Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (aka Galaxy S21 LED Wallet Cover in some regions) is one of the official accessories for Galaxy S21 with some exclusive features.
This Galaxy S21 accessories guide explains the unique features of the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover, the layout of the LED View flip cover, how to attach and remove the LED Wallet Cover, how to answer or reject calls without opening the cover, how to control music playing on the cover, the difference between Smart LED View Cover and LED back cover. A concise review of Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet Cover) highlights the pros and cons of the cover.
Due to the physical dimension differences of Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, you must use the cover for your model. For example, you cannot use the LED wallet case for Galaxy S21+ on Galaxy S21 Ultra. It simply does not fit.
What are the unique features of Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet cover)?
First, Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover is a flip-cover for your GalaxyS21 (S21+, or S21Ultra). So, it offers all functions of a normal flip cover, e.g., back and front protection.
It also offers the smart wake up (and sleep) feature, which can be found in most flip covers.
Besides, Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet cover) offers the following 3 unique features, comparing to other Galaxy S21 flip covers.
Unique feature #1. Handle incoming calls and control music playing without opening the cover
When the phone rings, you can directly accept (or reject the call) the call without opening the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover.
If you are playing music on Galaxy S21, you can stop, pause/resume music on the cover directly without opening the cover.
Among Galaxy S21 flip covers, only Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover, and Galaxy S21 Smart Clear View (S-View) cover allow you to accept/reject calls or control music playing, without opening the cover.
Unique feature #2. Customizable LED notification icons
The signature feature of the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover is the LED icons for calls, messages and app notifications.
When someone calls you, the cover will show a LED icon as a notification icon. You can customize the LED icon for individual contact so that you can glimpse on the icon and know who is calling without opening the cover.
Similarly, you can assign different LED icons to some apps. When a notification comes, you will know which app bugs you.
Please refer to this guide on how to use the LED icon editor app to customize the LED Wallet Cover.
Unique feature #3. Credit card slot inside the cover
Inside the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover, there is a slot for one or two credit cards. For this reason, in some regions, the cover is often called Galaxy S21 LED Wallet Cover.
A few third-party flip covers may also have a credit card slot. But among the official Galaxy S21 accessories, only the LED Wallet cover has this slot.
Please note, for Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover does not have an S Pen slot for Galaxy S21 Ultra. If you need a cover with an S Pen slot, you can try the Clear View Cover with S Pen slot.
The layout of Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet cover)
As shown in the photo below, the front of the LED View cover has two functional parts:
- Earpiece (top speaker) cutout (I). You can find the location of the earpiece (top speaker) on the Galaxy S21 layout page.
- LED icon region (II). Different LED icons will be shown in this region. You can also use some gestures in this area to control Galaxy S21 without opening the cover.
Please note, the LED icons show a few seconds, then turn off automatically to save battery. There is no option for you to keep the LED icons always on.
Inside the LED View Cover, as shown in the photo below, you can find:
- Credit card slot (wallet) (III).
- Main camera module cutout (IV). The cutout also elevates a bit over the camera lens to protect them from being scratched when you put the phone on a hard surafce.
- NFC antenna region (V).
The S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet cover) communicates with the phone through NFC. Although on Galaxy S21, the NFC antennal and wireless charging coils are located closely, as explained here, the LED Wallet View Cover does NOT affect wireless charging.
How to put on (attach) and remove (detach) Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet cover)?
Unlike the previous generation of the LED View Cover, the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover has both the bottom and top sides of the phone covered.
On the top side, there are only two holes for microphones (see Galaxy S21 layout). On the bottom, there are two cutouts: one for the USB-C port and the other for the speaker.
The SIM card tray is now fully covered in the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover.
Attach Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet cover) to the phone
The new design makes the cover super sturdy. But it also requires you to use a bit of force when you want to put the cover on or off.
To attach the Galaxy S21 LED wallet cover to the phone, you should start with the top part.
As shown in the illustration in the following two pictures below, you may follow these 3 steps.
- Insert the top part of Galaxy S21 into the cover.
- Press the bottom part into the cover.
- Close and open the cover to test.
By default, when you close the cover, the phone screen turns off. If you open the cover, the screen turns on immediately.
If you attach the cover to Galaxy S21 the first time, you should see a notification icon and a notification message about this new cover.
Detach (remove) Galaxy S21 from the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet cover)
As mentioned, the 4-side-closed design of the LED case offers better protection for Galaxy S21. But it offers a small challenger for some owners when you want to remove the phone from the cover.
For example, if you want to change the SIM card, you have to detach the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover from the phone.
To detach Galaxy S21 from the LED Wallet cover, you can start from the top-right corner, pull out the top part first.
As shown in the picture below, you should push back the cover a bit, then try to pull out Galaxy S21.
You should NOT attempt to pull the cover off directly. You may damage the cover.
Please note, unlike the LED Wallet Cover for Galaxy S20 or S10, the bottom part of the Galaxy S21 LED View Cover is covered. So, you cannot use the old method to remove the bottom part easily.
How to reject or accept (answer) calls on Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover?
When you receive a call, you should see an LED icon on the screen, as shown below. You can answer or reject the call without opening the LED View Cover.
By default, the phone icon is used for all contacts unless you assign a LED icon for the contact. After assigning a special icon for the contact, you will see the special LED icon instead of the phone icon. In this way, you can know who is calling by just looking at the icon.
You can swipe to the left side to reject the call, or the right side to answer the call. The gesture is identical to touchscreen gestures.
How to control music playing on Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover?
When you play music on Galaxy S21 with the LED View Cover closed, you can control it without opening the cover.
By default, the LED icons on the LED cover turn off in a few seconds after you close the cover. Of course, music can play in the background.
You can press the Side key to call out the LED icons to control the music play (when the cover is closed, and music is playing). The Side key wakes the LED display, instead of waking up the screen.
Once the LED icons are activated, as shown below, you will see three LED icons:
- Play/pause (A). The icon will change to the Play (“>”) icon when music is paused.
- Previous item (B).
- Next item (C).
You can tap/press the 3 icons to control the media playing.
Please note, the Next and Previous icons may not work with some third-party media player. You can test them with the Samsung Music app.
Difference between Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover and LED Back Cover
Among the official (i.e., made by Samsung) Galaxy S21 covers, there are two LED covers:
- Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (in some regions, it is called Galaxy S21 LED Wallet Cover).
- Galaxy S21 LED Cover (in some regions, it is named Galaxy S21 LED Back Cover)
These two covers are totally different. The major differences include:
- Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover is a flip cover. It covers both the back and the front of the Galaxy S21. Galaxy S21 LED cover is a back cover and it only covers the back of the phone.
- Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover uses fabric-like material with textures. Galaxy S21 LED cover (back cover) adopts smooth surface finishing.
- Galaxy S21 LED Cover is only available for Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+. Samsung did not release the LED back cover for Galaxy S21 Ultra for unknown reasons.
- Galaxy S21 LED cover offers a few additional features, e.g., mood lighting, camera timer countdown, and Galaxy Friends.
Anyway, you may check this guide on how to use Galaxy S21 and S20 LED back cover.
Review of Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover
As one of the official accessories for Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, the Galaxy S21 LED Wallet cover is one of the best flip covers if you need a full cover (not just back cover) to protect the phone body and the screen.
If you just need a back cover to improve the gripping, there are some other cheaper options.
Pros of the Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED View Cover)
- Antibacterial coating.
- Excellent build quality.
- Perfect fit.
- Excellent resistance to dirt.
- Easy to hold.
- Moderate protection for both the front(screen) and the back glass.
- Unique LED notification icons.
- Interaction with the phone without opening the cover.
- A convenient card slot.
Cons of Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED View Cover)
- Not cheap. The $59.99 price (MSRP) tag is not cheap.
- No magnetic (or strip) fixture for the front part after you close the cover. You may open and close the case inadvertently when it is in the pocket.
- On the bulky (not slim) side.
- LED icon for contacts only works for calls, not text messages. All text messages use an identical LED notification icon.
- The SIM card slot is covered. You need to remove the cover if you need to change the SIM card.
- It is a bit hard to remove the cover because both the top and bottom sides are covered.
Overall, Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet Cover) is one of our top choices of flip covers for Galaxy S21.
You may also consider Galaxy S21 Clear View Cover (S View Cover) if you want to use the S View Window on the cover.
Do you have any questions on Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover on Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra?
If you encounter any issues or have any questions about Galaxy S21 Smart LED View Cover (LED Wallet Cover) on Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, please let us know in the comments.
The community will help you.
If you have any questions on using Galaxy S21, you may check our detailed step-by-step Galaxy S21 guides:
- Galaxy S21 new features guides.
- Galaxy S21 how-to guides.
- Galaxy S21 camera guides.
- Galaxy S21 accessories guides.
You can also post questions or share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
The official Samsung Galaxy S21 user manual (PDF) in your local language can be read and download here.
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