KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 ― Samsung’s Galaxy Note series is an iconic one. One of the early generation “phablets”, the first Galaxy Note was released almost a decade ago, along with the S Pen that has accompanied each release in the series since. However, the Galaxy Note 20 might just have been the last Note series smartphone for the foreseeable future, if several leaks and rumours are to be believed.
Notable source Ice universe tweeted a couple of days ago that he did not have any information on the a Note 21 release. This is particularly significant, with the leakster proving to be a reliable source of pre-release information for most major smartphone releases in recent years.
On a side note, I love that he used a GIF of Dwight Schrute from The Office as a way to convey his disappointment.
An unusual clue: There is currently no information on the development of the Note21 series. pic.twitter.com/RBzzwsg8Cg
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) November 15, 2020
The information doesn’t just come from him. Max Weinbach tweeted a list of Samsung flagships to expect “this year” (I think he means 2021), including three new foldable smartphones: the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, and a (possibly affordable) Z Fold FE. Conspicuous by its absence is the Galaxy Note 21 (or any mention of a Note).
Samsung flagships to expect this year:
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) November 15, 2020
S21 FE
S21
S21+
S21 Ultra
Z Fold 3
Z Flip 3
Z Fold FE
Rather cryptically, Max promises that three of the devices listed will have S Pen support. We’re guessing that this will be the Galaxy Z Fold 3, possibly the S21 Ultra, and the Z Fold FE; users have been calling for stylus support on the larger Galaxy devices for some time now, after all.
In any case, this will come as a major disappointment to many Samsung fans. The Note series is one that always brought something different to the table, even if lines have been blurred over the years with the Galaxy S series. If there’s one thing that really separated the Note series from other, large Samsung smartphones, it has been the S Pen (and all the added functionality that it offers).
I guess it makes some sense. If they’re really thinking of introducing the S Pen to the Z Fold series and the S series, the Note series might become redundant in many ways. Plus, Samsung clearly wants to take advantage of its foldable phones, which might be the way forward in the mobile market (if they can get prices a little lower, and iron out some kinks).
Galaxy Note fans, how disappointed are you? Remember, the information quoted above isn’t official news from Samsung. Rather, it’s an educated guess based on (usually) reliable sources of information. It’s also possible that Samsung forgoes a Note 21 release in 2021, but releases a new Note smartphone in the future — although skipping a generation wouldn’t really make much sense. ― SoyaCincau