Samsung's Galaxy Note lineup is one of the longest running, most popular series of smartphones around, but new leaks suggest that it's being killed off next year.
A few separate reports have come out over the past couple of days that suggest Samsung isn't currently developing a new Galaxy Note model for 2021. First up, Samsung leaker Ice Universe says that "there is currently no information on the development of the Note21 series."
Then Max Weinbach, another respected Samsung leaker, tweeted out a list of Samsung flagships that we can expect in 2021 and there's no Galaxy Note model included. The devices named by Weinbach include the galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra, S21 FE, Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, and Z Fold FE. They add that three of those devices will include support for the S Pen, which has been one of the highlight features of the Galaxy Note phones.
Finally, the folks at 9to5Google have chimed in to say that according to their own sources, Samsung will not be launching a Galaxy Note in 2021.
The Galaxy Note series has been a major part of Samsung's lineup ever since the first model launched nine years ago, but killing it off could make sense for Samsung. In addition to S Pen support, one of the most notable features of the Galaxy Note phones have been their big screens. But in recent years the displays on the Galaxy S phones have gotten just as big: the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch display, the same size as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
There are also rumblings that next year's Galaxy S21 Ultra will include support for the S Pen. That'd be a first for the Galaxy S series and, combined with a big display, could help make the Galaxy S21 Ultra a suitable Galaxy Note replacement.
And then there's the fact that Samsung's Galaxy family has gotten bigger lately with the launch of its foldable phones. With four Galaxy S models, two Galaxy Notes, and two or three foldables, Samsung's high-end lineup of phones is getting pretty congested. Eliminating the Galaxy Note phones whose features are making it into other Galaxy models would help Samsung to consolidate and simplify its lineup.