The Galaxy Note branding might soon come to an end, if reports are to be believed. Samsung is reportedly going to retire the naming scheme and instead merge the S and Note series together.
After the Galaxy Note 9 is launched this August, the South Korean electronics company will shift to a new naming scheme for succeeding handsets, according to The Bell. What's more, Samsung has apparently been considering this change for well over a year.
Is The Galaxy Note Branding Going Away?
Changing an already established name is quite a drastic move, but even more so in the highly fickle smartphone market. After Apple, Samsung is perhaps the best-known mobile company in the United States, and both the S and Note series are now basically household names for most consumers. So, why is Samsung going to change that all of a sudden? The reason? Deteriorating profitability.
According to The Bell, smartphone saturation and delayed upgrade cycles are the two primary factors pushing Samsung to radically change their devices' names moving forward. The fact is more people are holding onto their devices for much longer, especially given that the line separating midrange phones and flagship devices is increasingly blurring.
Some midrange devices these days are simply more than capable of handling basic tasks. They're getting better processors, above average cameras, and nicer screens — for a fraction of what flagship devices cost. Add to that Google's Project Treble, which ensures timely software updates even for not-so-powerful phones. Both these factors make it hard to justify dropping a bucket-load of money just to get the newest model, and Samsung is apparently worried about this trend. So much so that the fate of the Note series reportedly depends on how well the Galaxy Note 9 performs.
How Will Samsung Merge The S And Note Lines?
If Samsung does cancel the Note series, it's not exactly clear how it'll merge it with the S line. Does the S naming scheme continue, or will Samsung introduce a new one entirely? Would there still be a model with an S Pen going forward? After all, the biggest differentiating factor between the two series is the stylus, which has been exclusive to the Note line ever since.
In any case, Samsung's alleged move could be a drastic change for the smartphone landscape in general. Hopefully it pulls this off right, as any wrong move could lend Apple the opportunity to seize Samsung's core base.
Do you think the Note branding should go away? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
