Samsung will launch the next iteration on its innovative phone family on August 5. It will be a device with a cutting-edge, controversial display, cutting-edge technology, questionable sales prospects, and a fiercely enthusiastic fan base. The Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Oh, and there will also be a new Galaxy Note.
I worked on the public relations team for Samsung product reviews when the original Galaxy Note was introduced, and I remember the mix of skepticism, awe, revulsion, and enthusiasm it received. I also remember how opinion eventually changed when customers saw intrinsic value on a much larger screen, sparking a tide that swept away smaller devices. Now, (almost) all smartphones are great. Mission accomplished.
All of this means that the time has come for the Galaxy Note to pass the mantle from the experimental super phone to Samsung’s Galaxy Z flip phones.
The Galaxy Note was aspirational
The Galaxy Note used to be Samsung’s cutting-edge experimental device. With new iterations, the screen size became larger, while the phone’s body shrank. When Samsung added curved glass for its signature look, the Galaxy Note Edge started a trend that continues to this day. Built with Wacom technology, the S Pen evolved from a basic stylus to include advanced features like remote control and directional aim. Today, the entire phone is waterproof, including the stylus and silo.
Specifications pushed beyond the Galaxy S, and the price was just as ambitious.
The Galaxy Note was also Samsung’s most premium option. It was placed on top of the flagship Galaxy S as Samsung’s aspirational device, the phone that was better than the best. The battery was the largest, the screen was the largest, the list of features was the longest. The camera has always been launched into fanfare and the highest scores from labs like DxO. Specifications pushed beyond the Galaxy S, and the price was just as ambitious.
Galaxy Note fortune went up in smoke
Then the Galaxy Note 7 started to explode. Literally.
This public relations disaster forced Samsung to take a more conservative approach to its flagship Note. Fans welcomed the best stylus-packed phone when new models arrived, but the Note never regained its former glory. The size of your battery is kept under control because the density of the battery was a contributing factor in the explosions. The screen is only slightly larger than the new XL-size Galaxy S Ultra phones. And the camera is now the same that you will find in the Galaxy S line, although with some adjustments.
The Note’s lofty ambitions went up in smoke. There is now much less air between the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note family, and there is almost no altitude. Only the S Pen really sets the Note apart from other Samsung smartphones.
The other unfortunate fact revealed by the Note 7’s recall is how little the Galaxy Note brand resonated beyond its demographic core of super-phone fans. If you boarded an airplane in the year the phone was removed, you would hear that the stewardesses ask passengers to make sure the device is not on board.
What you didn’t often hear was the correct use of the “Samsung Galaxy Note 7” brand. Through the intercom, or in news reports, or in casual conversations, the name of the phone was repeatedly incorrectly quoted. That is not a problem facing the iPhone.
The Note’s lofty ambitions went up in smoke.
If customers can’t name an aspirational device, they won’t pay more to buy it. Recent rumors suggest that the Galaxy Note 20 will cost less than the Galaxy Note 10. If true, it means that Samsung understands that the brand is declining and has settled for a midpoint between the flagship Galaxy S and its new aspirational family, the foldable Galaxy Z. .
You have to know when to fold them
It is time to remove the Galaxy Note once and for all.
The Galaxy Note offers few benefits for consumers and few benefits for Samsung. Instead, Samsung should include the S Pen feature in the current Galaxy S lineup and focus the fall launch on the new family of foldable phones.
The S Pen is perfect for the entire Galaxy S family. The name lines up nicely, and Samsung watchers have long known that the S Pen brand was important to the company in differentiating its device from archaic Palm Pilot devices with its pointy pointer. Perhaps if Samsung had made a more unified connection between “S Pen” and “Galaxy S”, the S Pen would be more influential today.
There is no reason to be orthodox about the Note brand and its S Pen loyalty. Samsung has offered a branded and unbranded S Pen in several other products that don’t carry the “Note” label, including tablets, Chromebooks, and Windows laptops. Making the S Pen a feature of the Galaxy S would not confuse customers in the least.
Samsung is working to add S Pen support to the Galaxy Z family, though it’s unlikely we’ll see the pen working with the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 2. That same innovation would easily translate to the rest of the Galaxy S line (and possibly even to the mid-range of the Galaxy A family). Give larger phones a silo option to hold the S Pen, but make all Samsung S Pen displays compatible.
Samsung’s original goal with the Galaxy Note family was to incubate and experiment with new features. The time has come to end the experiment, not because it was a failure, but because it was a success. The Galaxy Note proved that big screen phones are the future. Now is the time to bring all the benefits of the Note to other Galaxy phones and let the Note be removed with respect.
Disclosure: Philip Berne worked for Samsung as a crisis review and product review leader from 2011 to 2017.
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