There’s nonetheless a spot for the Note in Samsung’s Galaxy

For the primary time in a few years, August will come and go with out the introduction of a brand new Galaxy Note smartphone from Samsung. Instead, with their decrease costs and improved sturdiness, the corporate is giving its newest foldables — the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 — a agency push into the mainstream cellphone market. With the Z Flip promoting for a penny underneath $1,000, it’s sure to face out from the iPhone and Samsung’s personal Galaxy S21 units that value an identical quantity (or extra).

But for repeat patrons of Notes previous and current, it does really feel like there’s one thing lacking. We’re speaking concerning the model that established Samsung because the main producer of big telephones. Yet the corporate has fully skipped producing a brand new Note this yr and has tried to clarify it away with a easy “not this time around.” For now, the lineup isn’t gone; final yr’s Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will stay on the market in 2021. The latter stays a legitimately glorious cellphone immediately, so even with Samsung hitting pause for a yr, no less than there’s that.

Samsung’s stance on the Note’s future is imprecise sufficient that it leaves room for an eventual return if foldables don’t turn out to be the following huge factor. But I’d argue that no less than one conventional Galaxy cellphone with a stylus ought to stay within the firm’s plans regardless. It’s too quickly to maneuver on from every little thing that Samsung was doing so proper, and tacking S Pen assist onto its different flagship telephones doesn’t fairly reside as much as the Note’s legacy. And there are a number of causes for the corporate to present it one other go.

People appear to love stylus telephones

The Note is little doubt the de facto stylus smartphone, however different firms have additionally discovered success. Motorola has mentioned the Moto G Stylus shortly turned the preferred system within the G-series after its launch, and that was sufficient for the corporate to supply a 5G-capable sequel this yr. And earlier than LG’s full exit from the smartphone market, its Stylo telephones had been a few of its extra well-liked cell units.

You can’t overstate the significance of a built-in silo for storing the stylus away when it’s not getting used. On the Note, the S Pen is there whenever you want it — for drawing, signing a PDF, or no matter else — after which it’s gone and fully unobtrusive whenever you don’t. No add-ons or particular cellphone circumstances required. Those latter options solely add friction that may take away from the entire attraction. Using a cellphone case is completely high quality, and most of the people do, however attempting to include a stylus slot there’s removed from ideally suited if you happen to’ve received normal-sized palms.

The Note deserves a greater swan track than the Note 20

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was true to the road’s common recipe of stellar construct high quality, high-end specs, and a large display screen. But the common Note 20 was a poorly executed misfire. Samsung’s technique of pursuing a barely cheaper price level made sense, however there have been sufficient compromises with final yr’s common Note that it was troublesome to advocate.

Most obtrusive of all was that it had a 60Hz show, when even cheaper Samsung telephones just like the Galaxy S20 FE had developed to smoother refresh charges. The cameras had been worse, it had a plastic again, and all of those tradeoffs had been made to succeed in a still-expensive worth of $999.99. In the eyes of many Note followers, it was a irritating mismatch, they usually rejected the Note 20 for it. Marques Brownlee went as far as to call it the “Nope 20.”

This was notably disappointing after Samsung received it proper the yr prior with the Note 10, which wasn’t saddled with the identical variety of disappointing concessions. That system felt prefer it was meant to be a mini model of the bigger, flagship Note 10 Plus. But the Note 20 got here off extra for instance of what occurs when an organization cuts too many corners.

A case is an imperfect answer

Samsung hyped the addition of S Pen assist when it introduced the Galaxy Ultra S21 earlier this yr. And the expertise of utilizing the stylus appears to be on par with a Note. But then you definately’ve received to put it someplace, and that’s the place there’s no substitute for an precise Note. Without a delegated slot on the cellphone itself, Samsung’s answer was to make a case that would hold the S21 Ultra and S Pen collectively.

However, it got here with a draw back: worse ergonomics. As Dieter wrote in his S21 Ultra assessment, the cellphone can really feel extra manageable in your palms than an iPhone 12 Pro Max as a result of it’s taller and narrower. That easier-to-hold benefit is diminished considerably by Samsung’s silicone case for the S Pen. Since there’s a everlasting holding spot for the stylus on the case’s left aspect, the system is noticeably bigger.

For the Z Fold 3, Samsung got here up with a case design that locations a holster on the hinge. I believe it will work out higher, because the Fold is extra slender than most smartphones (together with the S21 Ultra) when closed — so it gained’t really feel as unwieldy even with the added house.

But until third-party case makers provide you with their very own choices, you’ll be restricted to that one particular Samsung case if you wish to carry the S Pen with minimal danger of it being misplaced.

Selling the S Pen individually makes it really feel like an afterthought

Even although it went to the difficulty of making a “Fold Edition” S Pen with a retracting spring tip, Samsung gained’t be bundling that with its newest flagship foldable. Rather, you’ve received to purchase it (or the pricier S Pen Pro) individually. The Fold Edition comes bundled with its specifically designed case for $79, whereas the S Pen Pro is offered standalone for $99.

An S Pen nonetheless comes included with lots of Samsung’s newest tablets and laptops. But making it an added buy on prime of the $1,800 Z Fold 3 will in all probability lead some individuals to go on it fully. If the Fold is supposed to usher in a brand new period of smartphone productiveness, why not toss the Fold Edition stylus and case within the field? Maybe that’d ease the sting of not getting a cellphone charger, no less than.

Another Samsung stylus cellphone may very well be nice if performed proper

I hope that final yr’s fashions gained’t be the top of the road for the Galaxy Note. Samsung nonetheless hasn’t provide you with another that matches the coherence and comfort of a cellphone designed with the stylus in thoughts from the very starting. But the place ought to the corporate go from right here?

I might see Samsung selecting the “special edition” route (suppose Apple’s iPhone SE, however excessive finish) and releasing a brand new, top-spec Note each few years for the diehard followers that may pay prime greenback for his or her big slab of glass and S Pen.

But a good higher improvement could be if the stylus trickled all the way down to no less than considered one of Samsung’s well-liked A-series telephones and introduced extra individuals into the expertise — for a lot much less cash. That’d be a transparent signal that Samsung is dedicated to the S Pen, even when the Galaxy Note itself stays on hiatus. The advantages of a stylus shouldn’t be reserved for the $1,000-and-up tier. You’d need a excessive refresh show since that does genuinely enhance the responsiveness of drawing and note-taking. The Galaxy A52 already checks off that field, so we all know it’s potential even when the corporate needs to maintain prices down.

Part of the issue with the Note 20 was Samsung’s messaging: it tried to go off midrange {hardware} as one thing extra premium. The pushback and so-so opinions shouldn’t have come as a shock. But Samsung wouldn’t must over-sell a Galaxy A-series cellphone with a stylus: it may very well be a success all by itself deserves.