Samsung Galaxy Note series will be back next year
Although Samsung will not release a Galaxy Note flagship in 2021, the series is not being discontinued.
That's according to a report from South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. Per the news service, Samsung's IT and mobile communications boss Koh Dong-jin, who is known in the West as DJ Koh, has said that the company is skipping the release of a new Note handset this year because it would be difficult to release two flagship models with S Pen support "within a year."
Barron's writes that the global chip shortage is also behind the delay. The chip crunch poses serious challenges for the company and it may also impact the production of low- and mid-tier phones.
Koh says that the Note series will be back next year, but adds that its launch timeframe may change. The company usually releases Note phones in the third quarter.
Foldable phone shipments are still negligible when compared to overall smartphone sales, and given that Samsung's market share has been declining in recent months, it doesn't sound like the best of ideas to nix the iconic Note range.
Scaling up the production of foldable handsets also remains a challenge and the company is currently trying to expand capacity.
We have solved display issues to some extent, but there also needs to be growth in component sectors regarding the foldable smartphone.
On the surface, it appears that Samsung is taking a gamble this year to see if an S Pen-touting Z Fold could absorb Note series users. If the bet fails, it can always resume the Note range.
The South Korean giant recently announced new A-series handsets, which in recent years has become the star performer. Rumors also suggest that a Note 20 FE is on the cards for this year.
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