How to Select the Best Mobile Phone for Your Usage Pattern: 5 Essential Tips.
Samsung has ended support for one of its best-selling phones. Samsung has discontinued support for one of its best-selling smartphones. The company added the Galaxy S21 to its list of discontinued devices, completing a cycle that began five years ago. The company added the Galaxy S21 to its list of discontinued devices, completing a cycle that began five years ago. Owners of this phone will no longer receive quarterly security updates or an upgrade to One UI 8.5. Owners of this phone will no longer receive quarterly security updates or an upgrade to One UI 8.5.
Samsung no longer supports all Galaxy S21 models, as stated on their official website. Samsung no longer supports all Galaxy S21 models, as stated on their official website. The S21 series was launched on January 14, 2021, meaning it has now reached the end of its four-year Android system update period and its five-year security update period.
The end of support for the Galaxy S21 shouldn't surprise anyone. As with most electronic devices, manufacturers set a support period during which they receive security updates, bug fixes, and new operating system versions. In the case of Samsung phones, the previous policy was a maximum of five years before they became obsolete.
But this changed with the launch of the Galaxy S24 in 2024, as the South Korean company revised its support policies to offer up to seven years of updates. According to official information, Samsung releases firmware updates monthly, quarterly, and semi-annually, which include the latest Google security patches, as well as other proprietary fixes. This period also covers up to five Android versions via the One UI user interface.
Unfortunately, for owners of older S24 models, the new policy is not retroactive, and their phones have already reached the end of their lifecycle or are nearing obsolescence. This is the case with the Galaxy S21, which received One UI 6 with Android 14 in early 2024, along with numerous security updates throughout that year and 2025.
If you own a model from this family, it might be time to consider replacing it. While the Galaxy S21 has good performance and a good camera (S21 Ultra), there are other factors to consider besides updates. The most prominent is the "line of death," a green line that runs across the screen from top to bottom.
This problem stems from a defect in the AMOLED screen, and there is no fix for it. Some users have reported that high temperatures accelerate the appearance of the defect, so Samsung offered free screen replacements to those affected. The problem is exacerbated by battery degradation, which will negatively impact the phone's battery life until it is replaced with a new one.
In short, the Galaxy S21 was a great phone and helped Samsung recover from the poor sales of the Galaxy S20. However, support for it will end after 2026, and it may be prone to some problems, so it is not recommended to use it as a phone for daily use.