Samsung - Galaxy S21 5G 256GB - Phantom Gray (Verizon)

This is a replacement phone for my Galaxy S7 that I had to replace because the battery was giving up. It's snazzy, has lots of bell and whistles, but honestly I would have preferred to keep my old phone. This new one has 5G but it doesn't do me much good where I am. I guess it'll come in handy down the road? The size is good in that it's not too big. I carry my phone in a pocket of my jogging pants when I run and it fits well. I DON'T like the black hole on the screen top where the camera is, but I've gotten used to it some. I read that initially you could hide it through settings but that was removed. Overall, the phone doesn't feel as substantial as my old one--it's plastic now so that's understandable. Makes it lighter but it just doesn't feel as nice to me but that may change as I get more accustomed to it. The screen quality is great, functions are great, it's pretty easy to use although there's still a learning curve for me and a lot of features I'll likely never use or probably even know about. My major disappointment is in the sound quality for phone call. It's very tinny and that, from what I've heard, is just something you have to live with. I have gotten more used to it but it seems like on a PHONE they would make PHONE CALL AUDIO a more important feature. I've taken some pictures but I couldn't honestly say they look much different to me than the ones I took with my old phone, but I'm still new with this one so that's likely something I'll have to learn about. I think I got a decent price on it (the larger S21s are ridiculously expensive). I am unhappy that they no longer include a micro SD slot, supposedly because they needed more room for the extra camera stuff and the 5G, so I got the 256GB to hopefully compensate since I keep my phone as long as possible. There also seems to be something with Verizon phones in particular that omit that feature. It's a good phone, but I can't say it's a vast improvement over my old S7 since I can't use the 5G so speeds aren't hugely different. That opinion may change as I get more used to using it and find more things I can do that I'm currently not using. PROS: Slim, lightweight, good-sized screen, easy to use, lots of features, much better price than the high-level S21s CONS: Sound quality on calls is tinny, feels kind of cheap compared to my old phone, black dot on front screen is annoying, no micro SD capability

Love the phone as you would may expect. I'm a long time Galaxy user. Screen appears ever so slightly larger than the S9 I replaced it with and much larger than my S10e. Screen also appears much clearer. This could be from higher resolution or just simply it's new. Although I haven't played a lot with the camera it appears to take higher resolution shots right out of the box. It also appears to be faster and connects to devices quicker and with less hassle. Some minor cons, it does not come with a USB cable or a charger. Why would you not provide a charger? It only comes with a dual sided USB-C cable. fortunately I have plenty of chargers and even one computer with a USB-C connector. But I have many USB-C to USB cables and chargers from all the other phones I've owned. If this is your first phone though you may have to go buy these. Also, I wish this phone had the micro SD expansion slot. Fortunately, I got the 256GB phone. I do not believe 128GB is enough memory without an expansion slot, so be aware of that. Lastly, the phone is pretty new and I'm having trouble finding accessories. I wish there were more available, but I know eventually they will. In all, I am very pleased but I am also biased.

Replaced my wife's Galaxy S9 and honestly other than the camera there's not much difference for the average user. Message and phone are 90% of her usage along with a few basic on-line games. On the plus side it is fast and the display is really sharp. The additional on-board memory is a plus. On the down side - one MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT that Samsung has eliminated the SD capability (other than via a dongle connection). That cost a star in this rating and I thought about knocking it down 2 stars. Overall a good phone and would recommend it for most folks.

I switched over from being a long-term Pixel user. The price was tempting and thought I would "come back" and try Samsung again. I miss smaller phones and this one is just pushing the limit for me but still narrow enough to reach my thumb all the way across the screen. The hardware is great and I appreciate the smooth user interface and opportunity to customize. Very please to have much less bloatware than back in the days using my S7. Only reason I gave a 4 vs a 5 star is that I am disenchanted with the reduction in feature sets for those of us just wanting a smaller form factor--I would happily pay for a premium small Android device. Overall no complaints and given the choice would make the purchase over.

So I am still trying to learn the camera options, but can tell you the camera quality is suberb!! Seriously. Crisp, clear and well lit. The phone is nice, but doesn't seem a whole lot different than my S8 that I traded in. I know that sounds weird, but I expected speed and something of a wow factor. It is very strange to get used to the volume and power buttons on the right side. Why do they do that? There used to be 5 screens which was overkill, but now there is 14!!!! Who needs all of these screens? Deleting most of them now. I stayed with Samsung because I really didn't want to 'learn,' Apple. Still glad I did, but don't understand any hype of 5g or this newer model OTHER than the camera.

Didn't want a big/Max size phone, so went with a more traditional footprint. However, the screen is absolutely fantastic and stretches the entire area so I don't feel like I'm missing out. The camera is piece of wonder and completely holds its own against my wife's iPhone 12 Pro Max camera (for half the price). Battery life also surprised me in a good way. During casual use (email, messaging, news), it's good for 2 days. Easy to recommend this one.

Although there were some hitches getting my new phone going, I was greatly appreciative of the 3-4 crew members who helped with the seamless transition of all my apps and data from the old phone to the new. That kind of service is why I went to BB rather than the Verizon store.

The phone is easy to use. It is more compact than my previous Samsung (A50). The camera is excellent and it takes crisper pictures . The storage space is ideal as some many providers are requiring use of an app for ordering products.