Galaxy S21 price: Samsung's next phone could cost $100 less than the S20 - CNET

The Galaxy S21 could be cheaper than its predecessor.

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The new Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone lineup might be cheaper than the current Galaxy S20 family, if rumors are to be believed. South Korean leaker Landsk speculates that the Galaxy S21 will start at $850, the S21 Plus at $1,050 and the S21 Ultra at $1,250. That would be a $100 drop from the launch price of the base S20 last March.

Meanwhile, Samsung is touting its new foldable phones as “more accessible,” which could point to lower prices more broadly. The tech giant could be feeling pressure to make its devices more affordable after seeing a more than 20% sales drop in the second quarter of 2020. Analysts point to the coronavirus pandemic as the reason for the smartphone sales plunge.

Samsung did not respond to a request for comment.

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The Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and the Galaxy S21 Ultra are set to debut at the Samsung Unpacked event on Jan. 14 — the last day of CES — which will livestream at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET). The South Korean company’s event theme is “Welcome to Everyday Epic.” Here’s how to watch Samsung Unpacked live.

The new phones are the follow-up to the S20 phones, which Samsung released last year to accommodate multiple budgets. Rumors were circulating as early as November that Samsung was already mass-producing the Galaxy S21.