The rumor mill is turning, and it ain’t good

The unofficial start of summer means it’s time for rumors to begin swirling for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note device, which is typically announced around August. Still, the news might not be what you want to hear: the 10th anniversary Galaxy Note might be the one where Samsung finally kills the headphone jack for the phablet line.

According to Android Police, Samsung may be preparing to release two sizes for the Galaxy Note 10 — a regular and a smaller device (by the Note’s standard, anyway) — that won’t include the 3.5 mm headphone jack or physical buttons for power, volume, and Bixby. Instead, the devices are rumored to have capacitive or touch-sensitive areas that are textured, perhaps similar to how the power button / fingerprint sensor is implemented on the Galaxy S10E. The new report echoes earlier rumors that Samsung was looking to eliminate buttons on the Note 10.

Removing buttons is one thing — Samsung has been trying to make everything more in-screen or unibody anyway — but removing a headphone jack would be a controversial move for a company that has long touted this feature against its competitors. And if the Note plans to retain its stylus, it would still require a slot to store the S Pen, somewhat eliminating the argument for more volume to add a larger battery capacity.

It’s a bit early to take rumors all too seriously at this point, but we should hear more about the device as summer continues. Still, Samsung rumors and leaks happen all the time, so it might be time to start preparing yourself for the inevitable.