Samsung's flagship phones have been in turmoil for some time now; it was confusing enough when the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series were in fierce competition, but now the Galaxy Z foldable series is the true premium product, with a price tag to match.

Against this backdrop, we have heard rumors that Samsung intends to eventually kill off the Galaxy Note series. However, according to a new report from Korea's Herald Corp. the end is more gradual than some had expected, with the text describing it as a "phased termination."

The report says that the Galaxy Note 21 will indeed be released next year, but the boundaries with the S21 will be blurred, explaining that the Galaxy S21 will inherit S Pen support - a rumor we've heard before - but the clever stylus will not actually be bundled with the device.

Here is a translation of the relevant part: "This is the first time the Galnote S Pen will be recognized on a Galaxy S model; the S Pen is considered the identity of the Galnote, offering the writing experience of writing on paper with a real pen. However, the Galaxy S21 does not feature the S Pen."

We hope something was lost in translation here, because if true it is puzzling. Other handsets require a separate purchase of an optional stylus (e.g., Huawei's M-Pen for the Mate 20), but this feature falls flat if there is no place to dock it when not in use. Perhaps the S21 will have a magnetic back so that the optional S-Pen can also be clipped on, like the Galaxy Tab S7? Otherwise, there will be a huge gap for where someone might someday buy a stylus, which seems very Samsung.

Otherwise, we are very much on board with the S21 getting S Pen support. This latest iteration of the stylus, combined with the Note 20 Ultra's 120Hz screen, provides an almost paper-like writing experience, and with Bluetooth, could function as an optional remote control.

So far, leaked information on the Galaxy S21 has been mixed. Early benchmarks point to relatively weak performance of the Exynos 1000 chipset, but it is expected that a Snapdragon-powered device will be released in the US instead. Meanwhile, the battery still appears to be more stable than in previous years, but there is talk of 65W charging being introduced to reduce downtime.

Not only will it have a 108 megapixel main sensor, but it may also have two telephoto lenses, which could be considered truly revolutionary.

How many of these rumors will be confirmed remains to be seen. Samsung typically announces a new Galaxy S model in February, but that date could be pushed back further if the coronavirus continues to affect supply chains around the world in 2021.