Samsung's Galaxy S21 series phones might be cheaper than expected

You may not have to spend over $1,000 to get a flagship Samsung phone in 2021.

What you need to know

• A new rumor claims the Galaxy S21 series phones will be more affordable than expected.
• The vanilla Galaxy S21 could start at just $849 in the U.S.
• Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra, which is rumored to come with S Pen support, might start at $1,249.

If a new rumor out of South Korea is to be believed, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S21 series phones might actually be cheaper than their predecessors. According to a Korean Insider, Samsung plans to price the Galaxy S21 between $849 and $899, down from the $999 starting price of the Galaxy S20 (via SamMobile).

Similarly, the Galaxy S21+ is tipped to be priced between $1,049 and $1,099. The Galaxy S20+, in comparison, was launched at $1,199 earlier this year. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which is rumored to be Samsung's first Galaxy S series phone with S Pen support, could cost between $1,249 and $1,299 in the U.S.

The insider adds that the prices haven't yet been finalized, so it remains to be seen if Samsung will actually launch the Galaxy S21 series at a lower price point than the Galaxy S20 series. We won't have to wait very long to find out, as Samsung is expected to formally unveil the Galaxy S21 series at an Unpacked event in mid-January.

Going by their leaked specs, the upcoming Galaxy S21 series phones will only be iterative upgrades over their predecessors. The successors to three of Samsung's best Android phones of 2020 are expected to feature a 5nm Exynos 2100 chipset and a redesigned rear camera array. On the software side of things, the upcoming flagship phones will run Android 11-based One UI 3.1 out of the box.