Earlier last week, Samsung unveiled the much anticipated Galaxy S21 series in typical fashion, with the Galaxy S21 Ultra featuring all the bells and whistles one would expect, alongside the other toned-down S21+ and the vanilla S21 variants. While the latter two models got everyone talking about their respective features — or lack thereof — it is the S21 Ultra that’s got my attention. Of course, with that hefty price tag and such impressive camera hardware, the S21 Ultra is surely made to turn heads around. But as we look at the bigger picture, the S21 Ultra could signal the beginning of a new era where Samsung’s prestigious Note lineup could fade away.
Screen
One of the main characteristics that distinguished the Note series from the S lineup is the screen. If you wanted the biggest screen on a Samsung flagship, there was nothing but the latest and greatest Galaxy Note device to satisfy your needs. Until Samsung shook things up with last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra. And this year is no different, with the Galaxy S21 Ultra reiterating Samsung’s stance of attacking the numbers, featuring a monstrous 6.8” WQHD+ screen.
Despite being one-tenth of an inch smaller than its predecessor, it’s still within the same territory of the Galaxy Note lineup. Perhaps the Galaxy Note series is still recognizable by its slightly boxier form factor, compared to the more rounded corners of the Galaxy S devices. But then, not a lot of customers base their decision on that alone, especially when you consider that you can still get roughly the same screen size with the S21 Ultra.
S Pen
Another hallmark of the Galaxy Note series is the infamous S Pen. Not only does it distinguish the Note devices from the rest of the Samsung devices, it pretty much sets it apart from any other device released by any manufacturer. True, Huawei tried to imitate Samsung’s stylus with its M-pen, and so did Motorola with its budget-friendly Moto G Stylus. But none of these feature the same skillset and user experience as Samsung’s integration on the Note. Yet again, Samsung broke this trend with this year’s S21 Ultra, which features support for the S Pen, making it the first Galaxy S flagship to support the S Pen. There are, however, some caveats to bear in mind.
Unlike the Note devices, you have to purchase Samsung’s brand new case and standalone S Pen this time around for $69. And while the S Pen is housed within the chassis of the Note devices, the S Pen is stowed within the side of a separate case. Furthermore, the S Pen on the S21 Ultra lacks Bluetooth support, which means that you can’t use the S Pen to remotely control your phone to do stuff like controlling slideshows or skipping songs. However, Samsung hinted that an upgraded S Pen Pro will be released soon, enabling you to do probably just that. It’s worth noting that you can choose to only buy the S Pen for $40, though you’d have to be really good at keeping track of such a small stylus — your phone won’t keep buzzing if you left your stylus behind.
There are, however, some perks of such an implementation. Since the S Pen’s size is not restricted by the phone’s internal space, the standalone S Pen is a bit larger and thicker, featuring a sort-of rubberized outer coating, making it feel more natural in the hand compared to the relatively tiny S Pen stowed within the Note devices. In the grand scheme, it’s not all in favor of the Note’s S Pen either. And from a cost perspective, the S21 Ultra’s lower list price — when compared to that of the Note 20 Ultra from last year — actually swings the balance to its favor. For $30 less, you can get virtually the same S Pen experience alongside a nifty Silicone case to protect the phone against the occasional bumps and drops. Not too shabby.
Specs
Apart from boasting the all elusive S Pen and the largest screen, Samsung’s Galaxy Note devices were notorious for being the ultimate powerhouse of phones. From having the very latest SoC to having the biggest battery capacity, the latest Galaxy Note was the obvious answer if you are after having the absolute best. Not only that, in some cases Samsung would debut a new camera system, like the Note 8 where Samsung debuted its first multi-lens camera system, featuring a 2x optical zoom telephoto lens.
Fast forward to 2020, the S20 Ultra broke that trend, featuring a massive 5000 mAh battery and a frankly ridiculous 16 gigs of RAM. While the Note 20 Ultra touts the more refined Snapdragon 865+ SoC, it’s still not that much different from the Snapdragon 865 SoC found on the S20 Ultra. Of course, with the relatively late launch of each year’s Galaxy Note flagship, Samsung invariably tweaks the hardware here and there to smoothen the rough edges — The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra fixed the notorious Autofocus issues of the S20 Ultra. But other than that, there is not that much of a difference that would force customers to get out of their own way and snub the latest Galaxy S flagship for the latest Galaxy Note in this regard.
Conclusion
For years, Samsung’s Galaxy Note devices used to offer a vastly different experience to that of the Galaxy S series. Recently, however, with every iteration, both series began to overlap more noticeably. And with the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s S Pen support, I personally believe this is the most obvious hint Samsung has given us of their intentions to deprecate the Note series. It’s not like Samsung is going to leave a big void behind, with the foldable smartphone industry gaining more steam now than ever. For some, it will surely be a sad moment once Samsung decides to pull the plug on the Note. But in the grand scheme of things, maybe this is the most logical move.
