Samsung isn’t making a Galaxy Note 21 this year because of the ongoing chip shortage. Samsung revealed as much a few months ago, but various rumors claimed in the past that the Korean giant was already looking to ditch the Note and replace it with something else. The chip shortage might have been the perfect excuse. Foldable handsets could be just the kind of flagship Androids that cater to Note buyers, and Samsung will try to pull off the switch this year. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3 foldables will launch alongside the Galaxy S21 FE in August, during an Unpacked event that would have been used to introduce the Note in previous years. That’s what most reports have claimed so far. Now, a couple of new leaks give us the purported Unpacked event date for the new handsets, as well as the expected release date for the Fold 3, Flip 3, and Samsung’s new Galaxy smartwatches.
Well-known leaker Max Weinbach posted the following cryptic message on Twitter on Friday:
On 8/3 2 3s will be released with 2 4s as well
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) June 11, 2021
The two “3s” he’s teasing must be the Fold 3 and Flip 3 that have been featured in so many rumors already. As for the two “4s,” Weinbach must be referring to the new Galaxy Watch models. Weinbach might be teasing other devices, but August is usually the month when Samsung debuts new hardware, looking to beat Apple’s new products to market.
Separately, a different leaker provided actual launch dates for all these Samsung devices, and all the release dates would follow that rumored August 3rd event.
Jon Prosser says the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Active Watch 4 will be unveiled at MWC 2021 in Barcelona later this month, although the launch event is yet to be confirmed. However, Prosser claims he has the actual release date for all Galaxy smartwatches. They’re supposed to hit stores on August 11th. The Watch 4 will come in 42mm and 46mm versions, and the Active Watch 4 will be available in 40mm and 44mm variants.
More interestingly, Prosser obtained the release dates for both the Fold 3 and Flip 3. According to his sources, the two foldable handsets will hit stores and ship to buyers beginning August 27th. That would be more than three weeks after the announcement event, assuming Weinbach’s August 3rd event date is accurate.
Even if these dates are wrong, we expect Samsung to unveil the new Galaxy phones and watches in early-to-mid-August. The handsets should be available for preorders for at least a couple of weeks before they’re ready to ship, so a late August release date makes plenty of sense. Not to mention that Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 13 series in mid-September, so Samsung would definitely want its newest Galaxy flagships to hit stores before Apple unveils its new iPhones.
