Daily Authority: 👀 Galaxy S21 FE, OnePlus 10 Pro

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is finally here: first expected way back in August 2021, the release now in January 2022 doesn’t contain a lot of good news or signs the wait was worth it: at the price, it feels like it’s 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. 
• Now the S21 FE is… a later, almost as expensive S21, and still comparable to the S20 FE. 
• 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 doesn’t have adaptive refresh to slow down the refresh rate to limit battery drain, so actual screen time might be compromised? We’ll find out.

Price:

• So, with all that in mind, it starts at $699, available Jan. 11.
• That’s $100 less than the base Galaxy S21’s retail price… 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 it’s already in the hands of reviewers, with my colleague Eric Zeman putting up an early hands-on last night, with more to come as it’s 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.
• But… I just can’t see it working this time around for what I mentioned above: it’s probably too late. Plus there’s 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. There’s two colors, marketed as Volcanic Black and Forest Emerald. 
• The lenses don’t 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 don’t see the front of the phone just yet.
• It’s set to be launched in China on January 11th, but a global launch could be months behind.

Otherwise

• That’s it for official details thus far: it’s 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.
• There’s 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.

🚰 Moen’s new Smart Faucets can be controlled entirely with gestures (Gizmodo).

🌞 New solar shingle debuting at CES 2022 can be nailed directly to your roof (CNET).

🛀 Kohler’s fog-emitting smart Stillness Bath is yours for $8,000 (Engadget).

🥶 Could being cold actually be good for you? (Wired).

Here’s something — a chart showing the number of people with Wikipedia pages that died in a given year:

• There’s a log scale on the y-axis that helps keep the graph sane, but it’s not a huge surprise that there’s 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 there’s 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