Samsung risks angering Christmas shoppers with early Galaxy S21 launch

Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S21 series in early January, unlike in previous years when the company's Galaxy S flagships were introduced in the month of February. One of the reasons why Samsung has seemingly decided to release the Galaxy S21 earlier than usual is because the company may want to bring the fight closer to Apple and the iPhone 12 release. However, this ambition might ultimately hurt Samsung's customers, particularly those who plan to buy a new flagship smartphone during the Christmas shopping season.

Samsung already offers great discounts for Black Friday 2020 but the holiday shopping season has just begun. We expect the company to offer attractive deals around Christmas as well, and Samsung will surely offer great deals on devices such as the Galaxy S20 series. The company has already pushed the Galaxy S20 FE to the forefront over the past few weeks as the smartphone to buy along with wearables during the holiday season.

Many customers will be taking advantage of these deals to buy a Galaxy S20 flagship for themselves or their close ones. Now, imagine you're an average consumer and you don't stay in the loop with the latest leaks and rumors. You'd have no idea that the Galaxy S21 is just around the corner, waiting to be released mere weeks after Christmas, and you'd probably feel very disappointed by the fact that your ‘new' Galaxy S20 flagship – which you may have purchased as a gift – has been succeeded by a newer model so shortly after it's been unwrapped.

Galaxy Buds Live Christmas shoppers beware

As a side effect of this early Galaxy S21 release, Galaxy Buds customers might end up sharing the pain with smartphone buyers, though perhaps not to the same extent given the lower price barrier of wireless earbuds compared to flagship smartphones. Nevertheless, customers who will be taking advantage of the Christmas shopping season to buy a new pair of Galaxy Buds Live will soon find out that their earbuds will be succeeded by a new model weeks after their purchase. The upcoming earbuds are expected to join the Galaxy S21 on stage early next year.

At the end of the day, many Samsung fans who follow the news will not be surprised by this turn of events and they will make educated purchases, but others will most likely feel the sting of buyer's remorse early next year, unless perhaps they got a really, really good deal on the Galaxy S20 or a different existing flagship.

Of course, this doesn't automatically imply that Samsung should not bring the Galaxy S21 to the market earlier than usual or that it should stop offering Christmas discounts. On the contrary, the better the Christmas discounts will be, the less painful the early Galaxy S21 launch will feel to Christmas shoppers. Even so, buyer's remorse might be an unavoidable reality for some unlucky customers who will be getting the short end of the stick unknowingly, and there's not much that can be done about it.

What about you? Are you planning on taking advantage of the holiday discounts and buy new Samsung products for Christmas? Would you buy a Galaxy S20 model knowing that the Galaxy S21 is right around the corner? And if the answer is no then what kind of deal would it take to change your mind? You're welcomed to join the conversation below.