Samsung Galaxy S21 leak reveals a secret weapon the iPhone 12 lacks

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The Samsung Galaxy S21 may skip the usual AKG earbuds for something even better

galaxy s21
(Image credit: OnLeaks)

Ever since Apple made the decision to remove the complimentary earbuds and charging brick from the iPhone 12, there have been rumors that other phone companies would follow suit — Samsung in particular.

Now a new report claims it won’t be all bad news. While Samsung is set to stop offering AKG earbuds with the Galaxy S21, Korean news site TopDaily is reporting that it be replacing them with something even better: the mysterious new Galaxy Buds Beyond. 

Some people wouldn’t care about losing out on a free pair of earbuds, because bundled earbuds are usually pretty poor. A premium pair of earbuds often offers better sound, sturdier construction, and a better feature set than the free pair, which makes them a lot more valuable to the user. That said, everyone can agree that a free pair of truly wireless earbuds is a much better offer.

This is, of course, assuming that the Galaxy Buds Beyond are truly wireless earbuds. So far we’ve heard next to nothing about them, other than a name that was pulled from a European trademark application. However, all previous Galaxy Buds have been completely wireless, and it stands to reason that the Buds Beyond will as well.

Samsung is no stranger to giving away its latest wireless earbuds with flagship phones. But they’re typically only available as a limited-time pre-order bonus that you can’t get if you purchase the phone a few weeks or months down the line. Bundling the two products would change that for anyone who, for whatever reason, can’t commit to the Galaxy S21 before release.

It would also be a smart PR move on Samsung’s part. After Apple scrapped the charging brick with the iPhone 12, it would be quite something to see its biggest rival start bundling more accessories to new customers. Assuming, of course, the rumors that Samsung will also drop the charging brick aren’t true. 

So far rumors point towards the Samsung Galaxy S21 launching on January 14 and released by the end of the month. In other words, we don’t have to wait very long before we find out exactly what Samsung’s plans are.

Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.