Samsung Galaxy Note Range May Be Discontinued Next Year, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Expected to Have S Pen Support: Report

Samsung’s decision to eliminate the Galaxy Note range reportedly hangs on the sales performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 this year.

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 25 August 2020 15:16 IST

Samsung Galaxy Note Range May Be Discontinued Next Year, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Expected to Have S Pen Support: Report

Samsung Galaxy foldable phones will reportedly be the focus for launches in the fall

Highlights

Samsung Galaxy S21 series is expected to integrate the S Pen
The top most model – Galaxy S21 Ultra – may incorporate it
Samsung foldable phone range sales needs to match Note series sales

Samsung is reportedly considering discontinuing the Galaxy Note series from next year. A report suggests that the S Pen (or the stylus) that is popular with the Galaxy Note series will be brought into the next years Samsung Galaxy S21 series. Samsung is looking to focus on foldable phone releases in the latter part of the year, to fill the void of the Galaxy Note line-up launch. According to the report, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will come with S Pen support next year.

Korean publication The Elec reports that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will come with the S Pen next year. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to be the most premium model of the series, sitting alongside the presumed Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21+. With the reported addition of the S Pen in the Galaxy S series, Samsung could break the tradition of keeping it exclusive to the Galaxy Note series.

The report says that the code name for the Galaxy S21 next year is ‘Unbound' and the models are numbers M1, N2, and O3. The top-most model, rumoured to be the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, is expected to be the ‘O3' model. According to reports, the Samsung Galaxy S21 range will not come with the 3D Time of Flight (ToF) sensors.

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Citing its sources, the report says that indication for the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 are strong in the second half of 2021, however there is no indication for the launch of the Galaxy Note 21 series. The report elaborates that the launch of the Galaxy Note series next year hangs on the sales performance of its foldable devices. The Galaxy Note series is reported to sell about 10 million units by the end of every year, after launching in the third quarter. The sales of the Galaxy foldable series haven't reached that volume as of yet. The report says that the first generation Galaxy Fold units recorded cumulative sales of one million units in the early first quarter of last year, significantly less than the Galaxy Note range.

Furthermore, production of the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) material for foldable phones also hasn't reached optimum capacity. The report says that even if production of UTG glass is increased by one million units per month, sales of the rumoured Galaxy Z Fold 3 will only be six million units for six months of sale. This is about four million less than the sales of the Galaxy Note series.

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Samsung would not want to decrease its smartphone market share by eliminating the Galaxy Note line-up, however a decision is expected to be taken after considering the sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which is expected to go on sale from next month. Apparently, if things go right for Samsung this year and sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 are promising, then the company reportedly is considering the possibility to absorb the S Pen in the Galaxy S21 line-up and eliminate the Galaxy Note series entirely.

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