Samsung Galaxy S21 series announced, camera enhancement and S Pen support about 21,000 yen price cut | GLM

Samsung in 2021 doesn’t waste time. With the Mobile World Congress (MWC) being postponed for about six months, the company announced a new product with the lingering lingering sound of CES 2021. However, unlike the recent press conference, this Unpacked event was held on a stand-alone product only.

That would be natural. In the mobile industry, which has a lot of problems (the new corona pandemic doesn’t help, of course), the Galaxy series is really doing well. Everyone may not buy the flagship model as much as a few years ago, but if you do, Samsung is a familiar story.

I usually don’t write the price to the end in this kind of article, but this time it’s worth the advance. On January 14th, Samsung announced three new models in the S21 series, the S21, S21 + and S21 Ultra. The prices in the US are $ 799 (about 82,900 yen), $ 999 (about 103,700 yen), and $ 1,119 (about 116,100 yen), respectively. In 2020, it was $ 999, $ 1199, and $ 1399 (about 145,200 yen). It must be a flagship price, but the price cut of $ 200 is not small.

And this is a conscious change that is different from trying to quell the market with a cheaper version of the flagship model or the flagship light. Smartphone sales have been declining since before the pandemic, and the constant pricing of the flagship model of over $ 1,000 has been particularly fueled. Of course, the pandemic has exacerbated it in many ways. And 5G, which was supposed to cause a rebound in sales, was far from expected.

Of course, 5G has been Samsung’s main feature since 2019. The company has put everything into the Galaxy series these days, so 5G is pretty much what you’d expect. Perhaps Samsung once again considers image processing as an important differentiator.

Mobile director TM Roh said of the new device:

With more people working remotely and spending more time at home in the mobile-first world, we want to deliver a smartphone experience that meets the ever-changing behavioral multimedia demands of people. And that’s why we recognize the importance of choices. That’s why the Galaxy S21 series gives you the freedom to choose the best device that suits your style and needs.

It’s painful to see why companies continue to say “in this difficult time” in their recent announcements, but in most cases, new models that support the new coronavirus (COVID-19) are Apart from the prices mentioned above, it would be too much. And, I think, the dream of smartphones becoming a major productivity device is probably disappearing now that fewer people are leaving home.

That said, the S21 Ultra has one very important thing to hide. With Ultra’s S Pen support, Samsung has further blurred the line between the Galaxy S and Note. The user experience is somewhat different, but users will be able to use the stylus to write letters and pictures on their devices. The pen is sold separately and can’t be stored in the device, but Samsung plans to release a case that can hold the pen. It will be interesting to see if the new Note will be aggressively differentiated or if the two series will be integrated. After all, the S Pen has been an important differentiator for many years.

Since the new model also has an Ultra-Wideband function, it has many functions such as unlocking the car door and finding dropped items with AR messages. More on that later.

The biggest change in appearance is the straightening of the camera housing. I’ll refrain from evaluating it until I see it, but the new “contour-cut” housing is more industrial than the Brutalist or previous generation. Extended memory is obsolete. I’ve heard that the built-in memory these days has made the micro SD almost useless, but it was a bit of a differentiating factor.

Samsung also removed the headphone charging adapter from the package. That’s what was expected since Sansung withdrew an ad that ridiculed Apple’s discontinuation of accessories for its environmental friendliness. As with the headphone jack, history repeats itself.

On the hardware side, the situation with triple cameras hasn’t changed much. The S21 and S21 + are equipped with 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, 12-megapixel wide-angle, and 64-megapixel telephoto, and a 30x space zoom. Ultra features a dual telephoto system consisting of a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 108-megapixel wide-angle lens, and 3x and 10x optical zooms. This is the first time Samsung has adopted dual telephoto. The Ultra also has improved low-light photography thanks to the Bright Night sensor.

Image processing software includes a function to cut still images from 8K video, improved image stabilization, and “Vlogger view” that allows you to use the front and rear cameras at the same time. It’s unlikely that I’ll use the last feature on a daily basis, but I’m sure some people will find it creative.

The screen sizes are about 6.1, about 6.7, and about 6.8 inches, respectively, and the last number is smaller than the 6.9 inches of all models, the S20 Ultra. All refresh rates are 120Hz and adapt to usage. The new Eye Comfort Schield on all models reduces blue light.

In the United States, all three models will be equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. S21 and S21 + from RAM 8GB, storage 128GB, Ultra from RAM 12GB, storage 256GB. The batteries are 4000, 4800 and 5000mAh, respectively. Reservations are currently being accepted in the United States and shipping is scheduled for January 29th.

Related article: Samsung announces Galaxy Buds Pro, a wireless earphone that competes with AirPods, and competes at a price of about 21,000 yen