The Samsung Galaxy S21 (2021) shoots in DNG RAW via Expert RAW or Pro mode and has no mechanical shutter — the image counter stored in each DNG file records total electronic captures across all cameras. Drop an Expert RAW DNG file to read it instantly.
Check Image Counter →The Samsung Galaxy S21 is powered by the Snapdragon 888 (US/Korea/China) or Exynos 2100 (most other regions) and features a 12 MP wide main camera (f/1.8, 26 mm equiv, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), a 12 MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 123°, fixed focus), and a 64 MP 3× telephoto (f/2.0, 72 mm equiv, OIS, PDAF). The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display runs at 10–120 Hz. Unlike the S21+ and S21 Ultra, the standard S21 has a polycarbonate back panel.
Like all Galaxy S smartphones, the S21 uses CMOS electronic readout only. There is no mechanical focal-plane shutter. Every photo — regardless of which lens — increments the persistent electronic image counter embedded in Expert RAW DNG files.
| Model | Release | Main Sensor | Shutter Type | RAW Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S21 | 2021 | 12 MP (f/1.8, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Expert RAW) |
| Galaxy S21+ | 2021 | 12 MP (f/1.8, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Expert RAW) |
| Galaxy S21 Ultra | 2021 | 108 MP (f/1.8, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Expert RAW) |
| Samsung NX1 | 2014 | 28 MP APS-C CMOS | Mechanical + Electronic | SRW |
DCIM/ExpertRAW or DCIM/Camera. Copy the .dng file to your computer.exiftool -ImageNumber yourfile.dng to read the counter from the file metadata.The S21 is a popular value pick on the second-hand market. The image counter gives useful context about intensity of use. Key hardware factors to evaluate:
| What to Check | How |
|---|---|
| Battery health | Settings → Battery → Battery status. Aim for >80% capacity; cycle count can also be checked via Samsung Members diagnostic |
| Display condition | Inspect the 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X for burn-in (grey background test), dead pixels, or edge delamination; AMOLED burn-in from persistent UI elements is the main risk |
| Camera lenses | Check all three lenses for scratches or fogging; test the 64 MP 3× telephoto autofocus across the frame |
| Polycarbonate back | The standard S21 back is polycarbonate (plastic), which is more resilient to shattering than glass but may show scratches; check for stress marks at USB-C and speaker ports |
| USB-C port | Inspect for lint or pin damage; test charging to confirm normal behaviour |
| Image counter | High count (>40,000) indicates intensive use — useful context, not a hardware failure indicator |
Samsung Expert RAW on the Galaxy S21 produces DNG files using multi-frame processing. Unlike the S21 Ultra’s 108 MP mode, the S21’s 12 MP main sensor captures at native resolution without pixel binning, and the 64 MP telephoto can capture at full 64 MP in Expert RAW. The resulting DNG files are compatible with Lightroom, Capture One, darktable, and other RAW editors.
The image counter is stored in the DNG EXIF metadata under the ImageNumber field. This is a persistent hardware counter that increments with every capture across all camera modes and lenses, and cannot be reset by a factory restore or software reinstall.
Both Pro mode (stock Camera) and Expert RAW produce DNG files that embed the image counter. Expert RAW adds multi-frame fusion, dedicated histogram overlays, and a cleaner RAW workflow. Pro mode DNG is also fully compatible with shuttercount.app.
No. All Galaxy S21 models use CMOS electronic readout. There is no focal-plane shutter mechanism and no rated mechanical lifespan. The image counter in the DNG file tracks electronic captures only.
Install Expert RAW from the Galaxy Store, or in the stock Camera app go to More → Pro and enable RAW or RAW+JPEG output. Expert RAW was made available for S21 retroactively and provides richer DNG files.
No. The image counter is stored in persistent hardware memory and cannot be reset by a factory reset, OS update, or any user action. This makes it a reliable indicator of total device usage history.
Casual users accumulate roughly 5,000–15,000 captures per year; active photographers or social media users may exceed 30,000 per year. Given the S21’s 2021 release, a well-used device could show 20,000–80,000 total captures. There is no mechanical wear threshold — battery health is the primary condition indicator.
In the S21 generation, the Snapdragon 888 (US/Korea/China) offers slightly better performance and thermal efficiency than the Exynos 2100. However, Samsung tuned both variants to use the same ISP pipeline and camera software. Photographic output quality is essentially identical. The image counter mechanism is the same on both chipset variants.