Samsung Galaxy S And Galaxy Note Families Could Merge In Near Future, Here's Why

As we all know, the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note families have been increasingly meeting parity with regards to features. And when looking at the Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 (and the Galaxy S9+ compared to the incoming Galaxy Note 9), there is very little to distinguish the two other than the inclusion of the S Pen on the latter. 

In an effort to reduce R&D costs, the two lines could be merged in the near future according to The Bell. Could this mean that all flagship Galaxy S devices in the future will come with S Pens? That's one possibility according to this new report.

If these two distinct product families do end up merging, it could leave room at the top of Samsung's smartphone totem pole for the long-rumored Galaxy X folding smartphone. That smartphone is expected to be a limited production device and will likely come with an astronomical price tag attached.

The report from The Bell quotes a Samsung official as saying [English translation], "There has been a continued comment on the possibility of unifying QBR in the first and third quarters of last year and the first quarter of this year, which is in line with the launch of new products. But there is no conclusion yet because of the opposition of the pros and cons." 

This move could increase profitability for Samsung, which reportedly is seeing waning sales for its Galaxy S9 family of smartphones that were introduced earlier this year.

The Galaxy Note 9 is expected to launch with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB RAM, up to 512GB of storage, dual cameras, a 4,000 mAh battery and a Bluetooth-enabled S Pen. The Galaxy S10, which is due early next year, will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and is widely rumored to be the first Samsung device with an in-display fingerprint reader.