Samsung replaced the Galaxy Note 21 with two foldable handsets this year, in what seemed to be a calculated risk. The company announced back in March the devastating news that there wouldn’t be a Note 20 successor this year, blaming it on the ongoing chip shortage. Five months later, the foldable phones arrived, with Samsung devoting plenty of marketing focus to the new handsets. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 are Samsung’s best foldable phones to date. They’re a lot more durable than before. The new models are also more affordable. And early reports indicated the phones sold well after their mid-August launch.
It’s too early to say whether Fold and Flip sales might compensate for the lost Note revenue. But we saw a development recently that suggested Samsung might not make another Note soon. Now a Samsung insider claims that Samsung might give the Note new life under the Galaxy S line, although it’s unclear what that means for next year’s Galaxy S22 series.
The Galaxy Note isn’t what it used to be
Many Samsung fans are familiar with an insider who goes by the name of Ice Universe on Twitter. He’s been posting details about unreleased handsets for years, with a specific focus on Samsung flagships. Unlike other leakers, Ice doesn’t just drop leaks. He’s also not afraid to criticize Samsung’s various moves and offer suggestions along the way. The leaker has been calling out Samsung all year long for canceling the Galaxy Note 21.
He was also the person who posted a list of updated Samsung trademarks a few weeks ago. The Note trademark did not appear to be renewed, which seemed to indicate Samsung wants to discontinue the Note permanently. We’ve explained before that the Note’s days are numbered. The phone no longer has the same appeal as the early generations. The Galaxy Note was usually the phone with the biggest possible screen. It was also the only phone to ship with a built-in stylus.
But since 2017, we’ve been getting better and better all-screen smartphone designs. Phones like the Galaxy S suddenly had screens as big as the Note. The S Pen stylus, the only remaining Note advantage, went away in early 2021. Samsung added S Pen support to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and then to the Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, the stylus needs a special accessory in both cases, as it can’t be tucked away inside the phones.
Will the Galaxy S come with a built-in stylus?
Ice
is back on Wednesday with an unusual tweet. “Note is over, but it’s not over,” he said. “S becomes Note!”
Update: Note is over, but it's not over. S becomes Note!
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) September 22, 2021
In a separate message, he hinted that Samsung might use a different design for the purported Galaxy S phone with Note features. Again, the only Note feature in this new Galaxy S version is an S Pen slot.
Update：The angle is between S and Note. It is not rounded like S but not right angle like Note.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) September 22, 2021
That’s not to say that the Galaxy S22 series will feature some sort of Note-branded model. But some reports earlier this year claimed that Samsung is still discussing the Note series because the Galaxy S21 sales failed to meet its sales goals.
A few days after Ice posted the trademark discovery that hinted Samsung might cancel the Note, he said on Twitter that someone in the supply chain had seen evidence of the next-gen Galaxy Note.
Let's talk about Note22 Ultra again. Someone saw its middle frame structure. It was very easy to recognize, so it was quickly confirmed that it was Note. Yes, it was still a right-angled design.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) September 18, 2021
Last week, he followed up on that report when he said that someone saw the Note 22 Ultra chassis out in the wild.
As with any kind of rumor, we have no way of confirming anything at this point. And Samsung will probably not reveal any plans about the Note 22, or its cancellation, anytime soon. However, the Galaxy S22 rumors have started piling up since Samsung is expected to unveil the 2022 flagship in January. If any of those models will feature an S Pen slot, we’ll probably find out about it long before Samsung’s next Unpacked event.
