Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday denied rumors that it will discontinue the Galaxy Note series next year, saying the flagship phablet line will live on despite the rise of other premium devices.

Speculation has arisen recently that Samsung may reconfigure its premium smartphone lineup with Galaxy Z foldables and Galaxy S devices after ditching the Galaxy Note family that is highlighted by S-Pen stylus features.

"We are preparing to release the Galaxy Note series next year," a Samsung official said on condition of anonymity.

Earlier Wednesday, Samsung's mobile business chief Roh Tae-moon hinted in an editorial that the world's largest smartphone maker intends to support S-Pen stylus in more Galaxy devices in addition to the Galaxy Note phablets.

Industry officials predict that Samsung may make the stylus available for the high-end model of the Galaxy S21 smartphone that is expected to be unveiled in January.

While some people claimed that Roh's latest message points to Samsung's discontinuation of the Galaxy Note series, the official denied such speculation.

"Roh's message does not mean that the Galaxy Note series will be discontinued," the official said.

Samsung first introduced the Galaxy Note series in 2011. The South Korean tech giant has been launching new Galaxy Note models in the second half of the year. (Yonhap)