Samsung has today announced a range of new devices at its Galaxy Unpacked event, including the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, as well as Galaxy Buds Pro earphones and Galaxy SmartTag item trackers.
Samsung's latest Galaxy S21 series of smartphones feature a new design, edge-to-edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and 8K video recording. The Galaxy S21 has a lightweight design and a compact 6.2-inch display, while the Galaxy S21+ has a 6.7-inch display and a larger battery.
The Galaxy S21 series espouses a new Contour Cut Camera housing that blends into the device's metal frame, and the AI-powered triple-lens camera system itself also sees a number of improvements, with the ability to intuitively assess scenes and adjust the camera settings accordingly.
For customers who need the most from their Galaxy device, there is the S21 Ultra, which delivers an "intelligent pro-grade camera system," improved display, Wi-Fi 6E9, ultra-wideband capabilities, and better performance. The S21 Ultra also brings the popular S Pen experience to the Galaxy S series for the first time.
With a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the largest device in the Galaxy S21 series. For the first time, users can enable a 120Hz refresh rate and Quad HD+ at the same time, and the display is 25 percent brighter and has a 50 percent improved contrast ratio.
The S21 Ultra features a quad rear camera system with ultra-wide, wide, and dual tele-lenses, 100x Space Zoom, improved Night Mode, and an upgraded 108MP pro sensor that can capture 12-bit HDR photos. All lenses, including the front camera, can shoot video in 4K at 60fps.
The S21 and S21+ are available in 128GB and 256GB storage configurations and a range of colors, including Phantom Violet, Phantom Gold, Phantom Red, Phantom Gray, Phantom Pink, and Phantom White, with pre-orders starting today. The S21 Ultra also offers a 512GB model, with Phantom Silver, Phantom Black, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, and Phantom Brown color options, starting at $1,199.99. The Galaxy S21 starts at $799.99 and Galaxy S21+ starts at $999.99. Devices will begin arriving with customers on January 29.
In addition to the S21 series of smartphones, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Buds Pro, with "immersive sound," improved call quality, intelligent ANC, IPX7 water resistance, and enhanced connectivity. With an 11-millimeter woofer for deeper bass and a 6.5-millimeter tweeter for a crisp treble with minimum distortion, the Galaxy Buds Pro achieve what Samsung says is its "best audio experience yet."
The Galaxy Buds Pro feature three microphones, a Voice Pickup Unit, Wind Shield technology, Ambient Sound amplification, automatic ANC, and automatic device switching. When used with a Galaxy S21 series smartphone, the Buds Pro offer 360 Audio with Dolby Head Tracking technology, similar to Apple's Spatial Audio feature on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
The Galaxy Buds Pro can deliver up to eight hours of continuous playback, with an additional 20 hours of reserve power available via the wireless charging case. Galaxy Buds Pro are available for pre-order now in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Violet for $199.99.
The company also introduced the Galaxy SmartTag, a low energy Bluetooth item tracker. The Galaxy SmartTag enables users to quickly and easily locate items based on the strength of the Bluetooth signal in the SmartThings Find app, and users can emit a chime from the tag. The SmartTag is believed to be Samsung's competitor to Apple's long-awaited AirTags item trackers.
The Galaxy SmartTag retails for $29.99 and all pre-orders of the Galaxy S21, S21+, or S21 Ultra will also include a free Galaxy SmartTag. An ultra-wideband variant called Tag+ will arrive later in 2021 for $39.99.
