Opinion post by
Jon Fingas
When you think about stylus-equipped phones, Samsung’s Galaxy Note series and the S Pen are likely the first things that come to mind. And there’s no doubt that the Note is reasonably popular. The Note 2o Ultra was one of the top five strongest-selling phones in the US and South Korea as of October 2020, according to Counterpoint Research.
But there’s a problem: try thinking of a modern, pen-friendly phone that isn’t made by Samsung. While there are certainly a few, such as the Moto G Stylus and (if you buy a pen separately) the Huawei Mate series, Samsung and the S Pen tower above all of these in both sales and name recognition. There’s no meaningful competition. Even our list of Galaxy Note 20 alternatives is focused on big-screen flagships that have no stylus option.
Credit: Supplied by Sony
Sony has just launched the Xperia Pro, coming almost a year after it first revealed its intentions to bring the smartphone to the US. It certainly seems like an interesting proposition, offering HDMI input support so you can use the phone as a 4K monitor for your camera or camcorder.
It’s a great idea for photographers and videographers, while the ability to live-stream the camera’s content via your phone is pretty neat too. There’s just one small problem: it costs $2,500.
While it’s not the most expensive phone we’ve ever seen, it’s certainly among the priciest mainstream phones we’ve ever seen in the US. It definitely doesn’t help matters that the phone ships with last year’s flagship silicon and an outdated version of Android.
2020 was a pretty good year for Sony. Aside from its next-gen console and excellent headphone launches, the brand unveiled a couple of compelling smartphones too. The high-end Xperia 1 II catered to the premium media crowd, while the Xperia 5 II distilled the formula down to something more affordable and mainstream. Both are notable improvements over Sony’s previous-generation handsets.
Sony has its hands full keeping up with the pace of PlayStation 5 orders at the moment. But aside from more stock of its new gaming machine, there’s plenty more we want to see from the Japanese giant in 2021 too. Speaking of the PS5, we’re focusing on Sony’s phones and other tech products here. Stay tuned for our dedicted PlayStation wishlist very soon.
Credit: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
Samsung had a rollercoaster of a year in 2020. It had its fair share of true successes, such as with the Galaxy S20 FE, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and the Galaxy A series. However, sales within the main Galaxy S20 line didn’t meet expectations. The Galaxy Note series isn’t pulling in strong numbers anymore, either.
If nothing else, 2020 proved Samsung is ready to move away from putting 90% of its focus on the premium market. Most of its big wins revolved around its cheaper offerings. The COVID-19 pandemic might have been responsible for at least part of that. Whatever the reason, though, the company is finally seeing that not everyone needs (or even wants) $1,000+ smartphones.