Earlier today Samsung held its annual shareholders’ meeting in Suwon, South Korea. The co-CEO DJ Koh revealed to investors the company is considering skipping the introduction of a Galaxy Note smartphone in 2021 due to a “serious imbalance” in semiconductors globally, meaning there is a higher demand for chips than there is a supply.
Koh said that Samsung wants to release new products, but due to the unusual chip situation, “timing may vary” and “next year” the lineup should be back on track.
Samsung is one of the biggest chipmakers in the world, but it is one of few, the other major player being TSMC. The demand surge is one thing, but the company’s fab in Austin, Texas, was sidelined in February by statewide power outages and still hasn’t resumed full production.
Analysts reveal that the lack of Galaxy Note phones will affect the company shipments by around 5%, but will account for a bigger decline in revenue since it’s one of the most expensive phone series in the Galaxy world.
