Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with S Pen
As good of an impression as the
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra powerhouse made in our in-depth review, the most impressive smartphone released by Samsung in the second half of 2020 is arguably the
Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G.
By no means flawless, this managed to vastly improve almost everything about its inherently flawed predecessor, refining that ambitious foldable design while
considerably enhancing its durability. Naturally, the surprising maturity of
the second-gen device rekindled speculation of the imminent demise of the S Pen-wielding Note family.
These rumors have been around for a few years now, with various insiders claiming (or rather assuming) that Samsung is having more and more trouble differentiating the Galaxy S and Note lineups. But although the gossip fire was further fueled by a recent report hinting at
S Pen integration on the S21 series, it appears there’s still a good chance a Galaxy Note 21 5G will materialize in the second half of 2021.
The last of its kind?
Korean media expects the death of the premium smartphone family to not be very far away. But instead of suddenly giving it the axe, Samsung is preparing a “sequential” exit by trying to “absorb Galaxy Note customers into the Galaxy S series” at first.
Galaxy S21 5G, and if the feature and early 2021 high-end product roster prove successful, the Note 21 could then mark the swan song of the beloved brand.
Galaxy Note 20 with S Pen
the machine translation of this latest Herald Corp Biz story is a little all over the place, the publication’s sources appear to indicate the S21 series will not actually include an S Pen, simply supporting the hugely popular stylus as an optional accessory.
Samsung‘s intention to phase out the Note family is pretty much etched in stone.
Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is largely “to blame” here, accelerating the global adoption of foldable devices and possibly yielding
a wide range of sequels and spin-offs that require Samsung’s undivided attention as the tech giant looks for the industry’s next paradigm shift.
The Galaxy S21 5G needs to be badass
Although it’s certainly true that Samsung’s Note-series handsets have never achieved the mainstream popularity of their S-series cousins, the impact this “phablet” lineup (remember that word?) has had on the mobile industry as a whole is also hard to deny.
With great success comes great responsibility, and it doesn’t take a fortune teller to anticipate quite a bit of backlash from the devoted followers of the Galaxy Note family if Samsung does decide to discontinue the brand sometime soon.
Galaxy S20 Ultra
the middle version is shaping up to be the most compelling of the bunch. Unless, of course, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G will be the only one of the three to offer S Pen support, which is a theory that’s been bandied about in the recent past.
