Samsung to unveil new mobile devices at January event

Samsung will hold a Jan. 14 event to unveil a new crop of mobile devices, where it's expected to launch the Galaxy S21, thought to be the name for its next set of flagship smartphones.

Driving the news: Samsung's phone launches have been creeping earlier and earlier in recent years, erasing the opportunity for rivals to get a leg up by announcing competing phones at CES.

Samsung announced the event in a blog post and teaser video on Sunday. But you don't have to wait until then to get a good sense of what Samsung has planned, thanks to a combination of statements from the company and the usual surfeit of rumors and leaks.

• In a blog post late last year, the company offered hints on what to expect from this year's flagship, including the ability to use ultra-wideband technology to open car doors and find lost items. Apple has already announced a similar car-unlocking feature and has been rumored to be readying dedicated devices for object tracking à la Tile.
• Rumors and leaks have taken things further, offering still images, detailed specifications and even videos of what the new devices should look like.

The bottom line: Expect at least three capable smartphones covering the higher end of the market along with a range of new accessories.

What to watch: Whether anything Samsung has in store can make people shift from "that's nice" to "I need to own this."