{"id":461096,"date":"2021-01-15T07:29:25","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T05:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=461096"},"modified":"2021-01-15T07:29:25","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T05:29:25","slug":"samsung-launches-galaxy-s21-phones-with-lower-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/mobile\/461096\/samsung-launches-galaxy-s21-phones-with-lower-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung launches Galaxy S21 phones with lower prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Samsung Electronics Co on Thursday debuted three Galaxy S21 smartphones, upgraded earbuds and a gadget to track physical items, setting out its stall to compete with Apple Inc.\u2019s existing and future device range.<\/p>\n

The South Korean company\u2019s new flagship handsets are $200 cheaper than last year\u2019s lineup across the board: the Galaxy S21 starts at $799.99, matching the iPhone 12, while the larger S21+ is $999.99 and the upgraded S21 Ultra costs $1,199.99.<\/p>\n

The price drops are an acknowledgement of the current pandemic-riddled economy where consumers are holding off on non-essential purchases as well as a move to ward off rising competition from the likes of Xiaomi Corp.<\/p>\n

Samsung said it sees a \u201cbifurcation\u201d in the smartphone market, between consumers wanting the very latest tech and more cost-sensitive shoppers, which has motivated its new strategy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a similar approach to Apple\u2019s split of the iPhone line into standard, Pro and Pro Max models that differ in cost, materials, size and camera specs.<\/p>\n

The Galaxy S21 series come in roughly the same dimensions as last year \u2014 going from the 6.2-inch S21 to the 6.8-inch Ultra \u2014 though Samsung has reduced the resolution and memory of the two smaller phones, moves likely made to accommodate the lower prices.<\/p>\n

In the US, Samsung will be relying on Qualcomm Inc\u2019s Snapdragon 888 processor while other markets will get its latest in-house Exynos 2100 system-on-chip.<\/p>\n

Both mark a move to more advanced 5nm manufacturing, catching up with the silicon already inside Apple and Huawei Technologies Co\u2019s latest devices.<\/p>\n

This year, Samsung is emphasizing its cameras both in the design and function of its new devices.<\/p>\n

The rear camera module dominates one corner of each handset and adds enhancements like steadier video recording, better depth measurement for portrait shots and a smattering of artificial intelligence enhancements to make functions like digital zoom more effective.<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s Android 11 serves as the default operating system and Samsung offers 5G wireless connectivity and IP68 water resistance across its trio of new devices.<\/p>\n

The pricier S21 Ultra adds support for Samsung\u2019s S Pen digital stylus, the first time Samsung is offering that compatibility for its non-Note phones.<\/p>\n

The model also differentiates itself with more of everything: it has the biggest screen and battery, highest-resolution display and cameras and more memory and storage options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect the shipment of S21 series will be around 28 million units by the end of this year,\u201d surpassing the incumbent S20 series\u2019 performance, said Counterpoint Research analyst Sujeong Lim ahead of the announcement. \u201cThe biggest factor to impact the shipment will be pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agreeing that price will play a pivotal role, IDC analyst Bryan Ma said \u201cSamsung faces pressure from Chinese players like Xiaomi in particular, which has also been picking up share from Huawei and is a rapidly rising threat to Samsung in regions like Western Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The new $199.99 Galaxy Buds Pro expand Samsung\u2019s lineup of true wireless earbuds, marking an upgrade from the Galaxy Buds of 2019 and Buds+ from last year.<\/p>\n

The new earphones are more discreet, add improved water resistance and step up the audio quality, according to Samsung. The company also said the Buds Pro can automatically switch between noise-cancelling mode and letting exterior sound in based on whether their user is speaking.<\/p>\n

Though the AirPods are the best known example of this category, it has been growing faster \u2014 largely on the strength of smaller Chinese upstarts \u2014 than even Apple\u2019s successful lineup.<\/p>\n

The Cupertino, California-based company is planning to release updates to both its AirPods and AirPods Pro variants, Bloomberg News has reported.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s $29.99 Galaxy SmartTag Bluetooth dongle attaches to valuables such as keys, bags or pet collars and makes those items trackable via a mobile app. This device anticipates Apple\u2019s long-in-the-works AirTags accessory, which is expected to add similar locator functionality for iPhone users.<\/p>\n

The new phones go on sale Jan. 29 and U.S. pre-orders will be incentivized with free SmartTags and up to $200 of Samsung Credit to spend on extra gear and accessories. The Galaxy Buds Pro will be available from Jan. 15.<\/p>\n

\n

Read: Apple launches iPhone 12 line with 5G speeds and new screens<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Samsung Electronics Co on Thursday debuted three Galaxy S21 smartphones, upgraded earbuds and a gadget to track physical items, setting out its stall to compete with Apple Inc.\u2019s existing and future device range.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":461100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[51,26,52,7210],"class_list":["post-461096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobile","tag-apple","tag-headline","tag-samsung","tag-xiaomi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=461096"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":461108,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/461096\/revisions\/461108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=461096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=461096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=461096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}