The Galaxy Note may have been consistently regarded as one of the best Samsung phones but its future is now uncertain. Rumors are swirling that the Galaxy Note 20 handsets were the last outing for this series. Samsung is expected to discontinue the Galaxy Note series in 2021.
Many Samsung fans aren't too excited about this possibility. The Galaxy Note lineup commands a very loyal customer base. They won't be happy to hear that a very credible source is now predicting the end of the Galaxy Note series as well.
S Pen support for Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 3 on the cards
Citing three sources familiar with Samsung's plans, Reuters is now reporting that the Galaxy Note series may be discontinued in 2021. The move would reflect the sharp decline in demand for high-end smartphones due to the pandemic.
The sources cited in the report claim that as of now, Samsung has no plans to develop a new Galaxy Note device for next year. Instead, Samsung will add S Pen support to the Galaxy S21 Ultra. This has been rumored several times already.
Another source mentions that Samsung's development efforts that would have normally been focused on the Galaxy Note series have now been refocused on the foldable lineup. It's also claimed that the next foldable smartphone, presumably called the Galaxy Z Fold 3, will feature support for the S Pen as well.
The S Pen is going to be sold separately for both of these devices. They won't carry it internally either as Galaxy Note smartphones do. Samsung will sell cases that carry the S Pen externally. So the user experience with the S Pen will be quite different on these devices.
The pandemic really has put flagship smartphone sales under pressure. That's one of the reasons why Samsung decided to quickly whip up the Galaxy S20 FE, a smartphone it hadn't previously thought about launching this year.
The end of the Galaxy Note series will be disappointing for many fans. It seems that there's a slim chance now that this series could be revived for 2021. Our relationship with the S Pen as we know it could change completely next year. Whether that will be a good thing remains to be seen.
