By John Bugailiskis
SAMSUNG LAST WEEK LAUNCHED a professional quality camera called the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, which also does double duty as a 5G smartphone.
The launch focused on how the new mobile device can make life easier by remotely turning on your clothes washer, starting your car, dimming your house lights, to taking amazing photos even when there is no light. And yes, you can still rely on this $1,719 (Canadian) phone to make and take phone calls and texts.
The phone was released along with the new Galaxy S21 5G ($1,129) Galaxy S21+ 5G ($1,399) which will all be available for purchase on January 29. The prices announced are actually a bit lower than those for last year’s Galaxy S20 models. But like the latest iPhones, these phones come with no charging adapter or earbuds in the box, but a charging cable is included.
Counterpoint Research’s Model Level Quarterly Smartphone Forecast predicts the Galaxy S21 will perform slightly better than last year’s Galaxy S20, but falling significantly short of the Galaxy S10. The research firm estimates the Galaxy S21 will ship almost 30% fewer units over four quarters than 2019’s Galaxy S10.
It points to several factors for the forecast including extended replacement cycles, uncertainty around pricing, a more crowded competitive environment and proximity to the iPhone 12 launch.
Counterpoint Research analyst Sujeong Lim remarked just prior to the launch that, “Galaxy launch dates over the past two years have crept closer to the iPhone, but prices have not. Last year’s delay from Apple coupled with an accelerated launch from Samsung puts the Galaxy S21 within 12 weeks of the iPhone 12 launch – this is not ideal from a price comparison standpoint.”
“The iPhone 12 is hitting a massive sweet spot with its $799 (U.S.) entry price. Furthermore, we are now in mid-winter, with the impact of COVID-19 only intensifying across key markets. Pricing will need to improve from S20 levels for Samsung to avoid disappointment,” she added.
All three phones utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888, which promises to delivers up to 25% better CPU performance and a 35% boost in graphics rendering over the previous chip, plus improved battery life. They can also all take 8K video.
The S21 Ultra features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 1440 x 3200 resolution and is the first phone to feature a 120Hz refresh rate at the maximum resolution. More impressive is how Samsung squeezed not one, but two telephoto cameras on the back, one 3x optical and one 10x optical, which Samsung claims will provide far steadier shots even when fully zoomed. The other rear cameras include 108MP main and 12MP ultra-wide cameras, while the selfie camera is 40MP.
The S21 Ultra exclusively includes support for the new Wi-Fi 6E standard, and it’s also the only Galaxy phone to support Samsung’s S Pen stylus. But the stylus does not fit into the device as it does with their Note smartphones. If you plan to use the S Pen a lot, you can buy a case from Samsung that has a stylus holder, or just keep it in your pocket.
Both the Ultra and the S21+ support ultra-wideband (UWB) technology which enables the phones to communicate with other UWB devices over a short range. When used with Samsung’s Smart Things app it will allow you to do cool things like automatically unlock your car (only 2022 models) as you approach it.
Samsung also announced a new Bluetooth tracking device you can use for items that are not connected to the internet. Called the Galaxy SmartTag, it will ship also on January 29 and works with the installed SmartThings app.
