Don’t say goodbye to the Galaxy Note but. When Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 Ultra right this moment, it stated the brand new flagship merges “the best of two smartphone legacies,” bringing collectively the S Pen, digital camera and different power-user options into one gadget. With its onboard S Pen slot, distinct rectangular form and premium specs, it’s straightforward to consider the S22 Ultra as a Note alternative. And in some ways it’s. But does that imply Samsung is completed with the Note altogether? According to Samsung’s vice chairman of product administration Drew Blackard, the quick reply is not any.

The longer reply is a bit more difficult. Setting apart the truth that you’ll be able to by no means say by no means, Samsung (together with many different corporations) says it makes choices about its product roadmap primarily based on buyer suggestions. That means if sufficient individuals clamor for a brand new Note, Samsung may carry it again. Still, although he gained’t rule out something for the long run, Blackard advised Engadget that within the close to time period there aren’t any plans for a brand new Note gadget. “There’s not going to be a new product in the current portfolio with Note in its name,” he stated.

But the Note branding isn’t utterly going away. “I can’t be clear enough, this is just an evolution of Note for us,” Blackard stated. “It’s not the end of the Note.” He identified that the S22 launch occasion alone will reference Note-like options a number of occasions. “It just happens there’s not a device called Note right now,” he stated.

What meaning is options that had been hallmarks of the Note line, significantly the S Pen, will proceed to be embedded into Samsung’s different merchandise. The firm’s stylus has already proven up in its tablets, laptops and foldables in some kind.

Now that the S22 Ultra has an onboard slot, it’s like a Pokemon that has accomplished its evolution into the Note. “We’re going to be telling Note users that S22 Ultra is the device for them,” Blackard stated. “It’s the natural step up.”

“We would argue we don’t make too many damn phones.”

Consolidating the Note and Ultra collection is sensible. There was already a ton of overlap between them, and Samsung was, in my humble opinion, already making too many rattling telephones. Blackard himself acknowledged that there was “a lot of commonality” between Note and Ultra customers. But he additionally stated, “We would argue we don’t make too many damn phones.”

Blackard believes “we make a breadth of choice for a very diverse market.” To him, the problem is in speaking clearly to customers in order that they have the data to decide on the suitable telephone for them.

To be honest, the Note collection did provide an onboard S Pen in a tinier, cheaper handset. (Remember the Note 10 Lite?) Having a devoted collection allowed Samsung to supply extra configurations, like a smaller model of the Note. But in line with Blackard, when totally different variations had been provided, a disproportionately massive portion of individuals purchased the Note’s Ultra variants.

With foldable telephones becoming a member of the annual launch lineup over the previous couple of years, Samsung’s calendar was beginning to look stacked. Substituting the same old Note occasion within the fall with one thing devoted to the Z-series foldables additionally makes issues simpler. Plus, Samsung is predicted to finally add an onboard S Pen slot to the Z Fold collection, so who is aware of, the Note title may resurface there. A Galaxy Note Fold? That would make sense to me.

Catch up on all the information from Samsung’s February Unpacked occasion proper right here!