End of the Note line?

[Hadron]

There are a lot of posts in the blogs about rumours that Samsung will abandon the Galaxy Note line next year, instead adding the S-Pen to the Fold line (and, perhaps, to the Galaxy S Ultra - not clear whether that would mean S-Pen included or just compatible with the phone).

Now the Note has never been something I was going to buy, as big phones aren't my thing. But that range has probably been the most innovative thing Samsung have done, with the original Note starting the "phablet" concept itself and the S-Pen bringing a stylus to the smartphone. I'd argue that the Fold is less innovative, since foldables were something that was obvious long before the technology to make them was available, and hence several manufacturers developed these at the same time, whereas the Notes led the way in those two respects. So if the rumours are true I'll acknowledge its passing as significant, and miss it a bit even if I'd never own one.

But what I'm curious about is how Note fans here would feel? Would these rumoured replacements take its place for you, or will you feel that something has been lost (if it happens - we do seems to be talking about a single rumour, widely repeated)?

 

[olbriar]

I was new to the Note Series when I purchased the 10+. Being a late adopter, I rarely take advantage of the S-pen and it could be absent and I would not miss it. Perhaps with more time I will find it an asset but for now it's just another gadget. If the rumor is true, I'm certain that the Note followers will be disappointed.

 

[Milo Willamson]

I was not much on them either, after reading on tablets ages ago, understand that they can do more notes by themselves, and wonder why even try to have larger size cell phones in the pocket? That is a strange design to the rest anyway. Even though we are getting foldable down the line, honestly if there was like a foldable tablet down the line, it would not be so surprising to me. I was never wrong about these things.

 

[mikedt]

The only Note series phone I had was a Note7, that I only had for a couple of weeks. Don't think I'm going to miss them.

 

[ocnbrze]

been a note user since the note 4. i love the note series.....but will i miss it? no not really as long as they keep the features with the s-pen and its awesome ability to jot down a note with having to look for a pen and paper. i use the pen when i have ideas i need to jot down. or if i'm in a meeting and need to take notes.....it comes really handy.....so as long as the next gen sammy will have some way of taking notes down on the fly, i'll be just fine.

but it can't just be another s or note series. it has to be innovative. i disagree about the Fold and other foldable phones. though the idea has been around, the ability to actually implemented in an innovative way is something i would be interested. if the note series does become part of the Fold series, i'm down with that.

if i was not happy with my note 10+, i would have jumped on the Fold. but i really like my phone that i will wait until it is fully paid for before i jump to the next phone.

 

[The_Chief]

I wrote a nice post in the Samsung online Community about this very subject. Like @ocnbrze I'm a long-time Note fan, dating back to the Note 3. While the Note is known for top-end specs and large, glorious displays, the defining feature of the line is the S Pen and its suite of tools that are unique in the industry. Everything else might use a stylus... but the S Pen's features make difficult tasks much easier.

I need the S Pen: not because I can control my music with it (but I can and I do); not because I can use it as a remote shutter for the camera (although I routinely do that). I need it because my fingers have a rebellious spirit and don't go where I want them to. Their favorite prank on me is typographical errors - hitting the wrong letter as often as possible to slow me down and extract some fine Navy vocabulary from me. The S Pen allows me to type, tap and swipe with surgical precision, speeding up my work considerably. It's even faster than voice texting with the keyboard taking dictation, as the keyboard will often insert the most ludicrous things even though I'm speaking slowly and clearly.

With the lines blurring between the Galaxy S and Note lines, the only real difference left is the S Pen. Galaxy S devices are just as big, just as bright, equally powerful for everyday tasks... and the Note gets the same cameras as that year's S model. It makes sense, then, to merge the Galaxy S and Note lines and use the Note's engineering resources to make a single device so much better.

Now, let's add the S Pen to the Z Fold 3! If Samsung can build that device (rumored for a June release) with a decent aspect ratio instead of a long, skinny screen, the possibilities are endless! Artists will have a huge canvas on which to work; Maps will show entire cities, and we can use the S Pen to mark destinations and routes; power users can jot notes at meetings with a massive screen, which means less scrolling. Engineers and technicians can create flow charts and diagrams, or even write complex equations that the phone's processor can read and solve on the fly.

The Galaxy Note has pushed the boundaries of the smartphone industry for a decade. Initially mocked and ridiculed by the usual suspects, it has earned the respect of everyone in the tech blogosphere (yes, even Apple fans). But there's really no reason to keep a distinct line when the Note's unique S Pen features could be so much more versatile in the S and Z Fold lines.

For me, it's not the death of the Note... it's the Note's natural evolution to bigger and better things.

 

[Bearsyzf]

I'm not happy about it, i don't really use the S pen but i'd rather have the option to.

 

[ocnbrze]

the only thing that does not make me happy is the price point of the Fold. if the next gen Fold is going to be over $2000, then it makes it that much harder to jump on board.

i was watching a review between the Galaxy Fold 2 and the Surface Duo. the main reason why the s-pen is not included in the Fold 2 is because of the screen. it is supposedly very easy to scratch especially when using the s-pen. so hopefully the Fold 3 will have a screen that can handle the s-pen without scratching it.

 

[The_Chief]

The Z Fold 2 was shipped out with the Fold's plastic screen, which was vulnerable to S Pen scratches. The Z Fold 3 will ship with UTG screen (Ultra Thin Glass) and will be much more durable. But yep: I need to start saving up money each month, right now, to be able to buy it outright in June.

 

[ocnbrze]

The Z Fold 2 was shipped out with the Fold's plastic screen, which was vulnerable to S Pen scratches. The Z Fold 3 will ship with UTG screen (Ultra Thin Glass) and will be much more durable. But yep: I need to start saving up money each month, right now, to be able to buy it outright in June.

thats a great idea. setting up a savings acct now for that purpose.

 

[The_Chief]

I know my credit union will set up a "Christmas Club" account at no cost, with no minimum balance, and we can add/deduct at will. Only caveat is that ours dumps automatically into our checking account every November for, you know, Christmas stuff. But with a launch 7 months away, I'll have to somehow save $200 a month to be on the safe side because I expect the Z Fold 3 to price out at around USD $2000! Even with the sale of my Note 10+ (which might be worth $500 by then), I may have to sell some stuff around here...

 

[ocnbrze]

I know my credit union will set up a "Christmas Club" account at no cost, with no minimum balance, and we can add/deduct at will. Only caveat is that ours dumps automatically into our checking account every November for, you know, Christmas stuff. But with a launch 7 months away, I'll have to somehow save $200 a month to be on the safe side because I expect the Z Fold 3 to price out at around USD $2000! Even with the sale of my Note 10+ (which might be worth $500 by then), I may have to sell some stuff around here...

yep just set my savings account to draw $200 from my banking account each month. i hope it does not topple over $2000. that's a shit ton of money for a phone....or tablet.....hey! what about a phablet.....LOL

 

[The_Chief]

I'm hearing that there will, in fact, be a "sunset" Galaxy Note 21 released in Q3 alongside the Z Fold 3 or shortly thereafter! With the Z Fold 3 scheduled for a June announcement, perhaps Samsung wants to say "farewell" to the Note at IFA Berlin in September, where the Note was traditionally revealed. I would expect a single Note model this year, based on the S21 Ultra's specs... so watch the Unpacked event in January to get a good idea of what to expect in Samsung's flagships for the rest of the year.