Samsung to debut new Galaxy flagship
Samsung has will unwrap the much-awaited Galaxy S franchise device at a virtual event on January 14. As we get closer to the launch date, we can expect to hear more details but the news so far is that Samsung, like as in the previous year, will probably launch three variants of the Galaxy S21; the S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra. All three phones are expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon Snapdragon 888 chipset (or Exynos 2100 outside the U.S.) and boast 5G support. All three phones will feature upgraded cameras; the flagship S21 Ultra will standout with a five-lens camera design. The S21 Ultra will also allegedly be the first Galaxy franchise device to boast an integrated stylus and all three phones are expected to become commercially available at the end of January. Samsung is also expected to launch new headphones dubbed the Galaxy Buds Pro and branch into the category of device trackers with the debut of the Galaxy SmartTags (similar to the Tile trackers). According to the rumors, the OEM will be throwing in these new toys as freebies for early adopters of the new S21 phones.
The NPD Take:
- Samsung’s Galaxy phones used to debut during MWC (which is/was typically held at the end of January), thus consumers would not get their commercial units before the end of March. The OEM modified its debut cycle two years ago and launched the devices in early February for a late-Feb or early-March commercial availability. Samsung’s decision to pull back the debut date of the latest Galaxy phones to mid-January is certainly welcome considering the mediocre performance of the S20 models during the tough pandemic conditions.
- Sales of the last two Galaxy iterations (the S10 and S20) were underwhelming, but Galaxy S brand loyalty continues to increase (three-quarters of Galaxy S customers buy another Galaxy S device when it’s time to upgrade). We expect the new S21 line to do relatively well if it can secure sufficient carrier subsidies.
- The addition of a stylus in the S21 Ultra is an essential improvement as Samsung (rationally) pulled the plug on the Note franchise, which was cannibalizing (and/or being cannibalized by) the high-end Galaxy S models. The stylus-powered S21 Ultra will be the natural upgrade option for all Note customers.
OnePlus Nord sails to the US
OnePlus has impressively captured shelf space across most of the top carriers with a budget high-end phone, and there had been a lot of commotion around the topic of the OEM penetrating lower tiers with the OnePlus Nord phones that were launched in other global markets earlier in summer 2020. OnePlus last week announced that its Nord models, the N10 5G and N100, will be available for purchase through T-Mobile and Metro on January 15. The OnePlus Nord N10 is a Snapdragon 690-powered 5G smartphone that features a 6.49-inch Full HD screen with 90Hz refresh rates and four rear camera lenses (with up to 64-megapixel resolution). The Nord N10 5G will carry a $299 price tag. The N100, on the other hand, is targeting the lower end of the market with fewer specs and a much more affordable price tag at $179.
The NPD Take:
- It took T-Mobile and OnePlus only a month to undercut AT&T/Cricket/LG’s pricing (the $359 LG K92) and claim the 5G phone price leadership with the $299 OnePlus Nord N10 5G. We expect the 5G MSRPs to continue to fall as device OEMs begin building new models running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 series 5G chipset built for low-cost designs.