Samsung’s priciest smartphone may be the next victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
The South Korean tech giant is reportedly considering discontinuing the Galaxy Note — known for its large size and stylus for note-taking — as COVID-19 has dented demand for ultra-expensive phones.
Instead, Samsung will bring a stylus to its Galaxy S series and to its foldable phone in 2021, Reuters reported.
Development efforts that would have gone to the Note will now be focused on Samsung’s folding phones, sources told Reuters.
Tom Kang, an analyst at research firm Counterpoint, said sales of Samsung’s Note series are expected to fall by a fifth to 8 million this year while sales of the S series are likely to drop by 5 million to less than 30 million.
“Premium demand has decreased this year and many people are not looking for new products,” he said.
The Galaxy Note 20 was launched in the United States this year with a $999 price tag, on par with the Galaxy S20 while the iPhone 12 starts at $799.
Samsung first launched the Note in 2011, breaking new ground in the market for larger screen models and helping it overtake Apple Inc to become the world’s largest smartphone maker for the first time that year.
With Post wires.
