While Samsung’s mobile boss TM Roh has plans to bring stylus support to more phones in its range, there may still be a new Galaxy Note in 2021. An anonymous Samsung official explains Yonhap that the company is “preparing to release the Galaxy Note series next year” and that “Roh’s message does not mean that the Galaxy Note series will be discontinued.”
Samsung declined to comment on the specifics of Yonhap‘s report when contacted by The edge, but gave the following statement:
Samsung confirms plans to bring some of the Galaxy Note’s most loved features to more device categories in 2021. We remain committed to providing the best mobile experience for our consumers and will continue to actively listen to and consider consumer feedback in all of our product innovations. We cannot share further details at this time.
The obvious question, whether Yonhap‘s report is correct, that is how Samsung will distinguish the Note series. This year’s model already felt like you were only paying for the S Pen support, given that the Galaxy S20 FE outperformed it in specs and undercut it in price.
The Note 20 Ultra was a more attractive – albeit expensive – proposition, but it’s hard to see how it would fit alongside a supposedly full complement of stylus-compatible Galaxy S21 devices with similar screen sizes. And the Galaxy Z Fold 2 shows that foldable phones could soon be a more widely viable option at the top of Samsung’s range.
Samsung is expected to unveil its widely leaked new flagship Galaxy S phones in January, a little earlier than usual. We’ll have to wait and see if that setup leaves any gaps for a potential Note 21 to fill.