Unlocking Your Car and Cleaning Your Home with Your Phone... How Far Does the 'Galaxy Saengtaegye' Go?

Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Buds Pro Unveiled
57 Million Online Viewers, Record High
Focus on Camera and Simultaneous Multi-Camera Shooting

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] No Tae-moon, President of Samsung Electronics' Wireless Business Division, delivered the keynote speech at ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2021’ on the 15th, stating that the Galaxy S21 will be the starting signal for expanding the ‘Galaxy ecosystem.’ With the Galaxy S21, users can unlock car doors and connect via ‘Android Auto’ to operate home appliances on the vehicle’s screen. President No expressed confidence, saying, "We have shown what Samsung Electronics values most." The Galaxy in your hand is expanding as the central platform of daily life.

Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Buds Pro during the 75-minute online Unpacked event held at midnight. A record-breaking 57 million viewers watched the Unpacked event. The iconic ‘Over the Horizon’ sound of Galaxy echoed, concluding with a version arranged by the band Dayeonchi. BTS appeared in photos and selfies wearing the Galaxy Buds Pro. President No, who appeared as the first speaker, emphasized, "We will provide users with revolutionary ways to personalize their devices and expand the Galaxy ecosystem through open collaboration."

Phone-Home-Car Connected

On the 15th (Korean time), at the online 'Galaxy Unpacked 2021,' Kevin Chung, a pro from Samsung Electronics Wireless Business Division GDC Center, introduced SmartThings and Android Auto integration features using the Galaxy S21.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra integrates with the smart home platform SmartThings and the vehicle service ‘Android Auto,’ allowing control of home devices from the car screen. When Jeong Haeyoon, a pro at the Wireless Business Division GDC Center, connected via Android Auto on his way home and pressed the ‘Return Home’ button, Google Nest raised the indoor temperature and the robot vacuum cleaner started operating automatically. Jeong introduced, "You can use favorite applications like navigation and music on the in-vehicle display and control home appliances by connecting through SmartThings."

You can open car doors with the Galaxy S21 even without a car key. When he approached the car holding the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the door automatically unlocked. This is the ‘Digital Key’ feature using Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, where the smartphone and car communicate signals to calculate distance and unlock the door. The Galaxy S21 Plus (+) and Ultra models are equipped with UWB technology, enabling device-to-device communication. Samsung Electronics plans to expand the digital key service in collaboration with car manufacturers such as BMW, Ford, and Genesis.

Hiroshi Lockheimer, Vice President of Google Platform & Ecosystem, said, "Our collaboration with Samsung on Android Auto, Nest, SmartThings, and more is an investment to extend beyond smartphones to all devices," adding, "We will take the partnership between the two companies to the next level after this year."

Lower Price and Evolved Camera

Samsung Electronics held the 'Galaxy Unpacked 2021' event early on the 15th and unveiled the smartphone 'Galaxy S21' series. Citizens visiting the Samsung Electronics Delight Shop in Gangnam-gu on the day are examining the products. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The most frequently mentioned feature at this Unpacked event was the camera. The multi-camera system equipped on a single Galaxy S21 produces results as if multiple cameras were used. When filming performances by bands or dancers, the camera angle changes freely. This is the so-called ‘Director’s View’ feature. When shooting vlogs, you can simultaneously record two videos using the front and rear cameras. The Galaxy S21 supports 8K video recording. The Ultra model is equipped with a camera of up to 108 million pixels and supports 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom. Choi Wonjun, Vice President and Head of Strategic Product Development Team at the Wireless Business Division, explained, "The Space Zoom technology of the Galaxy S21 Ultra will turn your photos into a masterpiece through the harmony of hardware and software."

Samsung Electronics lowered the new product prices by up to 240,000 KRW compared to the Galaxy S20. This is a strategic move to seize the growing 5G market, which is expected to more than double this year amid consumers’ tightened wallets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Market research firm Strategy Analytics forecasts Samsung Electronics’ 5G market share to rise to 16.8%, ranking second, and Galaxy S21 sales to increase by 8% compared to its predecessor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.