Samsung officially unveiled its latest flagship line at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Thursday. The new Galaxy S21 series offers advancements in smartphone technology. But when will it be available and where can you buy it?
The Galaxy S21 series is the 12th generation of Samsung's popular Galaxy S series. It follows in the footsteps of last year's popular S20 series that not only changed the naming schemes but also offered major advancements in smartphone technology, especially around the camera. That line launched with three 5G phones — the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra — and then followed it up a few months with a more colorful, lower-end Galaxy S20 Fan Edition that was easier on the wallet.
Like the last generation, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series launches with three models and are available for pre-order now and will be available in stores from January 29. The base Galaxy S21 5G, which is available in phantom violet, phantom pink, phantom white, and phantom gray, comes with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage, with the latter available only in gray. Pricing starts at $799.99. Available with the same RAM and storage, the slightly more-advanced Galaxy S21+ 5G comes in phantom violet, phantom silver, and phantom black. It starts at $999.99. Meanwhile, the top-end Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, comes in just phantom silver and phantom black and comes with 12GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. A black S21 Ultra comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The S21 Ultra starts at $1,199.99.
How Do Galaxy S21 Prices Compare To S20 Launch?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 series is actually priced lower than their S20 counterparts were at launch. The S20 and S20+ started at $999 and $1,199, respectively. At first glance, this price difference of roughly $200 in both currencies might appear to be attributed to the fact that Samsung opted to scale back the resolution of these models. While the S20 and S20+ used the same Quad HD displays as found on the S20 Ultra, the screens on the S21 and S21+ are just full HD+.
But even the S21 Ultra is priced lower than the S20 Ultra, which started at $1,399. The S21 Ultra is also $200 cheaper despite it featuring a number of upgrades, including its WQHD+ display, which, unlike its predecessor, can run at 120Hz at full resolution. It seems to be an indication that Samsung acknowledges that last year's phones were a little pricey, even if the line proved popular anyway. Perhaps, the company feels it wouldn't be able to replicate the same success at the same price point in these more turbulent economic times.
And these prices may still be a bit steep for the average smartphone consumer, so it's likely some customers may try holding out for a S21 FE. Unfortunately, if last year is any indication, they'll probably have to wait about half a year for one. That is if Samsung chooses to release one at all.