See Samsung finally issued a statement:
https://www.computerbase.de/2021-08/970-evo-plus-auch-samsung-tauscht-ssd-komponenten-aus/
Doesn't sound very credible to me.
Samsung being Samsung, are there actually any components they don't make themselves?
A shortage of parts they actually make and presumably continue to make? Sounds very suspect.
It's easy to solve this problem: release the different drives under a new model number and make it clear it's a different drive. It's the cloak and dagger crap that's infuriating people.