Alleged renders of the Galaxy S22 Ultra have popped up online, but aside from giving a glimpse of Samsung's next flagship, they somewhat confirm that the Galaxy Note line has finally met an unceremonious end. Rumors of Samsung killing the Note line to focus on foldables have been making the rounds for a while now. Even though Samsung hasn’t explicitly said it yet, recent product launches have been sending a message that the Galaxy Note has been shelved for the foreseeable future.
The first sign of Galaxy Note series’ demise came when the company unveiled Galaxy S21 Ultra with S Pen support in tow. Back then, Samsung said the decision merely amounts to ‘extending fan-favorite features to more phones’ — which made some sense from a business perspective. Months later, S Pen support was extended to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 foldable, a phone that Samsung claims will revolutionize the productivity aspect of using smartphones. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the Galaxy Note followed an eerily similar product philosophy with stylus-centric features at the helm.
However, neither device comes with a housing slot for the stylus, which happens to be a signature trait of the Galaxy Note series phones. Well, that design exclusivity might end early next year with the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s arrival. A trove of alleged Galaxy S22 Ultra renders courtesy of Digit (in collaboration with leakster @OnLeaks) have surfaced online. While the camera layout’s design will receive some scathing criticism, one design change in particular, will definitely excite fans. Just like all the Galaxy Note phones from the past decade, the Galaxy S22 Ultra appears to come with an in-built stylus slot.
Galaxy S Replacing Note By Becoming It
The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s design appears to have been heavily inspired by the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the Galaxy Note 10 duo. The screen and rear panels have a subtle curve along the sides and meet the thin metallic frame sandwiched between them. The top and bottom edges are flat and appear to have a metallic finish, the bezels are quite thin, and there’s a centrally aligned hole-punch cutout at the top for housing the selfie camera. Or in Samsung’s marketing language, the Infinity-O design for its phones. Even the speaker grille, USB-C port, SIM slot and the S Pen garage on the leaked Galaxy S22 Ultra renders occupy the same position as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
While copying its own design is an acceptable move, putting the S Pen in an in-built slot robs the Galaxy Note family of its standout feature. More than just another feature addition for the Galaxy S line, it is a clear sign that the Galaxy Note phones have finally rode off into the sunset. It’s quite obvious to imagine that the Galaxy Note series will no longer hold the same appeal as it did years ago with its stylus-toting charisma when a Galaxy S series phone offers the same look, feel, and set of capabilities. Rather than getting burdened with three flagship lines, Samsung appears to be letting the Galaxy S phones take over the reins from the Galaxy Note, while foldables occupy the launch window traditionally reserved for the Note series.
Source: Digit