsung smartphone but are overwhelmed by the abundance of choices? Why not try the Samsung Galaxy A21? Read this Samsung Galaxy A21 review to find out why I recommended it.

I’ll give a brief summary of the Samsung Galaxy A21’s specifications and features in this review. In relation to that, I’ll talk about its design, display, camera, and battery.

Finally, reading this review will help you decide if the Samsung A21 is a worthy candidate for your next phone.

Table of Contents

What is Samsung Galaxy A21?

The Galaxy A21 is humongous — it’s a little taller and wider than even the S20 Ultra, despite the Ultra’s greater thickness. The A21 doesn’t share its expensive cousin’s luxurious screen-to-body ratio, though; whereas the S20 Ultra sports a 6.9-inch display, the Samsung Galaxy A21 packs a marginally less ample 6.5-inch screen.

Although, in this price range, its bezels hardly stand out.

The hole-punch selfie camera hidden in the top left corner isn’t particularly distracting either.

Samsung Galaxy A21 Pros and Cons

Pros

Value for money
Long-lasting battery life
Decent quadruple-camera
6.5-inch display

Cons

Only 720p resolution display
Not water-resistant
Comes loaded with bloatware
No corning gorilla glass
Does not support wireless charging

Design and Hardware

The screen is an IPS LCD panel, which is lovely and vivid, but it only has 720p resolution, which shakes out to 270 pixels per inch, which is pretty poor at this size. On a sunny day, it also doesn’t get nearly bright enough to be used outside without discomfort.

Even though it’s not particularly bothersome when you’re not looking for it, there is a slight shadow surrounding the hole punch selfie camera.

Volume and power keys live along the right edge of the phone, and while the power button is at a fine height, the volume controls sit way too high on the phone’s plastic frame. To adjust the volume, you’ll need to wiggle the phone in your hand unless you have particularly long fingers.

A similar distance separates my index finger from the bottom of the fingerprint scanner on the phone’s back when I hold it in a natural position. Not for those with small hands, this phone.

Software, Performance, and Battery Life

At this point, the Samsung OneUI skin is well-known. It’s fine if this is your first Galaxy phone since TouchWiz, though. The dialer, calculator, gallery, and other apps from Samsung’s suite are all poorly designed compared to their Google counterparts, and Samsung’s settings menus can be a little confusing.

However, OneUI is mature and considerate overall. It doesn’t have any grating quirks to sink the experience, and I didn’t mind living in it during my time with the Samsung Galaxy A21.

Unfortunately, the phone is absolutely packed with bloatware. Preloaded apps include Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, two weather apps, no less than four music streaming apps, and others.

Boost Mobile itself also had its way with my review unit, stuffing it with junk like a “secure Wi-Fi” utility — which costs an extra $2 a month to enable, as repeated notifications will remind you. There is no unlocked model of the phone, and I have to assume that other carriers are roughly just as intrusive.

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy A21 comes with a quad camera setup, as prominent branding next to the sensors eagerly points out. There are four different cameras: a 16.1 megapixel primary camera, an 8 megapixel ultrawide, a 2 megapixel macro, and a 2 megapixel depth sensor.

The latter two cameras are total junk. The strategy that many manufacturers have been employing recently is to cram a few extra cameras in and brag about how many you have. I wish they’d stop.

Final Words on Samsung Galaxy A21 Review

Yes, if your budget is a strict $250 and you want a large phone from your carrier. The A21 is an incredibly large device for an incredibly low price, and it performs basic tasks well enough for people who are not as picky about their electronics. Be ready to disable a lot of bloat, though.

I would also give used and refurbished phones a close examination first. For roughly the same price, you can purchase an unlocked Galaxy S9+ on Swappa, which would offer a superior overall experience.

But if your carrier is offering particularly appealing incentives or financing that meets your needs, you could do worse than Samsung Galaxy A21.

For more Samsung Galaxy reviews, keep reading:

FAQs About Samsung Galaxy A21 Review

Is Samsung a 21 Worth Buying?

For the price, in particular, I’m pretty impressed with this phone. The entry-level phones are significantly less expensive than the $900 models, but this one is still quite good. If you don’t want to choose the top model, we advise against doing so. It’s worth paying more than the entry-level.

How Old is the Samsung A21?

Samsung Galaxy A21 mobile was launched on 8th April 2020.

What is Special About Samsung A21s?

Galaxy A21s has fast processing and spacious storage so you can focus on now.

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