The Samsung Galaxy S21 series launched at the end of January 2021, followed by the Galaxy S22 series in February 2022, but unlike previous years, there was no Note device in between.

In the past, the Note series improved on the Galaxy S range and bettered it in certain areas, such as design and camera. But in 2021 things were different, with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 taking the Note's launch slot, offering support for the S Pen, like the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Then in early 2022, the Galaxy S22 Ultra went and added a built in S Pen.

So where does that leave the Galaxy Note line? Will it continue at all? Here's what we know.

Release date and price

  • Has it already happened in the Galaxy S22 Ultra?

Roh Tae-moon, head of Samsung Electronics' Mobile Experience (MX) business division is said to have told journalists at MWC 2022 that the Galaxy Note will come out as the Galaxy S Ultra in the future. Though the words get a little lost in translation, he is reported to have said: "The Galaxy Note will be It will come out as s 'Ultra'." 

While no official statement has been provided by Samsung as yet, it would make sense that the Galaxy Note line was folded into the Galaxy S line, especially after the Galaxy S22 Ultra is basically a Note device with its squarer design and built in S Pen, and after the Galaxy Z devices stole the Note's launch slot.

Samsung previously said it was committed to the Note series, but launch timings may change. Technically both statements can remain true as by making the Galaxy S Ultra the Note, Samsung is committing to the line but moving the launch timing to the same as the Galaxy S line, perhaps to simplify the options.

In terms of price, we'd expect Samsung to launch the next Note device - or devices - around the same prices as their predecessors. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 starts at £849 or $999 so we'd expect similar for the Note 22.

Design

  • S Pen built in
  • Waterproof, premium
  • Under-display camera?

Most of the rumours surrounding the Note 22 series were whether or not it would appear, rather than specifics on what it would feature. That's perhaps unsurprising given it's probably unlikely to happen so rumours surrounding its design are likely to be scarce, or basically just show the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

We'd expect any future Note device or devices - whatever they are called - to take some design details from other flagship Samsung devices and be a premium handset with a built-in S Pen. If the S Pen isn't built in, it can't really be considered a Note replacement.

With the Z Fold 3 offering an under-display front camera, it's possible any future Note device - or Galaxy S Ultra device - could also adopts this technology and there will be no punch hole camera.

Display

  • 120Hz refresh rate likely
  • Flat display possible

With Samsung offering an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate display on all the Galaxy S22 models, it's likely any future Note models would have this too, along with support for HDR10+.

The Note 20 had a flat display with a Full HD+ resolution, while the Note 20 Ultra had a curved display with a Quad HD+ resolution. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a slightly curved 6.8-inch display with a Quad HD+ resolution, putting it in line with the Note 20 Ultra more than the Note 20.

Camera

  • Under-display front camera reported

There haven't been an specific rumours surrounding any future Note's cameras as yet, other than the suggestion that there may be an under-display front camera. This is also something that appeared on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which launched in August 2021 as a 4-megapixel sensor.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra doesn't offer an under-display front camera though, so maybe it's something we will see on the Galaxy S23 Ultra?

Hardware and specs

  • Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2100
  • At least 8GB RAM likely
  • Large battery

The next Samsung Galaxy Note will likely run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the Exynos 2100 if we are to see another device this year. It's likely we'd see at least 12GB RAM too, which is essentially the hardware loadout of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The Galaxy S21 series ditched the microSD support for storage expansion so we wouldn't be surprised to see the same applied to the future Note series.

Big batteries are also likely in the next Note series. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery, which we'd also expect to see in the any future Note, though it's highly likely the S22 Ultra is the next Note we've been talking about.

Samsung Galaxy Note 22 rumours: What's happened so far?

Here is everything we have heard so far surrounding the Note 22 and Note 22 Ultra.

3 March 2022: Samsung Galaxy Note officially dead, replaced by Galaxy S Ultra

According to a report on Korean site Dailian, Roh Tae-moon, head of Samsung Electronics' Mobile Experience (MX) business division told journalists at MWC 2022: "The Galaxy Note will be It will come out as s 'Ultra'." 

13 September 2021: Samsung Galaxy Note 22 might be happening after all

UniverseIce tweeted that someone in the supply chain has in fact seen evidence of the Galaxy Note continuing to exist. 

9 September 2021: The Samsung Galaxy Note is dead, long live the Samsung Galaxy Note!

Notorious leaker UniverseIce highlighted on Twitter that Samsung hasn't renewed the trademark on Galaxy Note:

11 August 2021: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event: All the announcements that matter

Samsung held its Galaxy Unpacked event on 11 August, where the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 were both revealed, alongside new smartwatches. There was no Note 21.

26 July 2021: Samsung confirms no new Note at August event and an S Pen for foldables

Samsung's mobile president published a blog post ahead of the company's Galaxy Unpacked event in August to reveal information about what people should expect from the show, including that there will be no new Note phone in 2021.

17 March 2021: Samsung Galaxy Note series will continue, but no model in 2021

Based on a report from Sammobile surrounding Samsung's 52nd annual shareholder's meeting, Samsung's DJ Koh, co-CEO of Samsung's IT and Mobile Communications division, is claimed to have said that while a Galaxy Note in 2021 would be hard because of a serious shortage of chipsets and a clash with other products, a new Note would be coming in 2022.

DJ Koh is said to have said the launch timings might change however, so while we have been used to seeing a Galaxy Note arrive in August, it might be that the next Galaxy Note would appear earlier in 2022 rather than Note users having to wait till August 2022.

28 January 2021: Samsung says S Pen support doesn't mean it's not committed to Note category

Speaking to T3, a Samsung spokesperson said: "Whilst we have expanded our S Pen experience across our wider Galaxy range, this does not mean we are not committed to the Galaxy Note category. To provide the best mobile experience to all customers, we will actively listen to their feedback and reflect this in our product innovation".

19 January 2021: Samsung Display applies for under-display camera trademark

Giz China reported Samsung Display applied for a trademark registration for an under-display or sub-screen camera, called "Under Panel Camera". Could this come to the Note 21?

12 January 2021: Samsung Galaxy Note 21 may have appeared with under-display camera

LetsGoDigital spotted an unreleased device in Samsung's official CES videos that show a smartphone without a punch hole for the front camera, suggesting it has an under-display camera. There is some speculation suggesting the device could be the Note 21 Ultra.

16 December 2020: Samsung denies rumours of Galaxy Note series discontinuing

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, an anonymous Samsung official was quoted saying: "We are preparing to release the Galaxy Note series next year". 

1 December 2020: Samsung may discontinue high-end Galaxy Note smartphones

Reuters reported that three sources had claimed Samsung didn't currently have plans to develop a new version of the Note for 2021. It was also said the development efforts were being redirected to its foldable range instead.

29 November 2020: Report suggests we may only get the Note 21 next year

ET News reported that 2021 may only see one Galaxy Note device released following the introduction of support for the S Pen in the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the rumoured support coming to the Z Fold 3. The report claimed the reduction to one model was to "reduce the weight of the Note series".

15 November 2020: No evidence of Galaxy Note 21 as yet

Leaker Ice Universe - who previously claimed the Note 21 wouldn't necessarily disappear just because the S21 Ultra got support for the S Pen - tweeted again saying there is no information on the development of the Note 21 Series.

2 October 2020: Samsung Galaxy Note 21 will be released next year

Korean news site Herald Corp reported: "The Note 21, the successor to the Galaxy Note series, will be released next year".

The site also said though that applying the Note's features to the Galaxy S range is a strategy to "absorb Note customers into the Galaxy S series".

24 August 2020: Tweet suggests Note 21 still an option, even if S21 supports S Pen

Leaker Ice Universe claimed that "the output and price of the Z Fold 3 are not enough to replace the Note as Samsung's main flagship in the second half of the year, and Note is still a guarantee of shipment".

20 July 2018: Samsung striving to unify Galaxy S and Note

Way back in 2018, The Bell reported that Samsung was talking about unifying the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines to prevent profibility deterioration.