Just got the phone and watch, ahhhh so glad to be on Android again.
Watch is really nice, will be much easier in work when I can't always get my phone easier for phone calls, or changing my music track.
Yes I work with music/podcasts on pretty much all day. Also nice that it comes with a Charger *a super fast charger no less* and earphones. (looks at Apple)
The rumor is that Samsung will follow Apple's lead and not include a charger with the Galaxy S21 series. Not sure about earbuds, though. My guess is that if they are not gone this year, they will be the next.
Apple, for better or worse, sets precedents that other manufacturers follow.
Honestly, I don't even use the charger that came with my Note 10+. Still using the Adaptive Fast Charger that came with my Note 5. (yes, I still have it.. and it still works after all these years.. Albeit its one of the early ones made in South Korea... lol)
So I see no issue with them dropping them from the package. HOWEVER- as a trade off- they should beef up the damn cable. Include a decent 3ft cable with the damn phones like an Anker Powerline II+ cable.
I don't like the fact that something critical to using one's phone is not included in the box, and I don't like Apple's disingenuousness about their reasons for not including it. There is certainly an environmental argument to be made, sure, but Apple's main reason for not shipping a power adapter with their products is mainly greed. The least they could do is offer to ship you one for free if one is needed.
of course it's greed. 'For free' and Apple?
As soon as apple did this bs everyone knew that others would follow, so it's no big surprise that Samsung now does it too. The specs of the s21 series also raise more questions than answers.
What specifically? The main downer I've seen is that it won't have expandable storage.
Lower Res
no expendable storage
no charging cable / adapter
plastic backside
less RAM
and a few others
I see what you mean...I've been planning (possibly) on a discounted S20 after the 21 releases and it looks like that may be the way to go.
I'm really having a bad time here deciding what / if I want to upgrade to
A lot of people are in the same boat as you, my friend. Personally i never really liked Samsung (mobiles that is), but that's more of a personal preference than anything else. A lot of techsites think that Samsung tries to push the customers towards their foldable section which would kinda explain the strange hardware they've come up with the S21's. It _might_ be the case, who knows?
As for your upgrade, a maybe cheaper S20+ or even an Ultra might be what you're looking for if you decide to go the Samsung route. I never cared for the pen, so that wasn't a criteria for me either.
On the other hand there are a lot of really good smartphones in the 600-800 bucks range to choose from. (i should know because i searched the net for literally a month)
I've been doing the same thing and it's frustrating.
I actually like how Samsung puts together Android with their hardware, but I also spent some time with my friends iphone...12 pro max and as much as I dislike Apple, it's a sweet phone.
My note 8 still works flawlessly, but the camera leaves a bit to be desired and I want to get away from toting a DSLR and it's support bag around....and I have a stack of Best buy gift cards that will take a few hundred off the purchase for me....but I only buy unlocked and BB doesn't sell unlocked iphones here any more, and there are no activation perks for T-mobile customers at BB...
Ugh, makes my brain hurt...I'd be happy with either device, but I want the best deal possible.