Best buy guide: Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy S24+. Woo-hoo join SamMobile on WhatsApp or Telegram!

SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

Notifications
    News for you

    Samsung risks angering Christmas shoppers with early Galaxy S21 launch

    Opinion
    By 

    Last updated: November 27th, 2020 at 18:41 UTC+01:00

    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.

    OpinionPhone Galaxy S21

    You might also like

    Used Samsung phones to avoid if you don’t want display green line issues

    Used Samsung phones to avoid if you don’t want display green line issues

    Buying a used phone is always a gamble. It might work fine now but you never know what gremlins it must be hiding. When they do surface, you could be on the hook for expensive repairs, particularly if the devices are out of warranty. If you're in the market for a used Samsung phone, it […]

    • By Adnan Farooqui
    • 1 week ago
    Galaxy S21 and S22 with green line issue in India get free display replacement

    Galaxy S21 and S22 with green line issue in India get free display replacement

    Reports about green lines appearing on the display of some Samsung devices have been going around since last year. This is a big enough issue that the company has officially responded in some markets with the offer of providing a free one-time display replacement for out of warranty devices. Samsung has been offering these display […]

    • By Adnan Farooqui
    • 1 week ago
    Galaxy S21 gets updated with April 2024 update in USA

    Galaxy S21 gets updated with April 2024 update in USA

    A few days ago, Samsung released the April 2024 security update to the Galaxy S21 series. However, it was limited to European countries. The South Korean firm has now expanded the availability of the new security update to the Galaxy S21 lineup in the USA. Factory-unlocked Galaxy S21 gets April 2024 update in USA In […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 2 weeks ago
    One UI 6.1 coming in early May with Galaxy AI for 2022 and 2021 flagships!

    One UI 6.1 coming in early May with Galaxy AI for 2022 and 2021 flagships!

    Samsung has finally confirmed that Galaxy AI features are coming to flagship Galaxy smartphones launched in 2022 and 2021. It has also been confirmed that these devices will get One UI 6.1 starting in May. However, there is a catch: devices launched in 2021 will get just two AI features. One will be Google Circle […]

    • By Abhijeet Mishra
    • 2 weeks ago
    Galaxy S21 series gets April security update as users wait for One UI 6.1

    Galaxy S21 series gets April security update as users wait for One UI 6.1

    Eagerly anticipating the release of the One UI 6.1 update for your Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, or Galaxy S21 Ultra? Well, bad news: that update is nowhere in sight. Instead, Samsung has released a standard security update for its 2021 flagship lineup. One UI 6.1 is currently available only for Samsung's flagship devices launched in […]

    • By Abhijeet Mishra
    • 3 weeks ago
    Galaxy S21 series grabs March 2024 security update

    Galaxy S21 series grabs March 2024 security update

    Samsung has started rolling out the March 2024 security update to the Galaxy S21 series in several countries worldwide, including the US. The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S23, and Galaxy S24 series have already received the update. The update could be released in other countries soon. Galaxy S21 gets March 2024 security update in Europe, Latin […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 1 month ago