Samsung Galaxy Note 21 cancelled due to chip shortages

From the PS5 and Xbox Series X shortages to the growing threat to our best Android phones, global stock issues have run riot through our technology sector this year.

And things haven’t looked too rosy for the Samsung Galaxy Note 21, either: the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G, which is rumoured to be the end of the Galaxy Note line; otherwise, exciting news of an array of foldable phones, like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 pressing on with what was started by the Galaxy Fold, providing the strongest – and most current – argument for the discontinuation of the Galaxy Note.

Most current, until now, it seems. The last nail in the Galaxy Note 21’s coffin might’ve just been hammered in place with Samsung mobile head, Dong-jin Koh, revealing to shareholders that the company may entirely pass on the Galaxy Note 21 in 2021. Koh acknowledges the overwhelming demand and lack of semiconductors that have impaired manufacturing this year and at the tail end of 2020, hindering the company’s product portfolio and proving near-fatal with the burden of two flagship devices and the silicon issues in tow (via Digital Daily).

Koh explains the quandary of releasing the Galaxy Note 21 in the latter part of the year against the strain of launching two other flagship devices, namely the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. 

• Watch out Apple Watch, the OnePlus Watch looks set to stun
• Chrome on Android has a super-fast version: how to check if your phone is running it
• LG CX and BX OLED TVs get important PS5 & Xbox Series X update

You can certainly empathise with the Korean brand, especially with how viscerally everything has been affected, and the prevalence of scalpers making a quick buck off the global scramble to buy tech. Koh said, “It is not that we do not want to release new products. The timing may vary, but next year we are preparing to continue to do so." An official spokesperson added that the Galaxy Note series hasn't officially been discontinued, but rather it's postponed with the firm now eyeing up a 2022 release. 

So, there you have it: Samsung on the record to acknowledge some semblance of defeat; it was only a matter of time before big names in the tech world openly signalled the issues with semiconductors actually leading to the demise of certain products. That said, other coverage has alluded to a possible model named the Galaxy Note 21 FE, which could still be in the works, and turn out to be the revered Galaxy Note 20 follow-up.  

Despite the cautious optimism about next year, we can't help but feel Samsung is moving the goalposts on what is, inevitably, a doomed product. Of course, if the mere mention of Android makes you wince, we've got a whole bunch of iOS devices for you to pick from in our best iPhone rundown.

Source: MacRumors