When Samsung announced about a year ago that it wouldn’t launch the Galaxy Note 21 in 2021, many had already guessed the end of the Galaxy Note phablet line.
At the time, however, the company didn’t have much courage to announce it, blaming a shortage of components. It was not until the Galaxy Z Fold 3 folding screen smartphone was recognized and the Galaxy S22 Ultra succeeded the Galaxy Note that Samsung confirmed the news recently.
We won’t see another Galaxy Note model for the foreseeable future, as Samsung has a clear strategy for the next few years. At the same time, the S Pen stylus interactive experience, which is the continuation of the soul of the phablet, can be continued on the Galaxy S series smartphones with larger screens.
When it released the Galaxy S21 series of smartphones last year, Samsung had already hinted at the first clue that it would cut off the Galaxy Note lineup. The flagship S21 Ultra became the first Galaxy S series smartphone to support the S Pen stylus.
Unlike the Galaxy Note, the S21 Ultra does not have a stylus storage slot, but this has been resolved on the S22 Ultra. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 folding screen smartphone launched last summer also provides support for the S Pen. However, like the S21 Ultra, it does not have a built-in stylus storage slot.
When Samsung began planning to cut off the Galaxy Note line, it wasn’t clear at the time whether the foldable device it had high hopes for would gain market acceptance.
It wasn’t until the more affordable and durable Galaxy Z Fold 3 / Galaxy Z Flip 3 came out last summer that Samsung firmly established itself as the industry leader.
TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile business, said in an interview with Bloomberg:
In the short term, Samsung will continue its dual-track strategy — including the Galaxy S flagship smartphone in the first half of the year, and the innovative folding screen model in the second half — until another major breakthrough.
Sales of foldable devices have grown tremendously over the past year. In addition, pre-orders for the Galaxy S22 series of smartphones increased by double-digit percentages compared to last year. The best-selling Ultra model is an indisputable fact.
At the same time, Samsung will also focus on the continued expansion of the Galaxy hardware ecosystem and roll out the Galaxy Note experience to tablets (like the Galaxy Tab S8)/laptops, and more mobile devices.