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Journalism of Courage
Samsung did the right thing by folding its iconic Galaxy Note lineup into the Galaxy S series during its Unpacked event this week. Even if Samsung hasn’t formally announced the phasing out of the Galaxy Note series, it is obvious that Samsung sees the future of Galaxy Note in the form of the Galaxy S22 Ultra which comes with S Pen and drool-worthy hardware.
Samsung has seen dizzying success with the Galaxy Note, but lately, it came to a point when critics started questioning the need to have a Galaxy Note phone next to a Galaxy S series smartphone. The key differentiator, the size of the screen, had over the past few years become irrelevant.
Even as speculation was rife about the future of the Note lineup, Samsung took a half-baked step by introducing the S Pen as an add-on feature to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 3. The biggest downside to this approach was the lack of an S Pen slot on those devices. The no-show of Galaxy Note 21 last year just fielded speculation that Samsung would slowly kill the Note lineup.
A company like Samsung could have retained the Galaxy Note series and kept launching the product even if it sells in low volume. But the issue was much deeper. Not only Samsung was quickly losing the market share to OnePlus and Apple in the high-end smartphone market, but it had also become increasingly difficult to justify who was the target audience for the Note series.
The general opinion was that the S series and Note lineup had started to overlap in terms of pricing and features, especially after the launch of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. From the beginning, the Note series attracted a particular section of the smartphone market, especially those who are top business executives and productivity-oriented users. For many, what a keyboard was to BlackBerry, the S Pen was to the Galaxy Note.
Abandoning the Galaxy Note series entirely for the Galaxy S series would have been a poor choice, given how last year’s Galaxy S21 met with a lukewarm response. The only viable option in front of Samsung was to merge the Galaxy Note and S lineups and pitch the Ultra-branded smartphone as the one phone that has the DNA of S-series with the extra productivity of the S-Pen. This not only simplifies Samsung’s complicated smartphone lineup but also allows the company to focus on devices like the Z Fold 3 which have the potential to rake in more money as the market for foldables matures.
The arrival of the Galaxy S22 Ultra gives the S-series lineup a sense of purpose and target audience, which was missing in the last few generations of devices. This might give a kick to the Galaxy S series in terms of sales, giving consumers a sense that the S22 Ultra is the only high-end smartphone with a built-in S-Pen. Because previously when you look for a flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra was just another option among a sea of flagships.
But the biggest message I got during the Unpacked event was how Samsung is making the Note brand relevant despite not selling a dedicated smartphone series. What many don’t realise is that the S Pen isn’t a mere stylus; it is more of an experience that combines both hardware and software. For me, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a Galaxy Note device but aimed at mainstream users who want a high-end smartphone that focuses on productivity and creativity.
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