While plenty of phonemakers unveil their new devices at the Mobile World Congress in February each year, Samsung has managed to release its S-Series phones before many other big flagships, and in doing so, set the tone for the year. This includes the price, with the Samsung Galaxy S20 setting the precedent for a price bump for the 2020 phone. This Rumors That its successor, the Galaxy S21, will be priced the same, we won’t be able to pay more for this year’s phones.
It makes some kind of sense: almost all top-tier phones of 2020 saw a price bump, with new chipsets and discrete modems widely introduced to support 5G connectivity. To use Samsung as an example, the launch price of the 2019 Galaxy S10 was $ 899 / £ 799 / AU $ 1,349, while the 2020 Galaxy S20 a 999 / ટે 899 / AU came with an initial presetag of 1,499.
Sure, the S20 improved the display’s refresh rate to 120Hz, made some camera improvements (including expanding telephoto capabilities to 30x digital zoom) and made additional improvements to the specs with the new chipset, but felt like support for a 5G spirit bump.
Granted, the inclusion of what the industry expects to be the next telecom standard in your phone lineup is a big deal, but is it worth the extra cost for the average consumer? Especially if 5G isn’t prevalent outside of big city centers, leaving many S20 owners with the benefits they pay? In retrospect, the 2020 spirit bump felt like it was coming up whether the advances would justify it.
Now is not the time for higher prices of phones
It is easier to swallow 2021 phone prices if phone pretigs remain stable by 2021 – if this indicates the Galaxy S21 leak flat price, it will set the financial standard for other new phones to follow throughout the year. Enhanced upgrades (this year’s faster chipsets, slightly better cameras, pure software software and more) are welcome, but phones don’t have to have new features to hit, so there’s no more argument for flagships to be more expensive.
It is possible that prices too Leave; Although the Google Pixel 5 and LG V60 ThinkQ5G are integrated, they cost less than their predecessors. To get points at this cheap price, even if they have made some compromises and left out some features, that move shows respect for the customer’s interest.
If there is a movement, it is in the expansion of new levels of flagship phones: the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fe (Fan Edition) and the iPhone 12 (as well as the iPhone 12 Mini) are available for price conscious consumers who still want 5G. Heck, even though it’s not technically the flagship, the Google Pixel 4A 5G has specs that almost fall into that category, yet it has a mid-range price. They’re not at a discount on yesterday’s phones today – they’re the more limited versions of the best phones that compromise but save the best parts of the new phone.
So will the price increase justify it? Samsung S10 phones were more popular than the S9 – one more camera – for one reason, and a dramatic expansion in photographic capabilities could do it. Even longer battery life can seal the deal (especially if the phone can keep us without recharging for two, three or four days).
Or – pie in the sky – we can see that foldable phones are as cheap as can be the true alternatives to flagships.
None of this seems to be in the cards for 2021’s top-level phones, so we expect the S21 to lead the way. No Phone prices rise this year. This will be great news in any year, but especially relief after this.
