I have an S20+ and am contemplating the same thing. I don't do gaming or watch videos, the cameras are really the main thing for me as I'm a photography enthusiast that doesn't like to always bring my APS-C Sony compact around with me. I'm also an IT Professional of 25 years and understand the O/S and how it uses RAM. As another poster pointed out, you rarely would ever need even more than 8GB of CPU RAM. 12GB is PLENTY.
The S20+ and S21 Ultra are very similar as far what you are getting overall. People tend to get hung up on minute differences in specs to justify their upgrade. If people want to spend (waste) their money to make sure they can flaunt the latest greatest despite whether it brings any significant practical benefits, that's people's freedom of choice. I'm about getting almost the latest technology at the best bang for the buck.
A side note on trade in. Always check the Ebay selling price for the Sold auctions for your phone and subtract 10% to see what you could sell it yourself for. If (after deducting 10%) it's more than 10% higher than the trade price they are giving you, then just sell it, don't trade it. To me avoiding the inconvenience of selling on Ebay is worth a 10% difference.
The only reason to get the S21 Ultra over the S20 Plus or the S20 Ultra is to get the better cameras. Period. You can talk about all the other differences until the cows come home but they are relatively minute compared to the difference in cameras, especially with the S20+. If camera performance isn't a huge factor for you (the S20+ has better cameras than probably 90% of the Android phones out there) then keep your S20+.
Some things about the S21 people might tout:
- S21 Ultra has Gorilla Glass Victus instead of 6 on the S20 Plus. Scratch tests show Victus has no real significant difference in scratch/drop protection than Gorilla Glass 6. It's hype. Keep your case on.
- S21 slightly better display, and dynamic variable refresh rate to save battery. No real-life significant benefit over S20+ and S20-Ultra both have fantastic screens.
The main benefits of the S21 over S20+ or S20 Ultra:
- Two OPTICAL zoom cameras at 3X and 10X. The zoom camera is WAY better than the S20+ and a lot better than the S20 Ultra. BUT, I can tell you, most people in 99% of their photo taking situations don't need more than 3-5X zoom so this is a bit of hype to engage in the camera spec wars (sort of like the digital camera increasing megapixel marketing hype wars of years past).
- Laser Autofocus. The Achilles heel of the S20 Ultra was in didn't have great focus performance. The S21 fixes that. (The S20+ doesn't have the focus issue.)
These are the downsides of the S21 Ultra that you will lose going from an S20 Plus:
- No expandable memory (no micro SD card slot making it easier to move files around and you can expand your memory as needed)
- Big and heavy. To some, this is a minus, to others, if they look at their phone as a way to show off their "bling" then bigger and more noticeable the better. For your average size hands with case, the S20+ in my opinion is getting to about the max size for ergonomics. Not to say S21 is pain to handle and carry but it IS considerably heavier and chunkier.
If you read the reviews for the S21 Ultra on the Amazon listing page, the first most popular review really says a lot. Notice he doesn't go into camera details. As the bottom line is, unless you absolutely are starving for a 10X optical zoom, the S21 Ultra is a waste of money coming from the S20 Plus/Ultra. You'd be better off getting a Note 20 Ultra that has 5X optical zoom, SD card slot and big 6.9" screen rather than getting the S21 Ultra.
Read the review (usually the first) "So much promise and anticipation only to be let down, not without advancements at a cost."
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Elec...998UZKEXAA/dp/B08P54F6HB?th=1#customerReviews
Some excerpts:
"I found myself missing the S20 Plus, and more the S10 Plus, even with the new upgrades. I've lost enthusiasm and confidence in Samsung. The S21 Ultra's weight and size is not for me, I found myself with hand fatigue and not really enjoying using the S21 Ultra. The Note 20 Plus is actually the better phone than the S21 Ultra if you want productivity and comfort."
"If you still own the S10 Plus, keep it, if you own the S20 Plus, keep it. The S21 Ultra, in my humble opinion is Samsung reducing itself to become the villain. It's harsh and it's my opinion."
I dropped in to see what in store might offer. They can't or won't touch the online discounts. The best they could do for me was $340 trade in. Add on the upgrade fee, activation charge, and sales tax the trade in was less than $200 leaving an out of pocket $1000. Needless to say, I did not make a deal with them today.
Both the Verizon branded and the unbranded 512gb phantom black models are still in stock.