Our editorial team, independent of our parent company, selects all products Engadget recommends. Some of our stories include affiliate links. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy something through one of these links. Now that CES is over, we can get the new year underway. Here at Engadget, that means reviewing the latest techs as it becomes available, from smartphones to smart scales.
At last week’s Unpacked event, Samsung announced two smartphones, the Galaxy S21 and S21 Ultra, and a new set of earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Pro. We also tested and reviewed more niche products: the Hatch Grow smart scale for infants, a moddable arcade stick from 8BitDo, and a tracker from Polyend. We spent the past week putting them all through their paces, and for the most part, we’ve been impressed.
According to Cherlynn Low, the smallest — and cheapest — of Samsung’s latest flagships, the Galaxy S21, offers a compelling set of features for its reasonable $800 price. With a hand-friendly, appealing design, a 6.2-inch screen, and high-end specs, the S21 ditches the extra stuff while retaining what users want most. Cherlynn was pleased that the phone still has a high-end Snapdragon 888 processor, a 120Hz screen, a long-lasting battery life, helpful software, and versatile cameras.
A high-res screen is missing from the S21’s features (its 2,400 x 1,800 resolution is lower than that of the more expensive S21 Ultra), S Pen support, and the “Space Zoom” found on the S21 Ultra. However, Cherlynn didn’t miss those features in light of everything else the S21 had: a sturdy, premium feel and a slew of camera and software additions like the Qualcomm 3D sonic sensor, which recognizes two fingers simultaneously on display. Photos and videos looked vibrant, and she enjoyed the abilities of the triple camera setup during testing. In Cherlynn’s opinion, the speedy processor and advanced photo features help the S21 edge out the Pixel 5 on Android handsets that offer the best bang for your buck.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra offers excellent performance, valuable software, and polished cameras — all things we would expect from a premium Samsung smartphone. But none of these features make it a particularly dramatic departure from its predecessor, the S20 Ultra. The large 6.8-inch size, and the accompanying $1,200 starting price, will keep some from choosing this phone, but Chris Velazco still felt that the S21 Ultra was a polished powerhouse of a smartphone that showed competence in multiple areas.
The handset’s display is a big selling point. Chris said the S21 Ultra has one of the best-looking screens he’s ever seen on a smartphone and that the performance didn’t lag a bit thanks to the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Combine that with solid battery life and 5G support, and you have a capable smartphone worth recommending.
But even when you’re shelling out $1,200 for a phone, there are some downsides you’ll have to live with: The S21 Ultra doesn’t have any expandable storage, something that might be a deal-breaker for power users. Also, the S Pen experience isn’t quite as good as the Note series: there’s a slight latency when using the stylus on the S21 Ultra. And Chris found some of the camera’s features to be flaky, though he still enjoyed shooting with the five-camera array more than he expected.
Billy Steele has reviewed a lot of headphones and earbuds, so when he claims that the new Galaxy Buds Pro is Samsung’s best earbuds yet, that’s saying a lot. The Galaxy Buds Pro has a unique design that allows them to sit securely in the curves of your ear without going into the ear canal itself, which Billy found quite comfortable. They also offer plenty of features, including active noise cancellation (ANC) and 360 Audio which uses Dolby Head Tracking technology to create a more immersive sound.
However, that 360 Audio feature wasn’t ready for Billy to test yet, so he couldn’t comment on how well it worked. He tried the battery life, which matched Samsung’s estimate of five hours with ANC turned on. He was impressed with the companion app, touch gestures, and ANC capability. Thanks to the 11mm woofer and 6.5mm tweeter, he found it crisp and punchy regarding sound quality. In this case, you get what you pay for — the premium Galaxy Buds Pro comes at a bonus $200 price.
Hatch has made a name by producing minimal, cleanly designed sound machines and nightlights for babies and adults alike. They’re even popular with some of the parents on Engadget’s staff. But the Grow smart scale is a departure from the company’s usual lineup, and unfortunately, we found it difficult to recommend.
The Grow scale has a lot of potentials — it’s simple to operate, easy to clean and has a companion app that tracks many of your baby’s daily details. However, the scale won’t work without the app, and the app won’t import data from any other tracking programs you may be using. While we found the scale accurate in measuring a child’s weight, you may get inconsistent readings if the positioning is slightly off. And the “record a feed” feature, which would make the Grow particularly helpful for breastfeeding parents, never provided accurate results. At $149, it’s also much more expensive than a standard scale.
