Does Samsung Still Make the Galaxy Note? What Replaced It

Samsung no longer makes the Galaxy Note. The line ended with the Note 20 in 2020, and the features that defined it moved into the Galaxy S range.

What replaced it

The Galaxy S Ultra. Starting with the S22 Ultra in 2022, Samsung gave the top S-series model the two things that made a Note a Note:

• A built-in S Pen, stored in a silo inside the phone
• A squared-off body with flatter edges, visually much closer to a Note than to earlier S phones

The S22 Ultra was, in every meaningful sense, a Note wearing an S-series badge. Every Ultra since has continued the arrangement.

If you want a Note, buy the current S Ultra.

Why Samsung merged the lines

Several reasons converged:

• The two ranges had grown together. By 2020 the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra were near-identical in size, screen and camera. Maintaining both was expensive and confusing.
• Two annual flagship launches split marketing attention and cannibalised sales.
• Foldables needed the slot. Samsung moved its second-half launch event to the Z Fold and Z Flip, which is where it wanted the attention.
• The Note 7 recall damaged the brand, and Samsung had already been de-emphasising the name.

S Pen support today

The important distinction: only the Ultra stores the pen inside the phone. The Z Fold works with an S Pen but you carry it separately, usually in a case with a loop — which is a genuinely different daily experience.

Is a Note still worth buying second-hand?

Generally no. The Note 20 launched in 2020, so:

• Software support has ended or is close to it. Check the security patch date under Settings › About phone › Software information.
• The battery will be well past its useful life after this many years and will need replacing.
• Prices for a used Note 20 often overlap with a newer mid-range phone that still receives updates.

If you want the Note experience, a used S22 Ultra or later is a far better purchase — it has the same S Pen in the same internal silo, plus remaining software support.

Which S Pen works with what

S Pens are not universally interchangeable:

• The Ultra's S Pen uses Bluetooth for air gestures and remote camera control, and charges inside the phone.
• The Z Fold S Pen must be a Fold-specific model with a retracting tip — a standard S Pen can damage the foldable inner display.
• Tab S Pens are larger and designed for tablets.

Always buy the S Pen designated for your specific device. Using the wrong one on a Fold is a genuine risk to the screen, not merely a compatibility inconvenience.

What the S Pen still does

For anyone deciding whether the Ultra premium is worth it:

• Screen-off memo — pull the pen out with the display off and write immediately on a black screen.
• Air actions — Bluetooth gestures for camera shutter and presentation control.
• Smart select — capture a region of the screen, extract text from an image, or record a GIF.
• Handwriting to text in Samsung Notes, which is genuinely accurate.
• Precise editing in photo apps and PDFs, and signing documents directly.

If you just want a stylus

You do not need an Ultra. Any capacitive stylus works on any touchscreen for basic navigation and rough note-taking. What you lose without an S Pen is pressure sensitivity, palm rejection and the low-latency handwriting that makes note-taking actually pleasant.

For serious handwritten notes, the Galaxy Tab S series includes an S Pen in the box and gives you far more writing area than any phone, usually at a lower price than an Ultra. See also which Samsung phone has the biggest screen.

In short

The Galaxy Note is discontinued, ending with the Note 20 in 2020. Its replacement is the Galaxy S Ultra, which has carried a built-in S Pen since the S22 Ultra in 2022. The Z Fold and Tab S series also support an S Pen, but only the Ultra stores it inside the phone.

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