What to expect from Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021

After two weeks, 2021 has so far proven itself every bit as eventful and stressful as its predecessor, so there's comfort in understanding what we can and can't predict. Enter Thursday's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event.

Yes, Samsung is back with another product announcement livestream, its first since last August's Unpacked event. You can watch it on Samsung's website on Thursday at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET. The company hasn't officially said what it'll be revealing during the stream, but thanks to rumors and even a good old-fashioned premature retail listing, we have a pretty clear idea of what we'll be seeing.

If the rumors are to be believed, Galaxy Unpacked 2021 won't focus on a huge number of products but, as ever, quality matters more than quantity.

Here's what to expect from Samsung's show.

Galaxy S21 series

The biggest no-brainer of the bunch is the unannounced-but-basically-confirmed Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone line. Samsung refreshes its S series on an annual basis, and with the Galaxy Note series all but dead, the company's main flagship line has to carry a little extra weight now. Based on Samsung's Twitter teasers, we're certain the S21 will show up at Unpacked. We just don't know all the specifics yet.

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Just like last year with the S20, we expect to see three new S21 phones: A default S21, an S21 Plus, and an S21 Ultra. The base S21 might be similar in size to last year's 6.2-inch S20, while the Ultra will likely come in at around the same size as the 6.8-inch S20 Ultra. One can assume the Plus model will sit somewhere in between.

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It's fair to expect these phones to support some combination of 5G connectivity, 120Hz refresh rates, and maybe even some borrowed features from the dying Note line. We can reasonably expect improved camera specs as well, but just how improved they are is unclear at the moment.

Galaxy Buds Pro

Will the beans return? Credit: ifixit

Another straightforward announcement everyone expects to see at Galaxy Unpacked 2021 is the next in the Galaxy Buds wireless earbuds line. Last year's Galaxy Buds Live brought us a delightful bean-shaped design, admirable sound quality, and active noise cancellation that honestly didn't work very well. Thanks to an accidental early retail listing from Staples, we know the follow-up Galaxy Buds Pro could fix that problem.

Unfortunately, Samsung seems to have ditched the beans in favor of a more traditional-looking wireless earbud design. There appear to be rubber tips to stick in the ear, which shouldcreate a better seal for keeping sound out than the Buds Live did. Other than that, there's a rounded outer panel that will almost assuredly have some touch controls for playback.

If that retail listing is to be believed, the Buds Pro should come in somewhere between $200 and $250, putting them roughly in line with the AirPods Pro. Here's hoping they provide Samsung fanatics with the same level of quality.

Galaxy SmartTag

Imagine this, but with a Samsung logo on it. Credit: amazon

The smallest of the three expected Unpacked announcements, both physically and in terms of overall impact, is a new product called SmartTag. This has been a pretty poorly-kept secret over the past few months, with credible leaks pointing to Samsung producing its own version of Tile's popular GPS-enabled device trackers.

We expect SmartTag to be useful for people who have a tendency to misplace things. The widespread assumption is that you'll use Bluetooth and the SmartThings Find app on Galaxy devices to keep track of any SmartTags you own. Honestly, the most interesting thing about SmartTag is that Samsung seems to have beaten Apple's long-rumored equivalent to the punch.

Again, we don't anticipate a huge swath of new product announcements at Galaxy Unpacked 2021. If you're not satisfied with three new phones, a new pair of earbuds, and a device tracker, you'll have to wait until the next one. Samsung enthusiasts, on the other hand, better get ready to set up some pre-orders.