Samsung has revealed to investors at its annual shareholder meeting that it could skip the Galaxy Note model in 2021, but not because it wants to kill off the product line as some rumors have suggested. Instead, the reason, according to Samsung co-CEO DJ Koh, is due to the ongoing global semiconductor crunch and pumping out another flagship model this year could put unwanted pressure on the company. However, Koh said the launch timing for the next Galaxy Note model may change but it is still aiming to launch a Galaxy Note in 2022.
As reported by Bloomberg, DJ Koh had this to say:
There’s a serious imbalance in supply and demand of chips in the IT sector globally…[the] Note series is positioned as a high-end model in our business portfolio. It could be a burden to unveil two flagship models in a year so it might be difficult to release [a] Note model in 2H. The timing of [the] Note model launch can be changed but we seek to release a Note model next year.
Rumors of the demise of the Galaxy Note surfaced when it became apparent that Samsung was adding S-Pen support to the Galaxy S21 range for the first time. However, the case that houses the S-Pen for the Galaxy S21 Ultra is somewhat cumbersome and not as well-integrated as it is in the Galaxy Note where it tucks away neatly into the device itself. Koh’s advice that the Note is expected to make an appearance in 2022 holds out hope that we will see Samsung re-adopt a dual-pronged candy bar form factor annual flagship strategy as it has in the past. It also raises the proposition that Samsung could switch up the timing of the Galaxy S22 launch with the launch of the Galaxy Note21/22 and push the S22 launch into the second half of the year.