The future of the Samsung Galaxy Note has been in doubt recently, with rumors that the S-Pen is hitting other phones and Samsung is gearing up the Galaxy Z Fold 3 as its next flagship “phablet”.
But it seems rumors of the Galaxy Note’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, because one Samsung official has confirmed that there will be a Galaxy Note device coming in 2021.
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The Samsung official in question divulged this information to Yonhap News, but chose to remain anonymous. Details are scarce, but the source did confirm that Samsung has a new Galaxy Note device ready for release in 2021.
That news contradicts previous reports that Samsung is scrapping the line, instead choosing to add S Pen functionality to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Samsung was also said to be shifting focus, and focussing on the Galaxy Z Fold range as the “successor” to the Galaxy Note
A blog post from Samsung’s mobile chief TM Roh also seemed to confirm the demise of the Galaxy Note, by mentioning popular Note features would be coming to other devices. That seemed to confirm the S Pen would be spreading, since it’s the only major exclusive feature the Galaxy Note range has. However, the official speaking to YonHap News said “Roh's message does not mean that the Galaxy Note series will be discontinued.”
While the source didn’t say anything about the Galaxy Note’s future beyond 2021, it has us wondering what possible future it actually has. Originally, the Note was the “big phone” in Samsung’s annual line-up, but in recent years the Galaxy S range has grown, with the Plus and Ultra models both vying for the best big phones you can buy. The Note range also offers similar specs and cameras to the Galaxy S series.
With all that in mind, it doesn’t really make sense for Samsung to carry on with the Galaxy Note range indefinitely — particularly if it’s losing S Pen exclusivity in just a few weeks. It could be that Samsung is planning a last hurrah for the Galaxy Note range, or possibly that it has plans to reinvent the line into something new.
In the meantime the Galaxy S21 range is due to launch on January 14, and we’ll see whether the S Pen really is making the jump.
