Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
If there is one company that is regularly the most interesting and important in the Android space, it is Samsung. Between state-of-the-art foldables and maintaining its dominance as the largest smartphone company on the planet, there is always reason to closely monitor what Samsung is doing.
2020 proved to be a very big and successful year for Samsung. It launched excellent first-rate flagships with the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series, further advanced the foldable market with the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold 2 and conquered the world of value flagship with the unexpected Galaxy S20 FE. Add it all together with fantastic accessories and a new three-year commitment to operating system updates for many of your devices, and 2020 has had many victories for Samsung.
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This is not to say that Samsung had a perfect year. There are still many areas where the company can improve and, as we move towards 2021, those are the main things we want to see Samsung do better.
1. More durable glass for foldable phones
Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central
In the past few months, we’ve heard that Samsung is going to kill the Galaxy Note family in 2021. This is a rumor that comes up basically every year, but it really looks like the hammer will finally fall this time.
In place of the Note, Samsung will offer support for S Pen on its other devices – including the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 3. The idea of having a Z Fold that works with the S Pen is incredibly exciting, but at this is a good experience, Samsung needs to find a way to improve the durability and strength of its Ultra Thin Glass (UTG).
The UTG used in the Z Fold 2 is a considerable improvement over the original Galaxy Fold’s plastic screen, but it is still a long way from the durability you get on a traditional smartphone screen. While technically glass, it’s very easy to scratch and dent the Z Fold 2 screen if you’re not careful with it. Samsung includes a factory-installed screen protector to try to mitigate this, but you end up having a much worse touch experience.
If Samsung expects us to design and navigate the Z Fold 3 using the hard tip of an S Pen, it needs to find a way to further improve the strength of its UTG. It is difficult to say how much can be improved without throwing physics out the window, but we have to hope for progress on that front.
2. Offer a true competitor to Pixel 4a
Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central
One of Samsung’s biggest wins in 2020 was the Galaxy S20 FE. Being able to get 90% of the Galaxy S20 experience for hundreds less turned out to be a really attractive offer, but at a retail price of $ 700, the S20 FE isn’t exactly the low-cost Android phone that many people are looking for . This market was dominated by companies like the Pixel 4a and Moto G Power in 2020 and, in 2021, Samsung should try to claim some of that niche for itself.
Sure, we had releases like the Galaxy A51 and A71 5G, but none of them captured the same magic that Google did with the 4a. Whether you use the A or S brand, we would love to see a $ 300 – $ 400 Galaxy phone that is compact, has a great camera system and reliable specifications in all areas. Google did this for two years between Pixel 3a and 4a, and it’s time for Samsung to try to do the same.
Samsung can continue with its larger smartphone offerings as it has done, but having at least one genuinely small and affordable option to choose from would be great to see.
3. Greater focus on sustainability
Source: Android Central
If you’ve followed the product launches from Apple and Google in the past two years, you’ve probably noticed your big push for greater sustainability. Many of the iPhone 12’s components are made from recycled rare earth elements, Google’s Nest Audio smart speaker is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, and the two companies are making tangible efforts in all aspects of their business aimed at protect the planet as much as possible.
Samsung has made some efforts to make its products more sustainable, but it is nowhere near the same level that we saw from its competitors. Going to 2021, where the welfare state of our planet is more important than ever, this indifferent approach cannot continue.
Samsung needs to be seen as an example of how to do sustainability the right way, rather than atypical – especially due to its dominance in the smartphone landscape. The company can do much more in this regard and we really hope that Samsung will take action in that direction next year.
4. The ditch curve displays once and for all
Source: Andrew Martonik / Android Central
Samsung had a strange relationship with curved screens in 2020. The Galaxy S20, S20 + and S20 Ultra, all technically, had curved screens, but the curvature was so subtle that it could very well be flat. The regular Note 20 and S20 FE were shipped with fully flat screens, but the Note 20 Ultra decided to bring those drastic curves back.
These curved edges of the Note 20 Ultra ended up being one of the things we least liked about the phone, putting an annoying damper on a fantastic device. To prevent something like this from happening again, Samsung needs to fully commit to flat screens on all of its devices.
Things look promising so far, with the current leaks from the Galaxy S21 suggesting flat edges for the S21, S21 + and S21 Ultra. We can also assume that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 2 will remain with flat screens like their predecessors, so we may be heading for a year with no curved screens on any of Samsung’s top phones. Yes, yes, please.
5. A quality Chromebook that costs $ 1,000
Source: Jerry Hildenbrand / Android Central
In 2018, Samsung launched something called Chromebook Plus V2. It was a successor to the original 2017 Chromebook Plus and, at the time, it was one of the best Chromebooks you could buy. With premium build quality, great display and fast performance for just $ 499, it was an incredible value.
Since then, however, we have not yet seen an adequate sequence. Samsung unveiled its sophisticated Galaxy Chromebook in early 2020, but with a starting price of $ 1000, it was far from the value-focused Chromebook Plus that we still have close and dear to our hearts. 2021 is the year that Samsung will finally fill that void.
Given the great momentum this year, with everyone working and learning at home, Chromebooks had a chance to stand out. People saw them as affordable alternatives to Windows and MacBooks laptops, bought them in bulk and, as a result, we are still dealing with out of stock. While hunger for Chromebooks may ease somewhat in 2021, this is the time for Samsung to return with an elegant, powerful and value-focused Chromebook offering that can appeal to everyone.
6. Three years of updates for more phones
Source: Samsung
When we think of companies that offer fast and reliable Android updates, Samsung is usually not one of the first brands that comes to mind. This is something the company has worked to improve over the years, with its biggest boost going on last August. Along with the launch of the Note 20, Samsung has promised to deliver three years of important Android updates to many of its smartphones and tablets.
The current list of phones supported by this warranty is quite extensive, including things like the Galaxy S10 and S20 series, the Note 10 and Note 20 lines, the Galaxy A51, Galaxy A71 and more. Notably absent from this list, however, are many of Samsung’s low-cost phones. This three-year upgrade promise does not apply to any of the Galaxy M or Galaxy F phones (which exist in many other markets), A21s, A31 and others.
It was great to see Samsung take software updates seriously this year, but as it stands today, you need to buy a medium or high-level smartphone if you want to benefit from it. If Samsung wants to do what is right with its customers who depend on their cheapest handsets, this three-year warranty needs to extend even to the cheapest Galaxy phones.
What do you think?
Now, we would like to pass the question on to you – how do you want Samsung to improve in 2021? Whether it’s a move to the Galaxy S21, something with the Galaxy Watch, or anything else in between, leave a comment below and let us know!
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