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The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is finally here: first expected way back in August 2021, the release now in January 2022 doesnāt contain a lot of good news or signs the wait was worth it: at the price, it feels like itās too late to matter. And, the new Galaxy S22 is around the corner.
What we have:
- Previously, the S20 FE was a sort of later, cheaper S20.Ā
- Now the S21 FE isā¦ a later, almost as expensive S21, and still comparable to the S20 FE.Ā
- Samsung has attempted to cherry-pick some of the crucial features of each for this S21 FE, with no frills.
- The 6.4-inch S21 FE, when compared to the base 6.2-inch S21, comes with a slightly weaker camera system and stripped back build, and less RAM. But, it does pack a bigger battery, adding 500mAh, and it launches with One UI 4.0 and Android 12, meaning an extra year of Android upgrades.
- However, it may need that extra battery: the display doesnāt have adaptive refresh to slow down the refresh rate to limit battery drain, so actual screen time might be compromised? Weāll find out.
Price:
- So, with all that in mind, it starts at $699, available Jan. 11.
- Thatās $100 less than the base Galaxy S21ās retail priceā¦ but, er, the S21 has been seen for as low as $600 way back on June 23, 2021. The S21 Plus went for $750, just $50 more, multiple times in 2021.
- And itās already in the hands of reviewers, with my colleague Eric Zeman putting up an early hands-on last night, with more to come as itās put through its checks and balances of a full review.
Am I wrong, though?
- A surprise, to me, was that Samsung said the Galaxy S20 FE sold some 10 million units since launch in Q4 2020.
- That means Samsung has a very popular new part of its device family, and it basically absolutely had to follow that with a sequel.
- One of my colleagues here just sees it as the S20 FE with a new chipset.
- Butā¦ I just canāt see it working this time around for what I mentioned above: itās probably too late. Plus thereās the Pixel 6 at $600, and the OnePlus 9 as well at the same MSRP.
- And, significantly, most expect Samsung to launch the S22 series within weeks, and without some kind of generous launch deal from Samsung, I see no reason to rush into this.
At CES 2022, OnePlus took the wraps off the OnePlus 10 Pro, with a bunch of images released to show off the next flagship, but precious else announced just yet.
What was announced:
- Essentially, this confirms the OnePlus 10 Pro and very likely, the 10 series, though we just have photos of the Pro design.
- What we see is a triple-camera setup, a large-sized module on the back, again showing a Hasselblad partnership. Thereās two colors, marketed as Volcanic Black and Forest Emerald.Ā
- The lenses donāt show a periscope setup for the telephoto lens, so no long-range optical zoom here.
- We also see the OnePlus alert slider, and design choices made with the rear camera housing and so on, but we donāt see the front of the phone just yet.
- Itās set to be launched in China on January 11th, but a global launch could be months behind.
Otherwise
- Thatās it for official details thus far: itās possible OnePlus will reveal more during CES 2022.
- Otherwise, reports point to the 10 Pro featuring a 48MP main shooter, plus 50MP ultrawide, 8MP telephoto.
- Thereās also a likely Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, with high-end RAM and storage configurations, and a 5,000mAh battery.
- The display could be as large as 6.7-inches, with rumored specs at QHD+ 120Hz.
šÆ Samsung plans to stalk Apple with so-called Tiger strategy (Android Authority).
š Galaxy Z Flip 3 Olympic Edition announced: Itās snow upgrade, really (Android Authority).
š» Acer launched a trio of new Chromebooks, debuts MediaTekās long-awaited higher-performance Kompanio chip in top-end model (Android Authority).
š Intel, AMD tease big CPU announcements for CES (The Verge).
šŖ Withingsā swanky new smart scale can record an ECG, provide body comp analysis (Android Authority).
šŗ LGās C2 OLED TV line will include its brighter āevoā panels in 2022 (Engadget).
š° Moenās new Smart Faucets can be controlled entirely with gestures (Gizmodo).
š New solar shingle debuting at CES 2022 can be nailed directly to your roof (CNET).
š Kohlerās fog-emitting smart Stillness Bath is yours for $8,000 (Engadget).
šŖ Are we ready for the smart front door? Masonite thinks so (The Verge).
š Mercedes-Benz unveils sporty, ultra-long-range Vision EQXX electric concept car with solar roof, and also in EVs: Ford said it will double production of electric F-150 Lightning to 150,000 trucks per year (The Verge).
š©āāļø Elizabeth Holmes found guilty of defrauding investors in four counts ā perhaps oddly, though, the jury found she didnāt conspire to defraud patients. Likely appeals to come? (The Verge).
š Apple becomes first $3 trillion company after boost from pandemic demand (Ars Technica).
š©ŗ Thereās now a free-to-use 40TB medical imaging data set called Nightingale Open Science, which may assist train machine-learning tools to predict medical conditions earlier (FT, $)
š„¶ Could being cold actually be good for you? (Wired).
š¤ āWhat are the two types of people?ā (r/askreddit).
Hereās something ā a chart showing the number of people with Wikipedia pages that died in a given year:
- Thereās a log scale on the y-axis that helps keep the graph sane, but itās not a huge surprise that thereās more pages for people dying in the current generation due to increased media and documentation, and a growing population.
- There is truly a load of discussion about factors and why thereās a little flat spot in the graph between around 1600 to 1800, and more.
- By the way, news and events in 2022 have already started being logged, including deaths (Wikipedia).
Cheerily,
Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor