Samsung ‘Unpacked’: All the new devices you’ll drop thousands on
Alright then, Android users. Are you ready to drool over the new phones unveiled at the Samsung Unpacked event? Are you ready to fork over all of the money for the latest phone from Samsung? Sure, the world is a dumpster fire, COVID is not going away, and we all just want 2021 to end about two weeks in already, but that won’t stop the tech lovers in your life from being all over the latest gadget.
At the second-ever Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, the company introduced three new smartphones. All of which, unsurprisingly, cost a pretty penny all things considered. Rather than unveiling another foldable phone (still don’t really get that, but go off), Samsung instead unpacked two fairly utilitarian devices to top things off: noise cancelling wireless earbuds and a location tracker.
Tell us about the phones!
At Samsung Unpacked, they unveiled three phones: Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. Nothing really exciting has changed with the phones in terms of the tech, merely some refinement of what was introduced in 2020. Instead, more appealingly, they cost less than the previous years. Don’t go thinking the price is that low, but it’s less than the 2020 phones.
The S21 will cost $800 USD, S21+ will cost $1,000 USD, and S21 Ultra will cost $1,200 USD. The phones are all available for preorder and will be released globally on Friday, Jan. 29th. They come in a variety of color options and carry the same features of their predecessors as well. What has changed is the addition of the newest top-of-the-line Android chip as Wired reports.
“Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888, which the chipmaker says delivers up to 25 percent better CPU performance and a 35 percent boost in graphics rendering over the previous Snapdragon, all while sipping less power.” In addition, the S21 and S21+ have eight gigabytes of RAM, while the S21 Ultra beefs it up to twelve. They also promise a faster refresh rate along with batteries that contain 4,000 mAh, 4,800 mAh, and 5,000 mAh.
Difference in the camera systems
The biggest difference comes down to the camera systems for the phones. If you want to live that Instagram influencer lifestyle, then you want the S21 Ultra. Hands down. The main camera on the S21 has a bigger sensor, which holds 108 megapixels. In addition, there’s a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras.
Plus, there’s a fresher design for the back of the phone. Rather than the camera module bulging out awkwardly? There’s a more seamless blend of the camera system into the phone over all, making it sleeker and easier on the eyes, so to speak. One of the other big features from the S21 Ultra to the S21 and S21+ is that it also has the stylus, which was previously exclusive to the Note phones.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t slot into the Ultra as it does the note, but you can get an accessory case for it should you desire having the stylus on hand.
Other new things
In addition to the phones, there was the unveiling of new earbuds and a tracker. The tracker is called the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag, which is a square device that you attach to your keys or backpack or whatever in order to find them when you inevitably lose them. You can use the SmartTag app to track them down. Each SmartTag costs about $30 USD. If you preorder the phones, then you can get a free SmartTag.
Finally, Samsung’s answer to the Airpods, the Galaxy Buds Pro, are its best wirefree model to date. The Buds Pro features a design that can easily fit into most people’s ears. They also have mics that can capture voices clearly, in case you’re wearing them on a Zoom meeting. You can get five full hours of playtime with that noise cancel function on, making them longer lasting then the AirPods Pro.
The Galaxy Buds Pro cost about $200 USD.
