Samsung's heir apparent has been particularly focusing on the company's mobile division to improve its contribution to Samsung's bottom line. A new report claims that Samsung wants to adjust its flagship models to improve profitability which has been hit by saturation in the high-end segment of the market.
The company has reportedly been discussing the possibility of merging its Galaxy S Plus and Galaxy Note models into a single product. It would deliver cost savings for the company in R&D, production, marketing and sales since it will no longer have to do that for two separate models.
Galaxy S Plus models to be phased out in favor of the Galaxy Note?
The proposal to merge the Galaxy S Plus and Galaxy Note models stems from the increasing overlap between the two product lines. A clear distinction existed between the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lineups previously. The latter consistently had larger displays. This changed with the Galaxy S8+ when Samsung breached the 6-inch display mark for the flagship series.
The Galaxy S10+ that's due next year is expected to feature a 6.44-inch display. If true, it's going to be slightly larger than the Galaxy Note 9's 6.38-inch display. If you take away the S Pen, there's not much in the Galaxy Note series to differentiate it from the Galaxy S anymore. Software features notwithstanding, of course. This year's phablet will have specs similar to that of the Galaxy S9/S9+ with the 4,000mAh battery being an exception.
Samsung has reportedly been debating the merger of these two product lines since last year. The decisions are advanced enough that the company has also informed its partners about them as well. The suppliers are reportedly in an informal agreement in favor of the merger. In that case, what will be the future of these two product lines?
Several reports have claimed that Samsung will actually release three different models of the Galaxy S10 next year. The entry-level model is said to feature a 5-inch display while the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ will have a 5.8-inch and 6.44-inch display. Both models are reportedly going to feature Samsung's triple-camera as well.
If it's going to unify the product lines, would this lead to Samsung doing away with the Galaxy S Plus model and just one of the models be called the Galaxy S Note or some such? It would make sense for the company to keep the Galaxy Note series since it has its dedicated fan base. They won't really be happy if Samsung decides to take the only flagship smartphone that ships with a stylus off the market for good.
Assuming that this speculation turns out to be true then the Galaxy S10+ may be the last handset of its kind. The Galaxy S flagships in the years to come will presumably then have more of a size difference from the Galaxy Note series as only the 5-inch and 5.8-inch Galaxy S models would be retained. Perhaps this would be enough to reduce the overlapping between these two product lines to some extent.
Do you think that this is something Samsung should do to differentiate the two product lines, or is a merger of the two the best solution in your opinion?
