Galaxy Note 21+ pre-release leak might've convinced me to switch

I've been using a Galaxy Note 9 for over 2 years now, finding no convincing reason to switch to any other Samsung phone since I started. Now, here at the tail end of 2020, I might just have been convinced to upgrade. Not by another Galaxy Note, nor a foldable device of any sort. Instead, I think I've been convinced by the significantly massive flat display panel of the just-leaked Samsung Galaxy S21+.

After two years, the thrill of having a display with left and right sides that dip down near the edge has... worn off. The Galaxy Note 9 still looks amazing, and futuristic – I'll never sell this phone, it's grown on me. But I don't think I'd ever buy a phone specifically for its oddly-shaped display again. BELOW: Not the Galaxy Note 9 I've been using, but an example from our Galaxy Note 9 review from back in 2018.

Instead of extravagance, I'm leaning toward utility. If what's been leaked here is entirely accurate, it would seem that Samsung is heading toward utility too. This is a good thing. We've reached the high water mark for the candy bar-shaped smartphone with odd, but not entirely useful display features.

With the Galaxy S21+ it looks like Samsung's summoning the same display finesse as is given to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+. That device has a relatively flat set of sides and an equilateral display bezel.

As it is a tablet, there's good reason that the Galaxy Tab S7+ has the bezel size with which it was blessed. With the Galaxy S21+, the display bezel is minimal, but still present. Samsung isn't trying to hide the bezel with cascading edges. Instead, the design accepts the requirements of the technology – that displays must at some point end – and makes the most of the situation.

Barring the complete absence of the front-facing camera, the leak we've seen today of the Galaxy S21+ looks like the most ideal smartphone design execution I've seen in many years. With the apps and uses I've got for a smartphone here at the end of 2020, this 2021 Galaxy S21+ looks like the most ideal vessel for my immediate future.

It's expected that the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra will be revealed at an event in January of 2021. The release date for the Galaxy S21 family is likely set for later in the month of January – but nothing is official just yet! Stick around and we shall see!