Hoping for expandable storage on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? Bad news, there isn’t any…

One of the coolest things about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra was that it shipped with expandable storage – or an SD slot. A lot of Samsung’s phones come with expandable storage. But the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, the company’s new flagship-flagship phone for 2021, will not. And this sucks.

The news was confirmed by Mr Techie – a Twitter-based leaker. The tipster also confirmed the pricing for the S21 range (S21 $800 , S21+ $1000, S21 Ultra $1200) and that the standard S21 model has a plastic back, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra uses glass.

All of Samsung’s Galaxy S21 models – including the base model – will ship with 128GB of storage on base configurations. There is no headphone jack on any of the models and, as expected, Samsung has copied Apple and will not ship any of the models with a charging cable or headphones.

Expandable storage has many uses, but one of its best uses is that you can quickly move anything off your phone and onto another device. The best example of this would be images and/or video, so you can quickly pull move them from your phone to your Mac or PC for editing.

The S20 Ultra supported SD cards up to 1TB, so users had plenty of additional storage to play with. The decision to remove expandable storage on the Galaxy S21 Ultra seems odd; surely Samsung knows A LOT of its users really like having expandable storage on their phones?

My advice? If you’re after a great Samsung phone, and you want expandable storage, wait until the Galaxy S21 Ultra is out and then get a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. You’ll get three years’ worth of Android updates, a bloody solid phone with expandable storage and great specs, and you’ll pay quite a bit less – Samsung always discounts its older models when new phones are out.

That’s what I’d do, if I were in the market for a new phone. Currently, I’m not – I have the Pixel 5 and I am more than happy with this phone right now.

Oh, and if you were wondering about the actual specs for Samsung’s new Galaxy S21 range of phones, Evan Blass has basically leaked all the specs and updates ahead of January 14’s launch event. Here’s what you’re looking at:

Samsung Galaxy S21 / S21 Plus / S21 Ultra Specs

Specifications Galaxy S21 Galaxy S21 Plus Galaxy S21 Ultra
Display 6.2-inch FHD+ LTPS, 120Hz 6.7-inch FHD+ LTPS, 120Hz 6.8-inch WQHD+ LTPO, 1-120Hz adaptive
Software One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 One UI 3.1 based on Android 11
CPU Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100
RAM 8GB 8GB 12GB
Storage 128GB, 256GB 128GB, 256GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Rear Camera Ultra wide: 12MP Main: 12MP Telephoto: 64MP Ultra wide: 12MP Main: 12MP Telephoto: 64MP Ultra wide: 12MP Main: 108MP, Gen 2 sensor 3X Optical: 10MP 10X Optical: 10MP
Connectivity 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1
Colors Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Gray, and Phantom White Phantom Silver, Phantom Black, and Phantom Violet Phantom Black and Phantom Silver
Battery 4,000 mAh 4,800 mAh 5,000 mAh
S Pen support? No No Yes
Size 6 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches 6.4 x 3 x 0.31 inches 6.5 x 2.97 x 0.35 inches
Weight 6 ounces 7.2 ounces 8 ounces
Richard Goodwin avatar