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There is no shortage of talks about the death of the Galaxy Note line next year and most of them revolve around one or two “facts.” Samsung is undoubtedly preparing the Galaxy Z Fold series to eventually take its place, but perhaps most significant is how the Galaxy S21 will get its signature feature, the Wacom-powered S Pen. That will naturally raise questions about whether the stylus is still relevant today, enough to justify the added cost of a digitizer for what most might consider an esoteric feature. There are actually a few things Samsung can do to make sure it really gets the message across this time.
Missed opportunities
It would almost be a shame if Samsung removed the Galaxy Note 21, given that it will be the series’ 10th birthday next year. That is also how long the S Pen has been around and it is fun and tragic that there is still some confusion and doubt about its rationale.
Sure, the phone’s stylus has its share of fans and loyal believers and there are even some in the Apple camp who continue to believe every year that the iPhone would finally admit something similar. Unfortunately, Samsung itself may have contributed to the disappointment and doubts about what its main feature should have been.
Right from the start, the Galaxy Note line was primed to be the phone for productivity and serious work. While early Android phones and iPhones allowed people to consume content on a small screen, the Galaxy Note’s large screen and stylus clearly indicated that it was not a typical smartphone. However, it may have been ahead of its time, as it would be years before Apple, which ridiculed its gigantic screen, increased the size of its iPhones.
But while the Galaxy Note had the hardware to sell its message of productivity and creativity, it lacked the experiences that would convince everyone but the geekiest of users. Android itself would have an app ecosystem problem that would last for years, but Samsung was a heavy hitter in those days.
Unfortunately, he didn’t use that leverage to help turn things in Android’s favor, like convincing major brands or cultivating app developers to create lasting experiences around the S Pen. He was too busy reinventing the wheel and establishing himself as a non-Android Android phone maker to focus on that.
It is true that Samsung tried to create an application that would showcase the power of the stylus. It even made the S Note app available on Windows and mobile PCs, earlier than Microsoft would later accomplish with OneNote. Unfortunately, the S Note has undergone so many incompatible changes over the years that it didn’t seem wise to put digital life in Samsung’s basket.
Creativity and Productivity Redux
That’s not to say that the S Pen is no longer useful. In fact, you may just be getting started. Smartphones have become really powerful computers in our pockets that we can and do use to work these days. The app market, even on Android, has matured enough to support that use case. Samsung just needs to send the right messages to convince consumers that they will need, or even want, a stylus – messages that go beyond painful and artificial testimonials and demonstrations on stage.
A phone is not a tablet
It’s almost too easy to compare and contrast the Galaxy Note phones with the success of the iPad Pro line and its Apple Pencil. It’s easy enough to want those same experiences from Apple’s biggest tablets to be available on smartphones as well. While current phones are definitely capable, you would miss out on the things that make a smartphone better than a tablet.
Samsung needs to sell the upcoming S Pen-enabled phone not as a phone in its own right and not as a scaled-down tablet. You have to focus on experiences that take advantage of the size and portability of the phone, like quickly taking notes on the go, drawing thumbnails, marking up documents, and the like. It is true that Samsung has already laid the groundwork for this, it just needs to make one more change.
Consistency promise
The S Note app, later Samsung Notes, are actually powerful tools for their day, but few would consider it a reliable productivity tool the way some would view Apple’s basic Notes app. Samsung’s note-taking app has changed dramatically over the years, sometimes in incompatible ways that mean losing your old notes. Added new features, sure, but also removed a lot. It’s hard to trust a tool that would be the repository for your digital life and thoughts.
His notes were also not available elsewhere, which made the idea of keeping them there less appealing. Samsung Notes now syncs with Microsoft OneNote, partially addressing that issue, but creating a different issue as well. Now users will have to wonder how long before Samsung ditches its own Notes app, making it difficult to invest in its features.
More stuff, less fluff
To be fair, Samsung has tried to get people excited about the S Pen, but it almost seems like it’s run out of ideas in recent years. Some of the new features, notably the Bluetooth-enabled gestures, seemed pointless and useless anyway. Users don’t always need more new features and would likely appreciate more if Samsung focused on improving apps and experiences.
Developers, developers, developers
Android still has a little problem in the app ecosystem even to this day. While iOS has one or two top apps in each category, Android would have half a dozen, few of which can be considered complete or nearly perfect.
Google is pretty bad at growing long-term apps and developers and Samsung is no different. Sure, highlight some apps and run contests to motivate developers. However, these are mostly one-time marketing periods and not enough to keep developers interested in the platform, especially considering Android’s notorious monetization issues compared to iOS.
Wrap
The Galaxy Note is about to disappear, whether it happens next year or not. However, your key feature will likely live on, even for a while. However, whether or not it becomes a defining feature of future Samsung premium flagships will depend a lot on how Samsung handles its messaging.
All the pieces are in place and the time has come for a true stylus Android phone, but only if Samsung doesn’t squander the opportunity once again.
