Samsung reportedly looking to merge the Galaxy S and Note lines
Probably less confusing, but what of the S Pen?
Since 2011, Samsung has mostly treated us to two flagship phone launches a year. In Spring, we get the Galaxy S, and in Autumn, Samsung produces its S Pen-toting phablet, the Galaxy Note.
Specs wise, there’s a cigarette paper between them, because new processors usually don’t emerge until January, which often leaves the Note a tough sell – why would you pay a premium when the latest Galaxy S will have dropped in price?
Well according to unnervingly reliable phone leaker Evan Blass, Samsung is wondering the same thing, and is considering combining the two lines in 2020. Fortunately, they’re not thinking of smooshing the words together – mercifully you won’t be buying a Galaxy Snote – and Samsung is apparently considering calling the new handset the Galaxy One.
“Just heard a good rumour, and since it’s from a solid source, figured I’d share,” Blass tweeted on Saturday. “Samsung is said to be debating future Galaxy branding, including eliminating the distinction b/w the S and Note lines. Could manifest in different ways, possible w/a ‘Galaxy One’ in lieu of an S11.”
That makes sense to us – handsets with numbers after them get increasingly silly sounding after you hit double figures. Would Samsung really be happy selling a Galaxy S29?
Blass continued the thread on Sunday, adding some extra thoughts. “Expanding on this a bit, apparently what’s under discussion is more than just a brand realignment. Since S and Note features overlap so closely, one possibility is to simply fuse them into a single first-half handset, essentially an S-series with an S-Pen.
“Assuming that [the Galaxy] Fold performs according to expectations – both functionally and in the market – the hope is to deploy its successors as a second-half flagship, in the spot that would be vacated by Note. This was described as still being very fluid and tentative at this stage.”
So nothing certain, but watch this space. Maybe next year you could be weighing up whether to buy your Galaxy One with or without an S Pen.