Samsung's Galaxy S21 is making a big splash Now, before we go any further, it is important to realize that the Galaxy S21 is priced at $799, $200 less than the Galaxy S20 In other words, it is clear that Samsung felt it needed to cut some corners to achieve this cost

However, the list of trade-offs is quite extensive, including no charger in the box, less RAM, and no microSD card slot Did Samsung make the right choice? Let's evaluate the caveats one by one

Following Apple's lead with the iPhone 12, Samsung decided not to include a 25W charger with the Galaxy S21 The official reason is this: Samsung wants to support the "journey" of the Galaxy community to reuse accessories they already have and "promote better recycling habits by making sustainable choices in their daily lives"

We get it Not having a charger on your car is better for the planet However, if you don't have a fast charger and want maximum speed, you will need to purchase an additional 25W charger

Bottom line: it may be good for the environment, but it is a nuisance to those who do not yet have a fast charger

The Galaxy S20 lineup includes a microSD card for expansion, which can add up to 1TB of storage Currently, if more storage is needed, an additional fee must be paid upfront

Stepping up from 128GB to 256GB on the Galaxy S21 costs an additional $50 The same goes for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra; only the S21 Ultra is also available in a 512GB model, which costs $1,379, or a $180 premium

Samsung may have surveyed people before dropping this feature, but it's hard to ignore how a cheap microSD card is an upgrade Now you can add 256GB to an old Galaxy S20 for $35

Bottom line: the microSD card slot was one of the big advantages of a handful of Android phones over the iPhone, so it's sad to see this perk go

Samsung began using polycarbonate (aka plastic) backs on its flagship-grade phones with the Galaxy S20 FE, and the trend continues with the Galaxy S21 When you tap the back of the phone, you notice the difference in feel and sound

The Galaxy S21 Plus and the more premium Galaxy S21 Ultra both use Gorilla Glass Victus on the back

Botton line: you can't tell just by looking that the Galaxy S21 has a plastic back

The Samsung Galaxy S21's display is better in the sense that it is more dynamic; the AMOLED panel automatically scales down from 120Hz to 48Hz to save battery life when a higher refresh rate is not needed

However, the resolution is lower, as Samsung has downgraded the resolution from QHD to Full HD The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a sharper QHD screen

Bottom line: given that Samsung ships the phone with 1080p turned on by default, most S21 owners will not notice

Looking at the Samsung Galaxy S21's specs, it is a step backwards from the Galaxy S20 in terms of RAM: the S20 had 12GB of RAM, while the S21 has only 8GB

The higher-end Galaxy S21 Ultra comes standard with 12GB of RAM, and if you want to pay more, you can choose 16GB

My guess is that Samsung believes the performance boost offered by the new Snapdragon 888 chip will make up for the memory loss

Bottom line: less RAM may result in lower multitasking performance, but we won't know until we run benchmarks

Contactless payments like Samsung Pay have been on the rise for some time now, and are on the rise as the coronavirus has made handling cash less desirable However, Samsung Pay became less versatile with the Galaxy S21

Samsung decided to remove the MST feature from Samsung Pay, which allows Samsung phones to be used with credit card readers that support only magnetic stripe technology

Samsung made this decision in light of the "rapid adoption of near field communication (NFC) technology by consumers and businesses"

Bottom line: smaller stores without NFC will not be able to pay for goods In general, however, this will not have a significant impact on everyday users

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S21 seems like a solid phone for the price, based on our tests so far However, Samsung has asked us to give up quite a bit, with all caveats combined Personally, I don't think the 1080p screen is a big deal, and so far the low RAM doesn't seem to be slowing this phone down

But while good for the environment, I think Galaxy S21 shoppers will be bothered by the lack of a charger and the option to add storage; the $100 cheaper Galaxy S20 FE includes both a microSD card slot and a charger

If you want a true flagship with no compromises, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the way to go, but its $1,199 price tag may be out of reach for many