A recent report citing Korean media outlet The Bell claims that Samsung might be considering ending its long-lasting Galaxy Note series if the upcoming model won’t meet sales expectations. Additionally, the report suggests that the OEM may have taken into consideration the possibility of the series’ cancellation for over a year now, although it’s unclear whether this has any correlation with the rough launch and early demise of the faulty Galaxy Note 7 released in 2016. In any case, the end of the line for the stylus-enabled series would presumably translate into a merger between the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S lineups, allowing the OEM to focus on the release of a single premium lineup every year. On the other hand, Samsung is also expected to launch its first foldable smartphone next year, and the alleged demise of the Note lineup could be seen as a way to pave the way for a new generation of highly-priced premium phones.
Reportedly, the OEM might be considering ending the Note series due to low profitability in an increasingly saturated smartphone market. Assuming the rumors are true, it would seem that the final decision will rest on the Galaxy Note 9’s proverbial shoulders, as the model’s market performance will reportedly be the deciding factor as to whether or not it will be followed by any direct sequels in the coming years. Samsung’s expectations are currently unknown but nevertheless, this move would drastically change the company’s yearly flagship launch schedule which, historically, has been split between the two main series, with the Galaxy S models always launching in the first half of a given year, and the Note lineup having always been scheduled for an H2 release, usually around the yearly IFA event in Berlin. Either way, details are missing as to whether the OEM will completely abandon the stylus or if this particular feature and its accompanying software enhancements will become part of the Galaxy S Plus experience.
At the end of the day, only time will tell whether the OEM is truly considering a change of pace, and the unconfirmed rumors at hand should be treated as such, at least until more details emerge. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has been the subject of various leaks and rumors over the past few months and the device is likely to make an official appearance before the end of the third quarter of the year. The phone is expected to feature a region-dependent Exynos 9810 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, 6GB of RAM, a dual camera configuration, and a generous 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with an elongated image format and thin bezels.