After the adding the S Pen feature to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, speculation is rife that Samsung is killing off the Galaxy Note series. Today, the Korean electronics giant has released its FY 2020 financial results and it looks like a ‘notable’ device was excluded from its 2021 plans.
For the mobile business, Samsung says that it will strengthen its leadership in the premium segment with the Galaxy S21 series this year and it will expand its foldable products which include the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip. Interestingly, there’s no mention of the Galaxy Note series.
In 2021, market demand is likely to recover to pre-COVID levels backed by gradual recovery in the economy and accelerating expansion of the 5G market. The Mobile Communications Business aims to strengthen its leadership in the premium segment through the Galaxy S21 series and expansion of the foldable category including the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip.
Based on the statement, the next flagship devices from Samsung this year would be the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 2. If you don’t fancy foldable devices, the Galaxy S21 series will be the only high-end flagship devices from Samsung throughout the year. This more or less confirms rumours that the Galaxy Note 20 could be the last Note ever.
Samsung is still committed to the S Pen
The iconic S Pen will still live on as Samsung will expand the “Galaxy Note” experience to more Galaxy devices. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first to support the S Pen as an optional accessory and it’s likely that the S Pen will be supported for the next Galaxy Z Fold 3.
For die-hard Galaxy Note users, the biggest concern is the lack of a dedicated silo to keep the S Pen when it’s not in use. As seen on the latest S21 Ultra, the stylus has to be stored in a specially designed case which is a less elegant solution. On top of that, the optional S Pen doesn’t provide the same experience as it lacked the bluetooth connectivity and gesture support. If you need that, you’ll have to wait for the S Pen Pro that’s only released later.
Perhaps Samsung hasn’t given up the Galaxy Note series completely and they are switching to a lower frequency cycle. They could go on a bi-yearly cycle by releasing a new Note in every two years. It’s worth pointing out that Samsung had kept the 2015 Galaxy Note 5 in the market until 2017 after the Galaxy Note 7 was recalled.
As a stop-gap measure, there’s a possibility that Samsung could introduce a cheaper Galaxy Note 20 Fan Edition just like the S20 FE. Fans would definitely appreciate a more affordable flagship that runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
What do you think? If you’re looking forward to a new Note, would you consider switching to a Galaxy S21 Ultra with an extra S Pen?
