Recognition: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
Samsung had a one year roller coaster ride in 2020. It has had its fair share of real successes, such as with the Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and the Galaxy A series. However, sales within the main line of the Galaxy S20 did not live up to expectations. The Galaxy Note series no longer attracts strong numbers either.
Last but not least, 2020 has proven that Samsung is ready to stop directing 90% of its focus on the premium market. Most of his big wins revolved around the cheaper deals. The COVID-19 pandemic could be at least partially responsible. Whatever the reason, the company is finally seeing that not everyone needs (or even wants) smartphones worth over $ 1,000.
Connected: Samsung Galaxy S Series: A History of the Biggest Name in Android
In 2021, Samsung needs to build on its budget-friendly achievements. On the other hand, it must also force its way into the folding market, which it currently completely dominates. There are actually a ton of things that we hope to see from Sammy in 2021, and we’ve rounded up the top five points below.
1. A greater focus on value
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
Here, at Android AuthorityThe Samsung Galaxy S20 FE totally blew us away. Samsung released phones in 2020 that were far better than the S20 FE, but no other phone offers the Goldilocks ratio of value to specs. This made the phone our 2020 favorite.
Additionally, phones in Samsung’s other budget ranges – particularly the Galaxy A, Galaxy M, and Galaxy F series – did well both critically and commercially. Conversely, the big names in the Galaxy family – the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series – performed relatively poorly.
See also: The Galaxy S20 FE was the most important Samsung phone of 2020
Samsung does better across the board when it offers great devices at reasonable prices. I know, I know – duh, right? We all might have predicted that it would, but Samsung can no longer argue against it. It has hard data to back up.
We hope Samsung can shift its focus even more to its value proposition by 2021. Yes, we love our Galaxy S phones and we love the new Ultra offerings. But we’re also struggling financially and just can’t justify spending $ 1,400 on a phone when another handset has all of the features we care about, at a quarter the price.
2. Better use cases for foldable phones
Recognition: Eric Zeman / Android Authority
Samsung has already promised that there will be plenty of leaflets on the way in 2021. Some of them will even be cheaper (but not cheap). Samsung can publish all the leaflets in the world, but it has better convince us why we should want them.
What does something like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 really offer when you remove the wow factor “my phone is free to unfold”? We know having a tablet-sized display in your pocket is really cool. That doesn’t change the fact that the Android tablet market is drowning due to a lack of support for tablet-sized displays and tablet-focused applications.
Connected: The best Android tablets you can buy right now
If Samsung really wants us to buy a leaflet, it has to tell us why we should want one. If you head over to Twitter (or even the comments section of this article) you will no doubt find people who are happy to tell you all about why they love their foldable ones. The problem is we need to hear this from Samsung. We have to see it in ads and it has to be backed up with software and apps that prove we don’t just do it want a foldable one – we need one.
If Samsung is looking to sell a couple of foldable phones in 2021, it should be a top priority. It should also work hard to make its existing designs better, more durable, and cheaper. We don’t need a lot of different foldable styles to choose from, we need one or two that will work well and will last us a few years before we break. Then and only then will Samsung attract people’s undivided attention.
Given that there is almost no competition in this area yet, this should be Samsung’s main focus.
3. A leaner user interface
Recognition: Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
If you look back on the history of Samsung’s Android skins, you will see a lot of negativity. People loathed TouchWiz. The company figured that out and made things smoother, more cohesive, and less cartoonish with Samsung Experience. It was an improvement, but still not reduced as much as many would have liked. Then the designers cut the fat down, ruled their ambitions, and made most people happy with One UI.
Connected: Everything here is new in One UI 3.0
Do you see a trend there? The more Samsung downsizes its Android skins, the more people seem to like them. Granted, Samsung can’t turn back the clock and make One UI more like Pixel UI or Oxygen OS, although it may continue the trend of working hard to create a sleek, smooth, and less bloated software experience.
We hope that One UI 4.0 (as we expect to be known) will bring us ever closer to the perfect Samsung-enabled Android experience in 2021. We all want absolute power over our phones and love knowing that we can do what we want. Samsung has always been good at making this happen. However, if you want to introduce a non-kitchen sink policy for your software experience, you should be ready to keep it very clean and organized. Let’s hope Samsung takes this into account in 2021.
4. Compact (but still powerful) phones
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
Android Authority Readers have told us a lot about their desire for smaller phones. Samsung was incredibly close to delivering the perfect compact phone experience with the Galaxy S10e in 2019. For some reason, the “e” line ended shortly after and in 2020 “always huge”.
That might not be the best move. The Google Pixel 4a, Pixel 5, Apple iPhone SE, iPhone 12 Mini, and even Sony Xperia 5 II have proven that critics and consumers are looking for more compact smartphones.
Connected: Can we stop the weirdly big phones now?
The problem, of course, is that most compact phones outside of the iPhone 12 Mini and Xperia 5 II aren’t as powerful as their larger counterparts. Samsung, more than any other Android manufacturer, is in the best position to finally resolve this issue in 2021.
As far as we can tell, there won’t be a smaller version of the Galaxy S21 series in January, but that doesn’t mean Samsung couldn’t bring out a compact version later in the year. Whatever it is doing, Samsung can no longer ignore the desire for compact yet powerful phones.
5. Less Exynos, more Qualcomm
We saved the best for last. Here, at Android AuthorityThe anger over Exynos processors keeps exploding. Samsung sells the same phones at different prices in different parts of the world and comes with completely different levels of build quality with these phones. In 2021, it’s time for that to end – or at least decrease.
We give credit where credit is due: Exynos processors get better. While we haven’t seen it yet, rumors suggest that the upcoming Exynos 2100 – Samsung’s answer to the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 – will be quite good.
Connected: Exynos Processors: Your Guide to the Different Chips
We’ve heard rumors that at least one 2021 Samsung phone will have a Qualcomm processor worldwide, regardless of the market. Unfortunately, this phone is not a Galaxy S20 device or anything like that.
We hope that 2021 will bring us a little more cohesion in the Samsung product range when it comes to processors. Make no mistake: Exynos processors will still be a thing, and people outside of North America will be stuck with an Exynos 2100 instead of a Snapdragon 888. We’re just hoping Samsung will shift the balance a bit towards Qualcomm over the next year so we can perhaps get closer to the day when a Samsung flagship with the same processor will land around the world.
They tell us: what would you like to see from Samsung in 2021?
We told you what we want most from Samsung in 2021. Now is the time for you to tell us! In the poll below, choose what you’d like to see most from Sammy next year. If you’re feeling particularly talkative, you can go to the comments and explain why you think that way.
Of course, if you feel that what you want most isn’t covered here, feel free to let us know. But save your time and don’t write that you want to see the return of the headphone jack in flagships. It’s not coming back in 2021 (or most likely ever).