A new report from Korean news outlet Aju News claims that Samsung will add S Pen support to the Galaxy Ultra S21 and Z Fold 3. This is not the first report to make these claims, and the evidence appears to be piling up, making the rumors even more credible.
While adding S Pen support to these two Samsung flagships may not seem too shocking, the news that Samsung will discontinue the Note series certainly is. Perhaps Samsung has come to the conclusion that its flagship lineup has become too crowded. Between the Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S series, Note lineup, and Galaxy Fold–along with all of the variants of these devices, I’d have to agree.
Besides, the gap between the S-series and Note has grown so small, they are practically the same phone minus the stylus. Aju News also reports the Z Fold 3 is set to launch in June 2021, and that Samsung has created a second-generation of ultra-thin glass to enable S Pen support.
The new ultra-thin glass could prove to be essential for stylus support because current plastic-coated folding screens are easily scratched. The last thing you want on your new massively expensive folding smartphone is everything you’ve ever written or drawn permanently etched into it.
In addition to the S Pen support, the report mentions that Samsung will include an in-display selfie camera on the Z Fold 3. It’s not the first news outlet to make this claim, and as the reports are beginning to add up, it’s now looking more and more like a possibility.
However, it also mentions the in-display selfie camera could be scrapped if performance isn’t up to par, and that a pop-up selfie camera was considered, but ultimately rejected due to concerns about reliability.
I never would have thought the Note lineup would survive the exploding Note 7 debacle, only to be killed off later by other Samsung phones. Regardless, the death of the Note series is a sad affair, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Z Fold 3 are certain to be worthy successors. One is practically a Note phone already, while the other will give users an even larger canvas to work with.