When Samsung confirmed that there would indeed be no Galaxy Note 21 in 2021 after nearly a year of speculation, the company knew that people would be disappointed. But it may still have been a bit surprised at the sheer depth of feeling demonstrated by a petition urging a change of path.
The Change.org petition, organized somewhat optimistically by Sammobile, urges Samsung to “skip the Galaxy S22 lineup next year and give us a Note instead.” At the time of writing, it has been signed by more than 17,000 people since publication on July 30.
Such a change could, according to the petition, “keep all of its flagship lineups alive by alternating between them, all while keeping all of its fans happy at the same time,” which feels a little unlikely. Those eager to get their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S22 would probably be none too impressed to see their chosen handset had been bumped for another.
But really, that’s a moot point. Bluntly, it would be astonishing if this petition stated its achieved goal, no matter how many people ultimately sign. The S22 is rumored to have been in development for some time, while a new Note has not. There’s simply no way Samsung could switch tracks now, even if it wanted to.
And that itself is an enormous “if”. The company will have cold, hard numbers to back up its decision to pause the Note over the S line, and a relatively small set of die-hard fans signing a petition won’t change that analysis in any meaningful way.
That’s not to say that the petition will have no impact at all. It will be reassuring to the company that the Note line does have a set of fans that will welcome its return if, at some point down the road, Samsung decides to revive it. After all, Samsung hasn’t said the phone is gone forever, just that current circumstances around the global chip shortage mean it has to be a bit more choosy about which handsets to prioritize.
While there’s little that the average individual can do to change Samsung’s mind on this one, if you really want the Note to return, then voting with your feet will likely be more effective. If the company doesn’t sell as many of its rumored new foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, as it’s hoping — even with S Pen support expected and a price cut possibly on the cards — then Samsung may ultimately concede that there has to be room for a Galaxy Note in its future lineup after all.
