It’s official; Samsung will not launch a new Galaxy Note series device in 2021. That's according to Dr. TM Roh, Samsung's President and Head of Mobile Communications. Indeed, that may not have come as a surprise to some, as there have been speculation about it for months.
Samsung is slowly incorporating blueprint Note series features to the rest of its Galaxy devices. So are you worried about the Note's hiatus in 2021? Here's why Samsung is right to ditch the Note.
Why Samsung Won't Launch the Galaxy Note 21
Samsung has not explicitly revealed the reasons why the Galaxy Note 21 series wouldn't be launching this year. One of the probable culprits to this, however, is alluded to be the global semiconductor shortage.
In March, the company talked of the "serious imbalance" between semiconductors' global supply and demand during its shareholder meeting.
And as the world's biggest smartphone company in terms of shipments and market share, the company needs lots of chips. The semiconductor crisis has affected smartphones and cars, gaming consoles, GPU for PC builds, and other chip-dependent industries.
Why Samsung Is Right to Ditch the Note
But whatever the reason, it's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, you might ask whether Samsung even needs the Note series anymore. Here's why.
1. To Streamline Its Flagship Series
Samsung has consistently unveiled two flagship-grade devices every year from 2011 till 2018. From 2019, the company ventured into the foldable market with the advent of the Galaxy Fold. Now the company has three flagship series devices under its portfolio. There's the Galaxy Fold, Note, and S series.
In 2020 alone, the company unveiled four new Galaxy S20 devices, and two Galaxy Note 20 series phones. Add the new Galaxy Z Fold 2 in the mix, and you get a total of seven flagship devices. That's a lot of premium devices. It can confuse the consumer since some standout mid-range phones, like the Galaxy A72 and A52, also exist.
One way to tone down the overwhelming number of flagship devices is by ditching the Note series for good. The Note is the right candidate to go for two reasons. First, it is not as popular as the Galaxy S series.
Second, it has long been a niche device for power and productivity users. And you might ask, what about the Galaxy Fold series? Well, the jury is still out on the fate of foldable smartphones.
But streamlining its flagship series could lead to even better software support. Purchasing decisions will also be much easier for the average consumer.
2. The Note Series Has Been "Diluted"
Skipping this year's device may not have been in the company's best interests, as the Note series still has its target market. And that market is not to be taken for granted.
To understand why the Galaxy Note series is ranked as one of the company's best-selling smartphones, we've got to analyze its primary selling points. The series offers one of the best screens in a bigger size, bigger battery, lots of power under the hood, massive storage and memory, a competitive camera setup, and S-Pen support.
These have made the Note a go-to device for pro consumers interested in the biggest and the best from Samsung. The Note was, for the most part, a no-compromise device, offering almost anything an enthusiast would want regardless of the price tag.
But that's no longer true. In some instances, the Note series offers a few compromises here and there relative to the Galaxy S series.
It's no surprise that the company is slowly porting over some of the beloved features of the Note series to other Galaxy devices. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first Galaxy S series phone to offer S-Pen support to try and lure Note 20 series users to upgrade.
And this is just the beginning. Samsung is also planning to bring even more Note features to other Galaxy devices. In an article, Dr. TM Roh wrote, "Instead of unveiling a new Galaxy Note this time around, we will further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices."
The Note series brand may likely slowly fade away with the S-Pen, and other notable features expand to other Galaxy series phones.
3. The Note Series Is Just a Refinement of the Galaxy S Series
Buying a flagship Samsung device was easy at the beginning. If you wanted an excellent flagship device, you'd go for the Galaxy S series. And given that the Note launches six months after the S series, it only features some refinement of the latter, especially in recent years.
The Note has been Samsung's chance to rectify some notable issues of the S series devices launched earlier. Save for the design, a few software tweaks, and the S Pen. It's evident from recent Galaxy Note series phones that Samsung isn't trying that hard anymore. Or, maybe, the Note series is mature, and they don't have many new exciting things to offer.
As such, for now, it's probably better for the company to focus its attention on the S series and to offer the very best that it can. Making such close-linked phones every year means that the company has, in some instances, to make deliberate compromises to differentiate them. But with just one primary flagship device, it makes the company's work even easier.
They can also avoid unnecessary troubles in the process. For instance, the Galaxy S20 displays are allegedly dying for no good reason. There's also a lawsuit that claims Samsung used faulty camera glass on the Galaxy S20 series. Plus, remember the S21 Ultra had autofocus issues with its rear cameras?
Samsung Galaxy Note Series and the Future
The future of the Galaxy Note series is still not clear. Although you won't see the Note series in 2021, Samsung hasn't ditched the series altogether. Or at least not yet.
In March 2021, before the official cancellation of the Galaxy Note 21, Samsung's co-Chief Executive Officer DJ Koh told Bloomberg, "It could be a burden to unveil two flagship models in a year so it might be difficult to release Note model in 2H."
However, the Note series is expected to make a comeback in 2022. "The timing of Note model launch can be changed, but we seek to release a Note model next year," Koh added. If it's unveiled, the Note will find itself in an awkward position when its vital selling points have been transferred to other Galaxy devices.