Samsung Galaxy S21: Should you buy it now? Check out the price drops

This article will be updated regularly, on a monthly basis, and will take into account the major price drops of the Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The idea is to offer a “handcrafted” price tracker to inform you of possible price drops on particularly sought-after smartphone models (feel free to suggest models to watch out for).

Price drop: Is it the right time to buy the Samsung Galaxy S21/S21+ or S21 Ultra?

We checked the price drops on these 3 models via several online price comparison sites. Please note that this is not a change in the recommended or “official” price, but rather the average price of the Galaxy S21/S21+ or S21 Ultra. This price corresponds to the average of the lowest prices among all e-commerce platforms, including third-party sellers in the marketplace!

Galaxy S21 price drops

We can see that the Samsung Galaxy S21 had a big price cut in July following an exceptional discount offer made by Samsung via its official store. 

On the other hand, the phone has only increased in price since then have been hovering around or above the $750 average price. On Amazon, the device retails for $749.99.

Samsung Galaxy S21

Galaxy S21+ price drops

It’s almost the same as for the basic Galaxy S21. Except that unlike the S21’s prices, which have been rising steadily for the past 5 months, the Galaxy S21+‘s prices seem to have stabilized since the end of September, when it last dropped significantly.

The current price is $899.99, which is $150 above the lowest price we have seen the device go for. So we recommend waiting for the S22 release (expected to happen in February) or checking the recently announced S21 FE.

Samsung Galaxy S21+

Galaxy S21 Ultra price drops

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the model that has arguably varied the most in price since its release. After being sold for as low as $900 around June, most retailers went back to selling the flagship model back at the $1199.99 MSRP.

The current lowest price can be found on Amazon, for $1049.99. But for that amount, it may be worth waiting for the S22 Ultra (probably launching in February).

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Galaxy S21 FE price drops

The Galaxy S21 FE was announced in January 2022, after months of rumors and (alleged) delays. The entry-level flagship was launched with an MSRP of $699, and in the following updates, we will update this article with the market prices.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

Galaxy S21 line technical specifications

	Samsung Galaxy S21 family
Product				Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Picture
Display	6.2 inches AMOLED 1080 x 2400 pixels 120 Hz refresh rate	6.7 inches AMOLED 1080 x 2400 pixels 120 Hz refresh rate	6.8 inches AMOLED 1440 x 3200 pixels 120 Hz refresh rate	6.4 inches AMOLED 1080 x 2400 pixels 120 Hz refresh rate
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (USA, China) Samsung Exynos 2100 (international)
Memory	8GB RAM 128GB storage	8GB RAM 128 / 256GB storage	12GB RAM 128 / 256 / 512GB storage	6 / 8GB RAM 128 / 256GB storage
microSD	n/a
Câmera	Main: 12 megapixels Ultrawide: 12 megapixels Telephoto: 64 megapixels		Main: 108 megapixels Ultrawide: 12 megapixels Telephoto: 10 megapixels, 10x zoom Telephoto: 10 megapixels, 3x zoom	Main: 12 megapixels Ultrawide: 12 megapixels Telephoto: 8 megapixels, 3x zoom
Selfie	10 megapixels		40 megapixels	32 megapixels
Audio	Stereo speakers no headphone jack
Battery	4000 mAh	4800 mAh	5000 mAh	4500 mAh
Charging	Wired: 25 W Wireless: 15 W Reverse charging: 4.5 W
Good	Comparatively compact form factor Fast performer even when compared to Plus & Ultra models Plastic back looks surprisingly good Extended software support	120 Hz AMOLED display Improved Exynos 2100 SoC New design Well built Good results from the triple camera One UI with long term support	Daring, bold design AMOLED WQHD+ 120 Hz screen is sublime Improved Exynos 2100 chipset Versatile camera module Fantastic 10x zoom Great battery life and performance Fluid OneUI 3.1 interface is feature-rich	Bright, smooth and responsive 120Hz AMOLED display Snapdragon 888 performance without overheating issues Neat and modern design (despite all the plastic) Convincing wide-angle and 3x zoom camera module Night Mode works great 3 major Android versions and 4 years of security updates IP68 certification
Bad	Poor battery life No S-Pen support No UWB chip No expandable memory	Telephoto camera disappoints No expandable memory Short battery life No S-Pen support Few innovations	Exynos 2100 does not outperform the Snapdragon 888 SoC No charger included No microSD slot 25-watt fast charging only S-Pen is nearly redundant Expensive (although cheaper than the S20 Ultra)	Mediocre battery life Archaic 25-watt fast charging No microSD port or 3.5mm audio jack Charger is not included in the box Price is not competitive
Rating	Go to review	Go to review	Go to review	Go to review
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How does NextPit track price drops of smartphones?

Starting from the launch price of each smartphone when it was released, we started by listing chronologically the first notable price drop followed by the lowest price ever, then the last notable price drop, and finally the current price.

For our listings, we compared prices between Amazon, the official stores, BestBuy and Google Shopping.

When the price observed on the day of the publication of this article and each update is lower than the “official” or recommended price by the manufacturer, we recommend you to buy the smartphone via an affiliate link. If the current price is lower than the last price drop or even the lowest price ever, we will also recommend you to buy the smartphone. Note that this data is manually extracted from the price histories of several online price comparison sites.

What do you think of this new format? Are there any particular smartphones you’d like me to keep an eye on for price drops? Tell me all about it in the comments.