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Samsung could push up Galaxy S30 launch (Update: New evidence supports rumor)
Update, October 16, 2020 (09:45 AM ET): Not long after we posted the news below, some new evidence came to light that backs it up. The folks over at SamMobile claim to have an exclusive inside source who says that Samsung could launch the Galaxy S30 series in early January 2021. While this supports the ideas listed out in the original article below, this appears to be an even earlier launch window.
Of course, nothing is confirmed yet so you should still treat this with some skepticism.
Original article, October 16, 2020(08:48 AM ET): Samsung could launch its new set of flagship phones in just over three months. A report from Korean publication The Elec suggests that Samsung has pushed up the launch of the Galaxy S30 series or whatever Samsung decides to name the new lineup.
The report claims that the Galaxy S30 phones will likely go on sale a month sooner than their predecessor. This means that we can expect Samsung to launch the new S series flagships some time in early February or even late January. Last year, Samsung announced the S20 series on February 11, but the phones only went on sale in March. Similarly, the Galaxy S10 and S9 phones were also released in March.
Citing a source, The Elec claims that Samsung’s decision to push up the release of the Galaxy S30 series comes as the back of HUAWEI’s ongoing troubles. The company reportedly wants to “take advantage of HUAWEI’s absence.”
Huawei’s smartphone business is not in the best place right now. The latest round of US restrictions impaired HUAWEI’s ability to obtain chipsets from manufacturers. As a result, the upcoming Mate 40 flagships will be the last to come with a Kirin SoC, and the future of the P50 series, which ideally would have launched in March to compete with the Galaxy S30 lineup, hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, Samsung is also said to be readying a new pair of TWS earphones. They’re apparently called the Galaxy Buds 2 and will be a sequel to the original Galaxy Buds launched in 2019. There’s not much the publication knows about the new earbuds, except that they’ll improve upon water resistance.
Sources tell The Elec that Samsung chose the monikers “Live” and “Plus” for the previous two Galaxy Buds because it could not improve their water-resistance capabilities. Both the Galaxy Buds Plus and Buds Live feature an IPX2 rating, so you can expect the so-called Galaxy Buds 2 to upgrade to IP67/68.
Elsewhere, the report states that the Galaxy S30 series will comprise three models that will be available in gray, pink, violet, white, and silver colors. The Galaxy Buds 2 will match some of those colors and come in black, silver, and violet.