Samsung Galaxy S21 leaked renders show... isn't that the Galaxy S20?
Spot the difference
We've been hearing rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S21 might not change much design-wise from the Galaxy S20 series, and some new leaked renders of the Galaxy S21 Plus suggest that could well be the case.
These images come from Pigtou, and they were made in collaboration with leaker @xleaks7. It's worth noting neither of those are established names in the phone leaks business, though, so take these images with a big pinch of salt - including for reasons we'll get to.
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Here it is! The complete look of #Samsung #GalaxyS21Plus / #GalaxyS30Plus based on leaked CAD drawings. + 4k video + dimensionsThanks to my partners at @pigtou_ - https://t.co/VsrrPfIYbgFollow for more content!#android pic.twitter.com/JwvsjDUxxCDecember 1, 2020
In the images we see... well, there's no better way to describe them than by saying the phone depicted looks almost identical to the Galaxy S20 Plus (pictured at the top of this article). There are only two real differences.
The first key difference is the camera bump, which in the render looks slightly different, as the block merges seamlessly into the frame of the phone, where on the Galaxy S20 it was a distinct block.
The second is that these images don't show a curved-edge display, where the S20 had this feature. Previous rumors have suggested the S21's screen won't have curved edges, which gives some credibility to this aspect of the renders.
For a breakdown of the rest of the design, you may as well just read our Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review.
Disagreements on display
The design of this Galaxy S21+ is very beautiful, especially the back, but the front is inaccurate. For the front design, please refer to the fourth picture. pic.twitter.com/0C0Ocm036CDecember 1, 2020
Shortly after the aforementioned pictures were published, esteemed leaker @UniverseIce claimed they were incorrect when depicting the phone's screen. They republished the images, along with an extra image showing what they think the screen will look like.
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While the differences between the images in the original post and @UniverseIce's are minor, the screen in the latter has slightly thicker bezels, and a bigger cut-out for the front camera.
We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy S21 series of smartphones to launch in January or February 2021, and when that happens we'll know exactly what the phones look like, and if there are any significant design changes from the Galaxy S20.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.