Earlier in the year, Samsung co-Chief Executive Officer Koh Dong-jin had revealed the company’s plans to not launch any new Galaxy Note for 2021. During the brand’s annual shareholders meeting in Seoul, Koh had said that it would be difficult to release a Note model in 2H due to the ongoing chip shortage but that Samsung could release one next year, aka in 2022. Whether Samsung would go on to axe the Note line-up, was left completely for your interpretation.
| Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 review: Best Android smartwatch ever
A new report coming from South Korea seemingly drops the ball on the Note’s future and as many would have predicted, the end of the Note seems near. According to ETNews, Samsung may have discontinued the Note series for good ‘permanently’, which is to say, there might not be any new Note in future.
Samsung Galaxy Note: end of the road?
As per the report, Samsung will cease production of the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra soon and has no plans to launch another Galaxy Note model. Samsung’s decision to end Galaxy Note 20 production is par for the course considering the series’ original launch window. The Galaxy Note 20 series was launched more than a year ago.
While chip shortage could be a big factor, the Note’s gradually decreasing popularity and in turn, sales numbers, is another reason why Samsung would be looking to pull the plug on the line-up.
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review: Best of both worlds, now in the palm of your hand
While the Galaxy Note 10 series bagged 12.7 million orders at launch (in 2019), the Note 20 could pull only 9.7 million in 2020. In 2021, Samsung reportedly sold only 3.2 million units of the Note 20.
Samsung: the future
That sales momentum has instead bent towards the Fold and Flip folding phones—especially with this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 models. The Fold 3 and Flip 3 are the most solid and ‘noteworthy’ folding phones that Samsung has ever made with the Fold also getting S-Pen support. No wonder more people seem to be flocking towards them.
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 review: The real MVP
Samsung had long foretold the Fold would be the future of the run-of-the-mill smartphone and by the looks of it, it seems it hit gold with that prediction. As for the Galaxy Note, Samsung is yet to make any formal announcement about its future. Multiple reports suggest that it may be looking to club it with the S-series, which is where the next phone in the line-up, the Galaxy S22, becomes critical. That phone should ideally launch in February 2022, so we will know soon enough.
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G review: With great power comes great productivity