This year, a new challenge awaits Samsung's mobile division: persuading customers to spend $1,000 during a pandemic. The company broadcast live from South Korea today during its first virtual Unpacked event. It revealed five products, including a tablet, a new timepiece, and earbuds. Samsung prominently displayed its latest Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2.They won't be inexpensive phones. Samsung's most costly mobile devices are the Note and foldable series. Samsung was having trouble selling phones that cost $1,000 or more even before the outbreak. The Note 10's $50 price reduction to $950 was one of its biggest advances. (Its Note 10 Plus, on the other hand, cost $1,099)
Prices most likely won't decrease this year. The entire Note 20 lineup is anticipated to support 5G connectivity, at least in the US, which will increase the cost of manufacturing a device. Customers who have been waiting for a Note that can connect to numerous 5G networks may purchase the product. Some people might prefer to wait till those 5G networks are more widely available and save their money.
Not the first significant phone to be released throughout the pandemic is the Note 20. This year, new phones were sold by Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and OnePlus. But compared to the smartphones from its Android rivals, Samsung's phones often sell in far bigger volumes. Additionally, Apple, its main opponent, hasn't yet tried to capitalize on the pandemic by selling a premium, flagship phone. The $399 iPhone SE is the only brand-new smartphone released by Apple this year. This fall is when Apple expects to release its first 5G iPhones.
In the meantime, Google on Monday revealed the Pixel 4A, a new smartphone. Google opted to somewhat reduce the Pixel's specifications in order to keep the pricing at $349 rather than releasing a high-end, flagship phone.
The Galaxy S20, Samsung's previous-generation flagship device, went on sale as China and several regions of Europe struggled with COVID-19. Regions of the US began issuing stay-at-home orders to combat the virus around a week after it hit the shelves. The majority of buyers had no idea how drastically the pandemic will alter their life when the Galaxy S20 first became available.Now, hundreds of thousands have perished, millions are out of work due to a recession that is severely affecting the US, and regions around the world are still coping with an outbreak of illnesses that seems to be never-ending.
The phone sector was predicted to have a successful year this year. In 2020, the new technologies of 5G and foldable screens were expected to become more affordable and widely accessible, offering users a cause to upgrade. Instead, the number of devices that can be produced and the number of phones that people will actually purchase will be constrained by financial difficulties and concerns about COVID-19. Even when the pandemic's harshest effects have passed in the US and other economies, the global economy is likely to remain weak.
