Don’t start planning your Galaxy S22 FE. From the sound of things, the Galaxy S21 FE could be the latest version from Samsung to demand some of the features found in its flagship Galaxy S phone for a lower price.
That’s the word from Sammobile anyway. The site claims the new rReport the status of the Galaxy S22 FE (Opens in a new tab) Multiple sources say the phone has been cancelled.
“Our own research indicated that the SM-S900, which would have been the Galaxy S22 FE model number, does not exist,” the Sammobile report adds.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that the future of the Galaxy S22 FE is uncertain. Back in April, a post on Korean blogging site Naver also claimed that a less expensive alternative to this year’s flagship Galaxy S22 was dead on arrival.
Honestly, at this point, it would be even more shocking if the Galaxy S22 FE she did debuting any time next year than if Samsung had just ended up pulling out. There’s no good reason to have the FE now that Samsung has done a good job keeping costs down to a flagship phone while boosting the Galaxy A series’ offerings.
A Brief History of Samsung FE . Phones
Samsung’s first FE phone – the Galaxy S20 FE – has been a huge hit for Samsung in 2020, by offering many of the best features in the Galaxy S20 lineup in a low-cost device. I got a phone made of cheaper materials and less powerful cameras when I opted for the Galaxy S20 FE over the regular S20 models, but the other features stayed the same – mainly the quick refresh rate of the screen and top of the line Qualcomm chipsets that power the phone. Grabbing the low cost S20 FE was easy for many consumers.
Of course, in those days, the price gap was much larger between the standard FE and Galaxy S models. The Galaxy S20 was priced at $999 when it was first introduced, so the $699 Galaxy S20 FE gave you a chance to save $300 without having to make many sacrifices in the process.
Samsung subsequently gained a better pricing handle on its flagship phones. The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S22 debuted at $799, which is just $100 more than the $699 price Samsung set for its FE models. This is made for a less convincing argument in favor of the FE option.
There is also the issue of the Galaxy S21 FE launch window. Production delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are said to have led to a rollback of this model. Instead of debuting six months or so after the Galaxy S21 FE debuted in early 2021, the Galaxy S21 FE didn’t arrive until 2022. Within a month, Samsung was already showing off a much newer and more powerful Galaxy S22.
Galaxy A phones fill the void
While the Galaxy S22’s starting price and boot window pressed the FE models from the top, Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A phones were squeezing the FE from the bottom. Samsung has put a noticeable effort into producing better mid-range phones in recent years that have included a range of premium features at affordable prices.
The Galaxy A53 released this year is a prime example of this. It offers a 120Hz refresh rate and excellent software support that you get from the Galaxy S range, while also offering unique features like expandable storage. That’s in a device that costs $449 – $250 less than the Galaxy S21 FE. No wonder we consider the Galaxy A53 the best cheap phone you can buy right now, at least until we get a chance to test the upcoming Pixel 6a.
With Samsung’s best phones including solid options in both high and mid-range prices, there’s simply no room for the FE to fit in – unless Samsung is dramatically reinventing the purpose of the FE. For the past two iterations, the FE has been a low-cost alternative to Samsung’s more expensive flagship, but that’s a role that has now been filled by some of the best Galaxy A models.
Perhaps the biggest argument against the Galaxy S22 FE is that few people would miss it if they didn’t see the light of day. And that’s reason enough for Samsung to turn its attention to other phones.
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