The Samsung Galaxy S21 promises to be a flagship phone like no other, with next-gen internal hardware and iPhone 13-smoking features like a killer new camera system locked and loaded.
Now, though, thanks to a leak out of South Korea, and reported on by Notebookcheck, it looks Samsung is about to play a radical new game card from its deck in 2021 with the Galaxy S21, and it could leave the iPhone 13 and all its other Android rivals on the back foot.
That's because the Samsung Galaxy S21 series is "likely to be released in January 2021" and could combine features from both the S and Note series of phones into one hyper device.
That's right, unlike previous Samsung Galaxy smartphone releases, which have tended to drop in early March, it is now being reported that the South Korean smartphone maker has "advanced the schedule for mass production of the Galaxy S21" by " a month and a half earlier than usual".
And, if you take a month and a half away from early to mid March, then you get a January release date.
This move is thought right now to be to caused by two things. Firstly, Samsung wants to accelerate the release of the S21 as the S20, according to numerous reports, did not sell well. By moving the S21 forward, Samsung can bolster its offering and sales.
Secondly, and this is the more interesting element, Samsung has been rumored to be thinking about merging the S series and Note series of phones, and by markedly shifting the release date of the S series, we could be seeing the start of this shift.
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Indeed, only a few weeks ago did a report come out of China reported that the Galaxy S21 Ultra will come with a digital S-Pen stylus, just like the Note series of phones.
It sure looks like, then, that Apple with its iPhone 13, as well as all of Samsung's major Android rivals, such as Huawei, Xiaomi and OnePlus, might have to adjust to Samsung releasing its phones at different times in the future, and offering even greater devices, as it seems like the maker is looking to combine elements of its two flagship series into one hyper-flagship.
A Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra that combines the best features of a flagship S series and flagship Note series phone is a mouth-watering prospect. Roll on January 2021, then, which is when we will hopefully get to see the S21 range up close and personal.
Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.
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