14 DAY TRIAL // 2020 is nearly over, and there’s no doubt many of us are more than happy to step into a new year, all hopeful things wouldn’t be as crazy as they’ve been in the last 10 months or so.
Samsung is one of the companies that know exactly what I mean, especially because its flagship products, including the Galaxy S20, have been strongly hit by the pandemic that forced us to stay away from each other for so long.
Samsung itself has big plans for 2021, and it all starts with the unveiling of the Galaxy S21.
As compared to the previous Galaxy S unveilings, the S21 will see the daylight much earlier, with the company projected to announce the device as soon as January 14. Then, the sales are likely to kick off later the same month, which means the Galaxy S21 will be in our hands approximately one month earlier than the typical Samsung calendar.
But one rumor that has made the headlines on several occasions lately concerns the Galaxy Note, the phablet that so many of us love but which could get the ax rather sooner than later.
Earlier this year, it was rumored the Galaxy Note20 was the last model in this lineup, with Samsung planning to kill off the series entirely. In other words, the 2021 flagship lineup was supposed to only include Samsung’s new foldable phone and the Galaxy S21, with no new Note getting the go-ahead.
Not a long time ago, the rumor mill revealed a Note21 is still expected to go live next year, only that this would be the last such model ever released by Samsung. In other words, one more Note and we’re done, with Samsung to then focus on its other flagships.
In theory, this strategy makes for Samsung, as the company wants to move the S Pen support to the Galaxy S lineup and thus make the Note pretty redundant, especially since it already shares most of the hardware with the latest Galaxy S. So theoretically, it wouldn’t make any sense for the company to launch a Note since the Galaxy S would have the same hardware also come with S Pen support.
On the other hand, all these rumors do nothing more than create uncertainty which would eventually hurt Samsung and the Galaxy Note as a whole. If the company doesn’t set things straight about the Note, there’s a chance the upcoming Note21, if it’s indeed planned, could be a complete fail, simply because nobody would want to spend about $1,000 on a device that has no future.
If no new Note is coming, Samsung would pretty much kill off one of its most successful products without any prior notice, so the Note20 buyers would also feel left behind.
Samsung has so far remained tight-lipped on this speculation, though it did say recently it plans to bring the best of Note to other phones. This most likely means the S Pen support would make its way to the Galaxy S lineup rather sooner than later.
“True to our heritage of staying ahead of the curve with trailblazing mobile tech, we’ll be expanding our portfolio of foldables, so this groundbreaking category is more accessible to everyone. And while we’re already known for our revolutionary cameras, we’ll never stop trying to outdo ourselves — so be on the lookout for super-intelligent, pro-grade camera and video capabilities in 2021. We’ve also been paying attention to people’s favorite aspects of the Galaxy Note experience and are excited to add some of its most well-loved features to other devices in our lineup,” Dr. TM Roh, President & Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics, said.
Time will tell if Samsung is using the right approach, but as a long-time Note owner, I would be more than happy to know if buying the next model makes any sense or not.