If you've been waiting for the new Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone, don't get your hopes up. During an annual shareholders meeting, Samsung’s co-CEO, Koh Dong-Jin, said it was considering scrapping the Note’s launch amid a global chip shortage, according to Bloomberg.
“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 reportedly said.
The decision to postpone a Galaxy Note launch is more about streamlining the company’s product lines, according to Bloomberg. Still, during the shareholders meeting, Koh rang the alarm bells about the global chip shortage potentially ensnaring Samsung’s own products.
“There’s a serious imbalance in supply and demand of chips in the IT sector globally,” he said. “Despite the difficult environment, our business leaders are meeting partners overseas to solve these problems. It’s hard to say the shortage issue has been solved 100%.”
One of the company’s major partners is Qualcomm, which designs the Snapdragon chips found in many flagship smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy models. Earlier this month, incoming Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told CNET the ongoing chip shortage is threatening to impact phone production, and he doesn’t expect supplies to improve until late 2021.
Even before the chip shortage, rumors were circulating that Samsung wanted to axe the Note line. According to Reuters, the company wants to instead prioritize the development of foldable phones, which Samsung has been hyping up as a potential game changer in mobile electronics.