Chances are great that we won’t see a Galaxy Note model this year. This is not just futile speculation. Samsung itself has thrown cold water over the prospects for a Galaxy Note 21 last week, with mobile chief Koh Dong-jin telling Bloomberg that a global chip shortages could mean no new note in 2021.
If that’s the reason why Samsung doesn’t want to give it a new Note, that’s fine by me. But the company would do well to announce that we saw the last Galaxy Note this year and in the years to come.
Don’t dismiss me as someone who hates the Galaxy Note. It has been a good phone over the years, setting the standard for phablets that other phone manufacturers have tried to follow. But the time has come to be a distinctive and recognizable product ahead of the Samsung phone line.
No more big screen prominence
When the first Galaxy Note was launched a decade ago this fall, it was ridiculed as a giant difficult to handle by rivals and an insignificant piece of the tech press. And people still bought it. The Galaxy Note may have been the first big-screen phone, but it certainly popularized the concept. Nowadays, it is difficult to find a phone with a screen smaller than 6 inches, and much of it is a result of the Galaxy Note’s popularity.
If the S Pen is not strictly a complement to the Galaxy Note going forward, then what is the real meaning of this phone’s existence?
But that last sentence cuts both sides. As there are many big screen phones now, the Galaxy Note is just one among many and is no longer the highlight. Samsung’s own line of smartphones comes with large screen options, with the 6.8 inch Galaxy S21 Ultra providing almost as much display space as the 6.9 inch Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. And if you have extra money available, you can go even further with Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.
In other words, all Samsung phones Galaxy S21 the line is 6.2 inches or larger. The medium Galaxy A72 recently announced by Samsung is as big as the Galaxy Note 20. There is nothing more special about the screen size of the Galaxy Note.
S Pen comes to other Galaxy phones
The Note can still claim a special feature in the shape of the S Pen that comes with all models. AS Pen is not an ordinary pen, with Bluetooth connectivity that allows remote controls. It is also useful for taking notes and helping with accurate photo editing.
But as connected to the Galaxy Note as the S Pen may be, it is no longer exclusive to Samsung’s phablet. The Galaxy S21 Ultra added support this year and, although you need to buy a separate case to house the pen, I can easily see future Galaxy S models including a slot for the S Pen, as well as the Galaxy Note. There are rumors that the next Galaxy Z Fold 3 will add support for S Pen as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if other phones joined the S Pen party later on. And if the S Pen is not strictly a complement to the Galaxy Note going forward, then what is the point of existence of this phone really?
It is certainly not to offer innovative features. The recent notes simply adopted the camera features that Samsung previously introduced with that year’s Galaxy S models. The processor that powers the Note is usually the same as the one that debuts on the Galaxy S. Almost the only thing unique about the Galaxy Note today is its name.
Samsung’s future is foldable
If you’re looking for something innovative today, you’re looking at Samsung’s folding efforts, whether it’s the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the next Galaxy Z Flip 2. These devices have the extra screen space that productivity-conscious users demand, and features like Samsung’s flexible mode take advantage of the foldable screen design to split the screen between a viewing area and dedicated controls. The biggest blows against foldable phones so far have been durability and price, and rumors that Samsung is looking to increase the former while decreasing the latter (or at least, making foldable phones less ridiculously expensive).
There is an argument to be made from a business point of view that Samsung needs a brand new phone launch at the end of the year, not only to help end-of-year sales, but also not to give the spotlight to Apple. and its annual iPhone update in the fall. But this is easy enough for Samsung to solve. A schedule showing rumors of product launches for the next six months was leaked this week, indicating that Samsung will have a lower cost Galaxy S21 FE to stand out in August; we were also able to see the foldable phone updates that Samsung is supposed to be working on. There are many potentially interesting phones, with no superfluous phablets taking up space.
The Galaxy Note had a good performance in the long run, but with its main features adopted and repeated by other devices, it is no longer a unique sight in the smartphone landscape. It would be better for Samsung to retire that product name in style and turn its attention to the next big thing, now that the latest big thing is already reflected in its other phones.