Samsung is reportedly killing off the Note line in 2021 as it refocuses on foldables

By Michael Allison
published

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Mystic Red)
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Mystic Red) (Image credit: Hayato Huseman / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • The Galaxy Note 20 is reported to be the last Galaxy Note.
  • Samsung plans to refocus on foldables like the Z Flip and Z Fold families in 2021.
  • The company is also planning to ship the S21 Ultra with an S-Pen.

Samsung has been rumored to be dropping the Galaxy Note line for a while now, but now concrete reports of this have swirled to an unignorable crescendo. Reuters today confirmed earlier reports that the company would be discontinuing the Note line with the Note 20 being the last phone one.

In line wiith our current thinking, Reuters reports that Samsung will instead refocus its efforts on the foldable Z line, while the Galaxy S21 will ship with support for the S-Pen.

While previously unthinkable, the Note 20's demise means a different thing in 2020 than it would have in 2016. Now, with Samsung shipping phones like the S20 Ultra and large screened phones being common, the rationale for selling a discrete big phone line pretty much vanished. Reuters alludes to pricing issues with the Note line also being a factor. Samsung has tried to sell lower-cost versions of the Note line, either with the standard Note 10 and Note 20 series, or the Note 10 Lite. It seems like those weren't enough to save the series.

Writing about the rumors of the end of the Note last month, Android Central's Jerry Hildenbrand said:

Pulling the Note line into the premium version of the Galaxy S line saves Samsung more money than the cost of adding a digitizer would, too. One less phone to build means more time and money to focus on making the Galaxy S as great as it can be as well as freeing time and money to focus on the foldable devices Samsung is betting on like the Galaxy Z Flip 2. And we haven't even reached the point of talking about marketing and presentation dollars. After 2020's poor sales numbers across the entire mobile industry, saving a lot of money is a very good thing.

Either way, the Galaxy Note is no longer where we can see Samsung's vision of the future, look to foldables for that.

Michael Allison
Michael Allison
9 Comments
  • This is kind of sad, I've had every iteration of the Note.. I have always been happy with it. I use the s pen quite frequently so hopefully the compatibility of the s pen with the Galaxy S phone and/or the fold will work just as well.
  • Seems like the easy solution here is to for Samsung to maintain the Galaxy S and S+, then drop the S Ultra. Position the S21 as a replacement for the S20 FE and become a volume leader, while the S21+ becomes the mainstream model. The next logical step would be keep the Note, but rename it to Galaxy S Ultra or Galaxy S Note - iconic boxy design and S-Pen silo included. Would also make sense to tone down the curves of the S and S+ to look more like the new boxy Note while they're at it to save on tooling costs and give the entire S line a more modern, unified, and distinctive design language. This would simplify their traditional slate-style flagship line while advancing it forward, and allow foldables to room to grow on their own.
  • no. They better then have the S21 with SD slot. I love the FE. I don't need a QHD display unless its at 120mhz refresh. No use to have a hi res screen if you limit it to FHD with 120mhz. I could care less about a glass back, mine is in a cover, and I'd rather have one less thing to worry about shattering if it falls out of a case.
  • So, I guess I am fortunate to own my first and last Note, the 10+. I will not be plunking down CAN$2,000 for a Fold series, but then again, I said the same thing about my $1,000 Note10+. No, but seriously, $2,000 is just much too much for me to pay for a phone, that, let's face it, is still in its developmental, infant stages, regardless of whether it's a Fold 2, 3, 4, or maybe even 5. It's time I *really* grow a pair and get into an annual (or preferably, biennial) $500-$600 non-Samsung, always-improving, mid-rangers.
  • The Note will return.
    Long live the
    Samsung Galaxy Note Series!!🙌
  • I am still on my note 9 and love it, but i am really interested in the flip 2.
    I use to love having a big phone, but nowadays if i had a flip 6inch screen i would be happy about the smaller print while carrying it.
    I had the note 2 through 9, with the exception of the note edge.
    I still don't care about curved screen, and I'm glad it has improved, but i am ready for a reliable flip phone that still gives a good screen experience. I don't know if the note would ever come back, but the article is right in the fact that so much from the note line got morphed into other galaxy phones the only real difference was the pen. I like the pen but i don't use it like i used to.
  • I've always wanted a Note, but couldn't justify the cost.
  • After quite a number of years on Notes, I really like 'em a lot with my current Note 9, with the totally incredible 3.5mm Jack, which I use a lot. This phone will keep me going well into next year and then, who knows? If I don't but a Note 20 version, I just might go smaller! I've said this before... the Note 9 has been the finest phone that I have ever used!
  • When the Z Fold gets a Z-Pen it will be 'goodbye, Note Phones.' A new iteration for me as I see it. I gave up my favorite phone, looking at it now since I charged it two days ago, the Sanyo SCP-5500 for the Palm Trenton 650 nearly sixteen years to the day now. It required a slight leap of faith but that Treo was too attractive and practical as it turned out.