Samsung hints that it won’t release the Galaxy Note series this year

Samsung announced today that it might not release the Galaxy Note series this year. So the numerous rumors of the popular phone line being shelved were only partially correct.

At an annual shareholders meeting in South Korea, Samsung’s co-CEO DJ Koh said the company is considering skipping the launch of a new Note phone to streamline its portfolio:

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 Note model in 2H. The timing of Note model launch can be changed but we seek to release a Note model next year.

Koh also noted that there is a serious imbalance between the supply and the demand of chips across the world, and that could cause products to get delayed. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused obstructions in the schedules of chipmaking companies that are trying to satisfy orders from multiple industries ranging from cars to smartphones.

While Samsung didn’t directly indicate the chip shortage is one of the reasons to skip the Note line this year, but it could be a major factor in the final decision. Koh gave a glimmer of hope to Note fans by saying the company could delay the launch to release one, but chances are slim.

Samsung launched its first flagship of the year, the Galaxy S21 series in January. The company also introduced support for the S-Pen stylus — one of the most loved features of the Galaxy Note series — to the top-end Galaxy S21 Ultra model.

Apart from this, the Korean tech giant is also expected to release a successor to the Z Fold 2 by mid-year.

Considering all these factors, it might be difficult for Samsung to release a Note device. However, it would be fun to see what Samsung brings to the series next year to make it a more lucrative offering.