Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to come again at a higher price, but its additional features may not justify the price hike.
2020 has relatively been a modest year for Samsung’s mid-range smartphone. The company still sits atop the market share ladder in terms of the number of phones shipped. However, the same isn’t true for its flagship lineup.
Earlier reports indicated that Samsung has had a dismal year even before COVID-19 struck. The Samsung Galaxy S20, which was released last March, didn’t have enough wow factor to impress the masses. As such, it didn’t fly off the shelves just like Apple’s iPhone 12.
There are many factors that contributed to poor sales. COVID-19 is still the most major variable. Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t foresee the virus shutting down the entire world, so it even introduced a price hike on the S20 series.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will most likely have a price hike
In about two months, Samsung will announce the Galaxy S21 series. It will be earlier than usual because Samsung has to make up for the poor performance it had this year. Also, it will have to immediately follow up on a relatively good turnout on the Galaxy S20 FE’s introduction.
Unfortunately, Samsung is expected to push another price increase on the Galaxy S21. Yes, it will have additional features. However, a recent leak may not justify the extra price. According to Not DJ Koh from Twitter, the S Pen will not have Bluetooth support.
He somewhat confirms that the Galaxy S21 will have S Pen support. It has been heavily rumored that Samsung will finally scrap the Galaxy Note line up. As such, the company is pushing for its other products to support the S Pen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eecBkhyvF3k&ab_channel=Samsung
Sadly, the S Pen not having Bluetooth support means that it will be a dated model. When Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 9, it went head-over-heels in introducing Bluetooth on the S Pen. Having it meant that the accessory can be used as a remote control for capturing images and videos.
Therefore, not having it on the S21 Ultra’s arsenal means that Samsung takes one step forward but two steps back.
Where will the Galaxy Note line go from here?
Year after year, Samsung is always rumored that it will finally strike the deathblow on the Galaxy Note line. However, it is also debunked with every launch of the new Note phones. As such, it can never be safe to say that Samsung is letting go of its beloved phablet.
It can be argued that the Galaxy Note was the phone that put Samsung on the map of premium smartphones. Therefore, Samsung may hold on to it a little bit longer until it fully meshes its features with its Galaxy S and Galaxy Z models.
Image from Samsung Business USA/ YouTube thumbnail