The Samsung Galaxy S21 is still a great Android phone. Despite being a generation old — and come February 2023 likely two generations old — a lot of users may find themselves reluctant to upgrade if their S21 still functions well. Now, Samsung is giving them another reason to hold off on a new phone.
First reported by Droid Life, Samsung is rolling out Android 13 to the Samsung S21 series as of November 30. The rollout is for Samsung’s One UI 5 version of Android 13 and is coming to the Samsung Galaxy S21, Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. That’s another surprising boost for the Galaxy S21 Plus, which was just named the fourth-fastest 5G phone in the U.S. in terms of download speeds by Ookla.
The update is currently available for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile customers. AT&T and T-Mobile customers already started getting the update as of November 15, though some customers are still waiting for their phones to update. These operating systems roll out based on IMEI number and can occasionally take some time. It took me a while to get the Android 13 update on my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, so don’t panic if you’re unable to update right away.
One UI 5 Android 13: New features
Back when Samsung announced the rollout of One UI 5 to the Samsung S22 lineup, we were able to get a look at some of the new features coming with this latest update. One UI 5 includes the ability to customize your lock screen further with more notification settings — even allowing you to get live previews of certain notifications. Another notification-adjacent feature is the ability to change your call background based on the contact who is calling.
Another upgrade is Maintenance Mode. This feature locks down a user’s personal data if they need to get their phone repaired, which is a huge win for Galaxy users. Photographers also got an upgrade just for them — you can now add watermarks to photos. That way you can protect your photos from being stolen by those with inferior phone cameras.
While the Samsung S21 isn’t the latest and greatest anymore, getting the upgrade to Android 13 is a huge boost. Plus, you can get some pretty good deals on one if you’re in need of an upgrade but don’t want to spend more for a Samsung Galaxy S22, especially if you are willing to get a renewed or refurbished phone. However, upgrading to the Galaxy S22 doesn’t have to be expensive, and you’re also guaranteed to get the latest version of Android.
So check out our best Samsung Galaxy S22 deals if you want to find one at a bit of a discount. But if you decided to hold onto your S21, we don’t blame you. Now that it's getting Android 13, you have one more reason to keep using it.
