Phew! I'm rather breathless! No, not from any Covid-19 infection - I'm tensed up from just ordering Samsung's new best phone, and need to calm down and relax.
I've gone for the Galaxy S21 Ultra, paying extra to have the version with the 512GB memory for storing my photos, music, maps and other things in. That's an awful lot of memory. I also get extraordinary power and capability. But then I work my phones hard, and use them for many purposes. This will serve me well at home and on holiday for the next five years - not just four. The cost becomes more reasonable with a five-year lifespan.
The S21 Ultra will actually put my flagship Microsoft Surface Book laptop from 2016 in the shade. It's sobering to think that the scheduled replacement laptop in 2022 won't be an awful lot more powerful than this new phone, although it should have even more memory. Together they will form an impressive partnership for getting things done. For like my existing phone, the new phone will be another little computer and very much a practical workhorse. It will earn its keep.
The Ultra is a big phone. It will look huge in my hands. But then I wanted the largest high-quality screen I could buy - it will be like holding a mini-tablet. And it gets a big battery that should go a long time between charges, and last the entire five-year scheduled life of the phone.
Does it lack anything? The only thing that could have mattered is that there's no way to add extra memory with a micro-SD card. I use a 256GB card in my present phone, which has 64GB of built-in memory - 320GB altogether, and I've used up 138GB of that, the largest slice for the 41,000 photos on board. I anticipated buying at least a 512GB card for my next phone. Now I won't have to. The Ultra's 512GB should be ample for future needs.
Any bonus features? Most obviously, the Ultra's amazing cameras - equipped with several lenses, covering various focal lengths. I will carefully check out its photographic capabilities. It's possible that my little Leica of 2009 vintage will at last be eclipsed, and can stand down in honourable retirement. But however good this new phone is, its slab-shape is still all wrong for holding it securely, and there are no physical levers, dials and sliders for photographic fingers to use. The Leica will still handle better, and I expect it will remain my main picture-taking device. But it'll be fun making comparisons. And playing with the Ultra's zoom lens. Expect plenty of posts.
Does it bust my new-phone budget? Only by £79. Bear in mind that I'm buying direct from Samsung UK itself - so I would expect to pay top dollar.
To set against the cost, I do get two rather nice free gifts. Both will be handy.
Firstly, I get a pair of Samsung's new Galaxy Buds Pro, which are advanced Bluetooth earbuds for listening privately to music. I tried Bluetooth earbuds before, in 2019, and quickly sold them after temporarily hurting my hearing with some unwise high-volume experiments. I was aghast at the risk I took, and perhaps over-reacted. I'll be knowledgeably cautious this time round.
Secondly, I get one of Samsung's new SmartTags. I can attach it to any object that might be hard to find. It can then be tracked by my new phone. I'm thinking of my car Fiona. What if I leave her in a really big multi-storey car park? Or park her on a strange street in an unfamiliar town? If this tag were inside and activated, I would use my new phone to guide me back to her. (In this connection, have a look at my post on 10th June 2019, titled The Power of Prayer)
I could buy more tags, attach them to other things, and never 'lose' those things again. Not that this is a frequent problem. I'm a careful person who never usually mislays anything. But once in a while...
So, what now?
As I said, there's no need to buy another, larger micro-SD card. But I'd better get a protective shell or case for my new phone, and then a fancy lanyard to go around my wrist, so that there's no chance of dropping it. I want to be ready for its arrival on 30th January, my chosen day for delivery.
It? Its?
Her and hers! Didn't I decide on Prudence as my new phone's name? Prudence it will be.
