Will the Galaxy S21 (S30) mark the return of an important feature on flagship phones?
Samsung ate its words when it removed ads making fun of Apple's iPhone for not having a headphone jack after the introduction of the Galaxy Note 10 duo. These were the first flagship Galaxy phones to not have a 3.5mm audio port. Samsung's reasoning was that removing the headphone jack will free up space to increase battery capacity. The chaebol is now apparently planning to bring back the feature.
Galaxy S21 (S30) may come with an audio port
According to a tipster, we can see this happen as early as next year. If Samsung is indeed planning to do this, next year's Galaxy S21 (S30) may boast an audio port. In recent times, Samsung has witnessed its flagship sales plummet, and although initial reports imply that the recently launched Galaxy Note 20 is doing well, the company is supposedly cautious about placing component orders.
Headphone Jack
im hearing— Mauri QHD (@MauriQHD) August 5, 2020
Samsung -considering- bringing it back, as a risky experiment "to see what happens"
for at least 1 year
ETA: 2021+
some points debated:
S = the media will go wild, free publicity
Note = ↑↑ + good lineup for experiments, but less revenue
The leaker says the reintroduction of the headphone jack will be more of a marketing stunt to generate hype for the next S series flagship. With the Xperia 1 II, Sony also brought back the headphone jack, which is missing on its 2018 and 2019 flagships. The company now thinks the port is indispensable for media consumption.
At the same time, these manufactures also want a slice of the lucrative wireless earbuds market which is currently dominated by Apple. Samsung's recent Galaxy Buds Live, for example, are its first true wireless earbuds to offer active noise cancellation (ANC), which makes them a direct AirPods Pro competitor.
Analysts believe that the new buds can help the South Korean giant increase its market share from 6.9 percent to 10 percent. They undercut the AirPods Pro on price and also offer longer battery life.
Per reports, the Galaxy S21 could also be a test bed for other strategies such as using different Exynos chips for different models and not including a charger in the box.
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