Samsung is about to close the Galaxy Note line. The buzz that had its beginning in the confines of the Internet grew until it was seen as a real possibility and now, before the report advanced by the Reuters agency, it becomes a dismal auspice.
According to the latest piece, the future of the Galaxy Note line is set, with sources close to Samsung indicating 2020 as the year of the last generation. The former productivity giants with stylus their days are numbered, with reasons for that.
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the reasons cited for the end of the Note
Faced with a sharp drop in sales of high-end smartphones, especially in the segment premium, and partly due to the incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market leader will have already made the decision to retire this range of products.
They reached fame for the big screen and the pen, or stylus to take notes, draw, control and interact with your smartphone. Currently dividing into two pieces of equipment, the base version and the version high-end with the Pro model, in both cases there will have been a sharp drop in sales. This trend, by the way, was already being felt, with an aggravation this year.
This thesis finds support, for example, in the data recently shared by the Canaly agency for the third quarter of 2020. The report shows that Samsung sells a lot, but does not have a top of the range in the Top sales.
In 2021 we will not have a Samsung Galaxy Note
Reuters also points out that for 2021 there are no plans to launch a new smartphone from the Galaxy Note line. This point was confirmed by three sources close to the subject who preferred to remain anonymous.
It should also be noted that these plans were not made known to the public, and there is therefore a glimmer of hope. However, the piece also indicates that for 2021 one of the new smartphones in the Galaxy S21 line will come equipped with the S-Pen.
If this materializes, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (operating an educated guess about the chosen version), would replace the current Note 20 Ultra and supply the need for an update of this line. It would be, and probably will be, the end point in Note.
In 2021 we will have a Galaxy S21 equipped with the S-Pen
In addition to the S21 Ultra with the S-Pen, the sources also suggest that the range of foldable smartphones from Samsung will occupy the prominent place hitherto held by the Note line. Something that meets the priorities recently announced by the head of the South Korean manufacturer at the last conference with investors and shareholders.
Moreover, the next generation of foldable smartphones will be compatible with the S-Pen, which, in the case of these models, will be sold separately, according to one of the sources who gave statements to the Reuters agency.
Likewise, another source said that efforts and investment normally directed at the Note line will be channeled, in full, to the range of folding devices. In short, a total focus on Samsung folding.
Widespread drop in smartphone sales premium
Taking testimony from Tom Kang, an analyst at Counterpoint in a statement to Reuters, sales of the Samsung Galaxy Note range are expected to drop by a fifth. This year they should add up to 8 million units sold, no more than that.
In turn, the Galaxy S range will also experience a significant drop in sales volume, with 5 million units sold compared to the previous year, but still managing to add 30 million devices sold in 2020.
“The search for smartphones premium felt a negative setback, with people not looking for new products, “Kang told Reuters.
The Galaxy Note line was launched in 2011, shocking consumers with the huge screens for the standard then. As time went by, this range of products became a reference and helped to popularize larger and larger smartphones.
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