A report fresh out of South Korea has reiterated rumors that the
Galaxy S21 will be released in January, and the highest-end model
will support the S Pen stylus.
ET News (
translated here) says (via leaker
cozyplanes) that Samsung has ordered digitizers for the Galaxy S21 Ultra and mass production is set to begin soon. Digitizers are sensors that are placed beneath the display of a device to ensure stylus compatibility.
The South Korean giant is seemingly in a rush to launch the next S series flagships earlier than usual to counter Apple’s first
5G-enabled smartphone, the
iPhone 12. The chaebol also wants to take advantage of the sanctions imposed by the US on Huawei, which has severely impacted its
capability to meet consumer demand for its smartphones.
2021 could be the beginning of the end of the Samsung Note series
Today’s report also corroborates an
earlier rumor that said Samsung will start laying the groundwork for the replacement of the Note series with Galaxy S and Z smartphones this year. Earlier leaks had hinted that Samsung would nix the Galaxy Note lineup in 2021, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Samsung is reportedly planning to release five foldable smartphones in 2021 and at least two of them are expected to offer
S Pen integration. The company is reportedly considering a
new digitizer technology for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and is also going to increase the thickness of its display so that it’s able to withstand the pressure from the stylus.
S Pen integration. The company is reportedly considering a
new digitizer technology for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and is also going to increase the thickness of its display so that it’s able to withstand the pressure from the stylus.
The Galaxy Note 21 will supposedly be unveiled alongside the Z Fold 3 in June. The foldable phone will likely take the center stage, and Samsung will only release one variant of the Note 21.
The idea is apparently to de-emphasize the next Note handset during the summer Unpacked event and migrate existing Note users to the Galaxy S and Z flagships. If this strategy works as intended, Samsung will likely discontinue the Galaxy Note lineup in 2022.
