NFC + wireless payments
Although I recently went on holiday abroad, I didn’t use the NFC features of my S21 – but only because I was paying by cash, and in a foreign currency.
However, as we seem to be finally emerging from the tunnel into the light (with regards to the COVID 19 pandemic), hopefully, later in 2022, I will finally get the chance to properly test NFC payments.
I’m glad I’ve this feature, though, as the pandemic has made me into a bit of a germophobe – which, given the circumstances, is understandable. Whether there’s any science to it, or if it’s just a pet peeve I’ve developed, I am now of the disposition of not wanting to touch physical money that’s been in other hands.
Based on my experience of two previous visits to Prague, in Czechia, the only reason I used cash on my holiday is that the Czech capital is more orientated around cash than cards. In this way, using physical money makes more sense and, thus, is a bit of a necessity.
But later this year and beyond, with NFC onboard, I can hopefully use only my phone to simply ‘touch & go‘ to pay for items in shops.
It’s something I very rarely did with my S9+, but after a pandemic (is it really after, though?) I feel that the NFC chip in my Galaxy S21 will be very useful going forward.
I initially considered the Moto G8 Power as a viable option for My Next Phone – on paper, it looked great.
However, as I was making my decision during various Covid lockdowns, the G8 Power’s lack of NFC proved to be a deal-breaker.
Last year, NFC wasn’t a feature with which I was willing to part. In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t, as although NFC hasn’t yet been a lifesaver for mobile payments, I still use it to transfer files between devices, alongside Bluetooth, Google’s Nearby Share, and Samsung’s Quick Share features.
Build Quality
I love the premium design of my Galaxy S21, and how the edge wraps around onto the back, where the cameras sit. I haven’t really felt its magnificence as I always keep my phone in a case, but looks-wise it is stunning.
That said, its glasstic (plastic glass) back panel means it then has the feel of a much cheaper phone.
It’s a shame, then, that the price was nothing close to mid-range – in fact, mine was about the same price as a new (at the time) iPhone 12.
But, I’ve found that the ‘plastic glass‘ does have a big advantage – it makes the phone lighter. Much lighter than my S9+, meaning it’s not only smaller but easier to hold.
Also, I don’t mind the bezel around the display. It is really small and hardly noticeable, but what is there has helped me to hold the phone better.
There’s nothing wrong with bezels if it means gaining a better grip – which, in turn, means less chance of dropping the phone.
Unlocking my Phone
The fingerprint Sensor under the display has been my preferred method of unlocking my phone. It’s what I’m used to, and so much easier.
That’s despite the selfie camera doubling as a ‘Face recognition’ sensor. When I have used the facial recognition feature, it’s been really fast – especially with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled.
However, I’ve also heavily used the Camera access and Microphone access privacy toggles that arrived with the Android 12 update.
That means access to the selfie camera is cut off, meaning the face recognition feature doesn’t work.
I’m okay with this – especially if it means my privacy is protected when I don’t need the cameras.
But that does mean the fingerprint sensor has had to pick up the slack, and it has performed brilliantly.
The Galaxy S21 came with a much larger sensor then the Galaxy S20’s under display fingerprint reader, so maybe I was right to hold onto my S9+ for just a little longer, until after the release of the Galaxy S21 series.
Storage
The base Galaxy S21 comes with 2 internal storage options: 128 GB, and 256 GB.
These are essential, as the phone didn’t come with a Micro SD card slot – nor did the newer Galaxy S22 series phones!
I opted for the 256 GB model, which gives me the same total amount I had on my S9+ when the 128 GB internal storage was paired with a 128 GB Micro SD card.
I had been aiming for the smaller 128 GB option. Alas, in preparation for a new phone, I was struggling to delete files and apps from my S9+ to bring down the levels of both my internal storage and Micro SD card to 64GB, totalling 128GB.
Thus, the 256GB model was a better fit, especially as I have a lot of ripped CD music stored locally on my phone – yes, I know, I’m old!
That said, I wasn’t happy about losing expandable storage, as having it was so convenient. In the past, all I needed to do was eject the Micro SD card from my old phone and insert it into my new one.
That would have been it – my entire music library, photos and videos all transferred in a matter of seconds.
Losing external storage means I lost this convenience; but, on the plus side, 256GB of internal storage is double the 128GB internal storage of my S9 Plus.
To double the storage on my old phone, I had to employ the use of an external card. Not difficult, and certainly not expensive, but also not uniform.
I guess the main advantage I’ve noticed with my Galaxy S21 is that all my files & photos are stored in the same place.
I no longer have to switch between 2 places to see all my files, they’re just all there together in one spot.
That said, this is still a practice I do with my Galaxy Tab S5e, so it’s not like I’m more organised than before, or that it’s much simpler.
But what it has meant is that, on my phone at least, I am now more able to judge how much storage I’ve used and how much I have left.
I haven’t got 2 different x / 128GB fractions.
Now, there’s just one: x / 256GB.
Memory: RAM, and RAM Plus
My Galaxy S21 came with 8GB of RAM, and so far it’s been more than enough. I’ve had no slowdowns whatsoever, and my phone has been more than capable of handling all my apps.
I’ve also utilised the virtual memory feature, called RAM Plus, which uses spare internal storage space as virtual RAM.
I’ve currently set this at the maximum available setting – 8 GB, as you can see above – meaning I’ve effectively doubled the available RAM from the physical 8GB, to 16GB.
I’ve found the original 8GB is plenty enough, as while I’m a heavy user I don’t tend to leave multiple apps open in the background.
Yes, I’m one of those weird people. It’s possibly an extreme form of OCD, but if I’ve finished using an app, I’ll close it properly.
I’ve only ever kept apps open if I’m multi-tasking – like, for instance, listening to music while typing this blog, opening the Settings app to take a screenshot of my RAM Plus settings, editing the image in the Photo Editor, and finally inserting that image above.
All without closing any one of the apps I’ve just mentioned.
That said, I’ve found through my personal experience that 8GB has been plenty enough, but 16GB – both physically and virtually – has been more than plenty.
Using this combination means my phone has continued to be as fast and flawless as the day I got it… almost 12 months ago!
Next up – Performance!
KPH tech blog 
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