This is it.
This is the result of a 9 month search for My Next Phone.
I’ve made my decision, and I’m currently typing this blog on my new phone.
But which phone did I go for?
The Galaxy S21, or Moto G30?
Well, drum roll please… I went for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Why the Galaxy S21?
It wasn’t an easy choice. It might seem like it was – given that I was only upgrading to a newer Samsung phone.
But, considering the fact that my search started with the aim of finding a phone that offered a completely new experience, I’m a little surprised myself that a newer Samsung device is what I ended up with.
In my 7th blog post in the series, I said the following:
Although I like Samsung’s One UI, I’m not impressed by their Galaxy A line, and so I’m therefore open to a new experience. The simplicity of Google’s Pixels, for example, is now more appealing to me than ever, and I don’t mind the back to basics approach, as long as it means I also get a reliable phone with quick updates.
I wanted a new experience. I wanted a phone that offered a sense of discovery and adventure.
It might sound like I was asking the impossible, but based on my past experiences, it really wasn’t.
Making the switch from a Windows Phone to an Android – from my Nokia Lumia 820 to my HTC Desire Eye – offered that sense of discovery and adventure.
Upgrading from my HTC Desire Eye to my Samsung Galaxy S7 offered a new experience.
That’s really the last time I experienced any of that. Sure, I hadn’t set out immediately to acquire a Galaxy S9+ either, but it’s what I ended up with after a similarly long search.
And that’s why, this time around, I wanted to make a real effort to change it up, and get a phone from a different brand.
The competition
The problem, however, was that as I spent time researching the other phones in my shortlist, I found that their faults far outweighed the benefits of a new experience.
I wanted a smaller phone, but the Sony Xperia 5 II was the same size as my Galaxy S9 Plus.
I yearned for a Pixel, but the lack of water resistance on the Pixel 4a was a tough pill to swallow – given that rain is more common than sunshine here in the UK.
The Pixel 5 seemed like the best option, but the screen gap, and issues with wireless charging, meant that it too had far too many problems to deal with.
If I’d been happy with a much bigger screen, then a OnePlus phone would’ve been perfect for me.
But, although I was happy to get a new experience, there were a few things I wanted to keep – like the 3.5mm headphone port, and Micro SD card slot.
OnePlus flagship phones don’t have Micro SD card support – that’s only available on the cheaper options like the OnePlus Nord N100. But all OnePlus phones, in my experience, tend to come with huge displays. Considering that I was trying to downsize, it meant that the entire brand wasn’t suitable for me.
The Galaxy S21
All of these things combined, meant that although I yearned for a new experience, I found that I was being pulled ever more in the direction of a newer Samsung.
Not because I wanted yet another Samsung phone, but because it offered that new experience, that new sense of discovery and adventure, without compromising too much on the smaller things.
With the base model Galaxy S21, I’ve lost a 1440p screen in favour of a 1080p panel, and I’ve also lost both the 3.5mm headphone port and Micro SD card slot. But, I’ve gained a phone that’s smaller than my S9 Plus – both in height and width – and much smaller than phones from other brands.
Yearning for a new experience is why my search lasted so long – because, in the end, I couldn’t find what I was looking for. In the words of U2:
When all seemed lost, though, I laid my eyes on the base Galaxy S21, and that’s when everything just… clicked.
Conclusion
The Galaxy S21 was the safe option. The reliable option. It offered just enough new features to make it feel new and different, even though it was generally more of the same.
And as soon as I held it in my hands for the first time, I kind of knew. On the one hand it felt very anticlimactic, but on the other it felt… right.
To reiterate the words of U2, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for… But, maybe what I’m looking for, doesn’t really exist anymore?
An LG phone probably would have been a perfect fit – if one had been available. In previous years, the LG G Flex2 was unique enough to capture my attention.
The LG G5 – while not perfect – was also unique enough with its modular design to capture my attention.
Both the LG G5 and LG G6 had some of the first widely available ultrawide cameras on the smartphone market. Not even the Huawei P9 could compete, despite offering the promise of better quality photography.
But, no LG phones were available. If I’d been willing to just buy a SIM free phone, then LG was an option.
The problem, though, is that even if I’d picked an LG phone, the announcement earlier this year that LG were quitting the mobile space altogether meant that it was the beginning of the end, and I felt myself drawn back to Samsung.
For a few weeks, the Galaxy A71 looked like the best phone for me. But as I’ve said before, the huge screen size was something I definitely didn’t want from a new phone – so, that ruled that out.
And then my mind came back to the Galaxy S21. Samsung, new, more of the same, small & portable. The perfect phone for me.
Thanks for reading my blog. I’ll be back soon with a review of the Galaxy S21, but for now, stay safe people!
– Chris JK.
KPH tech blog 
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