So, have you noticed how there's a distinct lack of graphics cards in stock virtually everywhere? It's not just the current cryptocurrency mining boom that's making them fly off the shelves. There's also a currently ongoing shortage of chips that affects pretty much everything in the tech industry. We've covered it in more detail before. Still, the premise here is that supply is so tight right now that it has started to affect the smartphone industry, particularly chip supply from Qualcomm, with increased demand for chips worsening things overall. While the effects of this shortage may not be apparent right now, they may become more and more of an issue throughout 2021. One possible effect of this? The next Galaxy Note device, which may or may not be called the Galaxy Note 21, may not launch until 2022.

An upcoming Galaxy Note 21 has been the source of frequent conflicting reports over the last few months. Samsung has been reported multiple times to be looking into skipping or even killing the Note lineup altogether. Despite these reports, though, a Note 21 was still mostly considered by most people to be happening anyway, since there were also reports pointing that Samsung still planned on releasing new Note devices. That is, at least, until Samsung Electronics CEO Koh Dong-jin (source: Bloomberg) reportedly said in the 52nd regular shareholders meeting in South Korea that there is "no new Galaxy Note this year." The Galaxy Note line is not being thrown under the bus just yet, though, as we might see a new device next year.

This is all still unconfirmed by Samsung themselves, mind you, so you should take this with a grain of salt. At the same time, though, it makes sense. Qualcomm is struggling to keep up with the demand for their Snapdragon 888 chips, and Samsung's semiconductor division is also feeling the effects of this chip shortage. It's already hard enough to make one flagship line, so two flagship lines might prove problematic. There's also the fact that the Note lineup is sort of being superseded already. The Galaxy S21 Ultra can be used with an S Pen, and reports are pointing that devices such as the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 might also feature S Pen support.

We'll have to wait and see how things pan out through the rest of 2021, but things are really not looking good if you're waiting on a successor to the Note 20 lineup this year.