Skip to main content

Samsung may not be killing off the Galaxy Note after all

When Samsung skipped launching a 2021 Galaxy Note smartphone earlier this year, most of us thought it was the end of the road for the company’s popular stylus-toting phablet. New reports, however, indicate that Samsung could do a complete about-face and revive the Galaxy Note lineup as soon as February 2021.

If we are to believe South Korean tipster Tron, Samsung could launch a Galaxy Note 22 alongside the Galaxy S22 series in the first quarter of 2022. What’s more interesting is that the device Samsung intends to brand as the Galaxy Note 22 will replace the top-end Galaxy S 22Ultra.

Recommended Videos

S22 ULTRA IS DEAD

Next is the S22 Note 😉

— Tron ❂ (@FrontTron) December 10, 2021

This is not the first time we have heard about Samsung’s plans to rebrand the Galaxy S22 as the Note 22. In September, when the first supposed Galaxy S22 Ultra renders appeared, there were reports about that phone being christened the Samsung Galaxy Note 22 Ultra. However, following tipster Ice Universe’s tweet quashing any such possibilities, these rumors died a swift death. Two months on, it looks like the same rumors have made a comeback with a vengeance.

Galaxy S22 Ultra name is comfirmed 100%
Not Note22 Ultra

— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 30, 2021

While Samsung had a seemingly rational explanation for canceling the Note series, even they agreed that the Galaxy Note had its set of fans. Samsung did try to win some of those fans back by offering S Pen support on the top-end Galaxy S22 Ultra. But Samsung’s S Pen strategy for the Galaxy S22 Ultra was a complete mess.

Samsung wanted users to pay extra for the S Pen Pro to “unlock” all its features because the standard S Pen did not offer support for cooler stuff like air commands and Bluetooth features. Worse, the S21 Ultra did not have a slot for the S Pen — a feature that has remained consistent with all Galaxy Note handsets since their inception. Needless to say, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — while a great phone — was not really an ideal Galaxy Note replacement.

With initial Galaxy S22 Ultra leaks indicating that it will get an S Pen slot, it makes sense for Samsung to just call it the Galaxy Note 22 instead, and try winning back all those disgruntled Galaxy Note lovers.

Rahul Srinivas
Rahul is a smartphone buff turned tech journalist who has been tinkering with all things mobile since the early 2000s. He has…
The Galaxy S25 Slim could come with a big camera upgrade
Someone holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, showing the back of the phone.

Rumors of a potential Galaxy S25 Slim have been swirling for a while now, with more evidence emerging, drops at a time, from various leakers. Now, another leak suggests the upcoming model might have more in its favor than just a slim design.

Known tipster Ice Universe shared a post on X that the Galaxy S25 Slim would have an upgraded and improved camera beyond what the base Galaxy S25 has. That's exciting news, but it could also mean the reported camera changes coming to the Galaxy S25 just aren't that impressive. The primary and periscope telephoto lenses are expected to remain the same as those on the Galaxy S24, with an upgrade potentially coming to its third camera.

Read more
The Android 15 beta for the Galaxy S24 could be here any day now
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.

Samsung's highly anticipated One UI 7 update (based on Android 15) has faced its fair share of delays. At Samsung's developer conference earlier this year, the keynote speech announced that the update had been delayed until next year.

So far, Samsung hasn't even issued the first beta for One UI 7/Android 15 — but a leak on X suggests it might arrive in the first week of December.

Read more
The Nubia Z70 Ultra just gave the Galaxy S25 Ultra some tough competition
A render of the Nubia Z70 Ultra.

With all eyes on Samsung and the upcoming Galaxy S25 release, it's easy to forget about other players on the field. And the Nubia Z70 Ultra could be the underdog competitor no one considered. This powerful phone was just announced in China and will see a global launch on November 26 for roughly $635.

This phone has a lot going for it, but the absolute first thing that catches the eye is the breathtakingly gorgeous design. I'm a fan of Post-Impressionist art, and I have to say that the Starry Night pattern looks better than any case could dream of, but this handset is no slouch in the specs department either. It comes with the same display as the RedMagic 10 Pro and has a screen-to-body ratio of more than 95%. The Nubia Z70 Ultra uses a 16MP underdisplay camera rather than a pinhole camera, giving the screen a more complete look.

Read more