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Credit: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
Welcome again to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority collection that recaps the prime Android and tech information from the week and what all of it means. Tristan Rayner at the stylus, and I’m speaking all about the Samsung Galaxy Note collection and the S Pen on. But first…
Popular News
Plenty of vital information this week, none more so than what you’re getting from the next-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon.
- Samsung’s Galaxy S21 may be less expensive than its predecessor, which is a welcome prospect. It’s nonetheless beginning at a supposed $849, and as much as $1,299 for the S21 Ultra mannequin, however the S20 Ultra was $100 more than that. Discounts are at all times welcome! The downside? The iPhone 12 begins at $829 for the SIM-free mannequin ($879 for 128GB storage, although).
- Spotify launched its 2020 Wrapped marketing campaign for the yr, which blew up on social media. People actually prefer to see their music stats and share insights. I’d be amazed if Spotify didn’t attempt to amplify this success in numerous methods, not simply yearly.
- And Warner Bros set its total 2021 film roster to debut on HBO Max together with cinemas together with Dune, Matrix 4, the new Space Jam, and The Suicide Squad, to go along with the already introduced Wonder Woman 24.
There are a number of leaks and rumors floating round as nicely:
Reviews
The busy season for new gadgets is just not over, however as we’re busy placing new gadgets by way of their paces, you get a light-weight studying week.
- Xbox Series X overview: The Xbox Series X is mainly sensible however you’re banking on the future being filled with basic video games, as a result of there’s none but. It’s a reasonably protected guess, a minimum of – by Ollie Cragg.
- And right here’s a distinct one: Nurvv Run overview, good insoles that may enable you together with your kind, in case you can tolerate the slight oddness of them – by Jimmy Westenberg. (I must ask Jiimmy in the event that they may help me get from laptop computer to fridge with higher kind…)
Features & Opinion
Our options crew was fairly busy on the Snapdragon 888 entrance this week:
Instant Authority: The finish of the Note
Credit: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
The information out of Reuters this week appears to verify reviews from South Korea which have been circulating for a while: Samsung could discontinue high-end Galaxy Note smartphones.
From the report:
Instead, the Galaxy S collection’ prime mannequin, the S21, may have a stylus and the subsequent model of Samsung’s foldable cellphone will probably be appropriate with a stylus, which will probably be offered individually, certainly one of the sources stated.
A second supply stated firm growth efforts that usually would have been directed to the Note would now be channelled into its foldable cellphone vary.
This makes an excessive amount of sense to argue with. Samsung’s foldables proceed to impress, and the Galaxy S collection does what the Note does, simply earlier in the yr.
The fall of the Note:
Once upon a time, proudly owning a Samsung Galaxy Note felt like a press release. It was the anti-Apple, large display screen, actually bleeding-edge system that took specs to the max, and pushed your pockets’s restrict to the max as nicely.
I owned the Galaxy Note 2, purchased for $669 Australian {dollars} in January 2013, or about $600 in freedom bucks at the trade charges as they have been in 2013.
The Note 2 was a dream. I had an iPhone 3Gs earlier than it, however the Note 2 had 4G capabilities, NFC, a then-huge 5.5-inch show, battery life for what felt like days, a split-screen function for apps, and the S Pen. Of course the S Pen, with as much as 1,024 ranges of sensitivity stress!
But I not often used the S Pen as a result of… why would anybody? It was kinda enjoyable to scribble and jot notes, and a minimum of I didn’t lose it, however I didn’t fairly make a deep connection to the stylus. I didn’t actually get hooked again in on a Note after this.
After that, and whereas reviewing gadgets, the likes of the Nexus 6P simply had the proper Google feeling and I used to be bored with TouchWiz. I keep in mind making an attempt prolonged critiques with the Galaxy S6 Edge, however by the time I used to be seeking to purchase once more the Note 7 occurred — unavoidably talked about right here as certainly one of the few whole disasters we’ve seen in the smartphone world.
As Samsung has progressed the collection lately, it’s more and more felt like simply iterative modifications from the Note 9, to the Note 10, and lastly to this yr’s Note 20 Ultra. Meanwhile, the S collection, which as soon as didn’t maintain a candle to the Note line, began to really feel like the identical cellphone with out a stylus.
Price vs innovation troubles:
Despite the Note steadily shedding its enchantment, Samsung continued to lift costs.
Here’s the way it felt to me, by way of a hand-drawn made graph of how worth vs innovation appeared to go on in the collection. Ironically, I want I had a Note round to have used the S Pen:
Credit: Tristan Rayner / Android Authority
And whereas innovation is difficult to quantify, for precise knowledge on these costs in an precise graph, right here’s an entire listing of the Note costs at launch, from the first Note in 2011 to now:
The Note has reached a pure plateau. Yes, the collection is best, brighter, now has 5G, the cameras can do more, DeX is helpful, the stylus has improved, and a lot more. But little is in the realm of true innovation. That’s now the Galaxy Fold line. Samsung didn’t attempt and hold the Note line going by going with a Note Fold or related branding. Eric Zeman, our critiques editor, gave an in depth breakdown of the execs and cons which reads nicely and is smart.
In brief, the stability has tipped in direction of the Note line coming to a halt. As my colleague, C. Scott Brown stated in his private farewell this week: “The Galaxy Note series had its day, and that day is over.”
The identical plateau is hitting different producers too, however Samsung’s Note vs S vs Fold downside was stark.
What’s in retailer for 2021?
What this implies is that Samsung has loads more wooden to place behind fewer arrows.
Instead of awkwardly buying the Note and the Fold at the identical time of yr, the Fold line will get all the consideration, the advertising and marketing {dollars}, and received’t should attempt and justify the place the Note suits vs the Galaxy S and the Fold. The Fold line will reportedly stretch to 3 gadgets this yr, together with a lower-cost possibility, which might be enticing to these postpone by the excessive worth of foldables up to now.
And on the S collection, the Galaxy S21 might be certainly one of the finest new Samsung smartphones in years with the promising Snapdragon 888 powering the system.
It’s excellent news for Samsung. While rivals received’t have the Note as competitors, it received’t be simple to compete with a refined, more wise lineup.
Deals
A little bit suggestions from us on the offers entrance with a Black Friday recap! I talked to our crew to seek out some knowledge on the prime gadgets that individuals purchased or had the most curiosity in throughout the Black Friday/Cyber Monday gross sales extravaganza. This is all in accordance with our personal tough knowledge, nothing official.
The following gadgets have been fashionable:
- Smartphones: Moto G Power (which had a minimum of a 50% worth drop), Pixel 4a, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, and the Google Pixel 5. The Galaxy S20 was the finest promoting higher-end flagship.
- Popular devices: Google Nest Wifi router 2-pack, Samsung Evo 512GB microSDXC playing cards, and, apparently, the Nintendo Switch Pro controller (which I personal and love, too!).
- Headphones and earbuds: Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2, Sony WH-1000XM4, and Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus.
The excellent news is that issues don’t actually return to “normal” after the late November deal-fest.
Tech Tweet of the Week
Credit: Tristan Rayner / Android Authority
Calendar
Next week is wanting quiet, except you depend US states planning to sue Facebook for potential antitrust violations, stated to be taking place this week coming (Reuters).
Giveaway
This month, we’re gifting away three prize packs! Enter the December giveaway for your probability to win.
That’s it, of us! We’ll have more prime Android tales for you subsequent week. To keep updated on all issues Android Authority in the meantime, make sure to subscribe to our newsletters at the hyperlink under.
(This story has not been edited by Newslivenation employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)