What’s occurring
Samsung has launched a less expensive “Fan Edition” model of its flagship Galaxy telephones for the previous two years. But a rumor suggests the Galaxy S22 FE could have been canceled.
Why it issues
Samsung’s smartphone lineup already has loads of choices, making the Galaxy S21 FE really feel misplaced within the shuffle. It ought to deal with its flagship Galaxy S and midtier Galaxy A telephones as an alternative.

From the super-sized Galaxy S22 Ultra to the pocketable Galaxy Z Flip 3 and wallet-friendly Galaxy A collection, Samsung already has a dizzying choice of telephones to select from. But there’s a method Samsung might simplify issues: Skip the Galaxy S22 FE.Don’t get me improper; the $700 Galaxy S21 FE (brief for “fan edition”) has a lot going for it. When I reviewed the cellphone in January, I used to be impressed with its first rate battery life and strong digital camera for the worth. However, it risked feeling misplaced in Samsung’s lineup as soon as the Galaxy S22 launched. And I used to be proper. If Samsung does have a successor to the Galaxy S21 FE within the works, rebranding it as a extra premium Galaxy A cellphone could be a wiser transfer. A rumor from the weblog SamMobile suggests Samsung could have canceled the Galaxy S22 FE, and I can perceive why. Between the $800 Galaxy S22 and $450 Galaxy A53 5G, it is too laborious for the Galaxy S21 FE to face out. The Galaxy S20 FE.
Juan Garzon/CNET
The Galaxy S21 FE lacks what made the Galaxy S20 FE so particularThe 2020 Galaxy S20 FE had a significant benefit that the Galaxy S21 FE lacks: a large hole in value in comparison with Samsung’s Galaxy S cellphone. The Galaxy S20 launched at $1,000, making the $700 Galaxy S20 FE really feel like a big discount. It earned a CNET Editors’ Choice in 2020, with Andy Lanxon writing that its “great balance of performance and value” makes it a greater worth proposition than the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra. There are a few the explanation why the Galaxy S21 FE did not strike the identical chord. Samsung’s lineup and the broader smartphone panorama had been totally different in 2020. While 5G help, a number of digital camera lenses and screens with greater refresh charges had been beginning to trickle right down to cheaper units, these options had been thought-about premium only one yr earlier in 2019. Remember the Galaxy S10 5G? Samsung’s first 5G-ready cellphone commanded a excessive value of $1,300 when it launched by Verizon in spring 2019. Things modified the next yr in 2020. Every gadget within the Galaxy S20 lineup supported 5G, however that additionally meant the next beginning value of $1,000. With that in thoughts the 5G-equipped S20 FE, which additionally has a triple-lens digital camera and speedy processor, was an incredible different for cost-conscious customers that did not need to make massive sacrifices on high quality. 

In different phrases, the Galaxy S20 FE got here at simply the fitting time and the fitting value. I can not say the identical for the Galaxy S21 FE. It launched roughly one month earlier than Samsung launched the Galaxy S22, which provides superior digital camera high quality, a extra refined design and a more moderen processor. The Galaxy S20, however, debuted in September 2020, which meant it had an extended runway earlier than the Galaxy S21’s arrival in January 2021.At the identical time, the Galaxy S21 FE does have benefits over the S22, notably for individuals who favor bigger telephones. But the variations aren’t drastic sufficient to stop it from being overshadowed by the S22 and opponents like Google’s cheaper Pixel 6. Pricing is one other necessary issue. It’s nice that Samsung dropped the worth of the S21 in comparison with the S20, however the issue is that it did not decrease the Galaxy S21 FE’s value to match. The Galaxy S20 FE was $300 cheaper than the Galaxy S20, whereas the S21 FE prices solely $100 lower than the Galaxy S21 did at launch. The Galaxy S21 FE feels extra like an A-series cellphoneSamsung’s Galaxy A53 5G (left) and Galaxy S21 FE (proper).
Samsung
The Galaxy S21 FE would really feel proper at dwelling in Samsung’s lineup of midrange and finances units, aka the Galaxy A collection. These telephones are normally considerably cheaper than these within the Galaxy S line and inherit sure options like giant shows, a number of cameras and 5G, whereas compromising elsewhere. It’s an method that is seemingly paid off up to now. Samsung’s $180 Galaxy A12 was one of many world’s top-selling telephones in 2021, in keeping with Counterpoint Research. No telephones from the Galaxy S collection made the record. Separate information from Counterpoint Research offered to CNET additionally suggests A-series telephones accounted for 58% of Samsung’s smartphone gross sales final yr. 

If the Galaxy S21 FE had been barely cheaper — maybe priced round $600 — it could make an incredible upper-tier Galaxy A cellphone. Both the Galaxy S21 FE and A53 5G have massive screens, very comparable designs, common and ultrawide digital camera lenses and excessive decision entrance cameras, making them really feel like they’re geared toward the same viewers. The Galaxy S21 FE has an edge in efficiency and digital camera high quality, making it a strong selection for individuals who want greater than the Galaxy A53 has to supply at a cheaper price than the S22. Dropping the worth to $600 would additionally put the cellphone proper between the $450 Galaxy A53 5G and $800 Galaxy S22. If it had been branded as an A-series cellphone, the Galaxy S21 FE could possibly be a worthwhile different to the Galaxy A73 in markets the place that gadget is not accessible. The Galaxy A73 5G is the Galaxy A collection’ top-tier cellphone with a 108-megapixel digital camera, however it’s solely accessible in choose areas resembling Australia and India.Samsung hasn’t shared particulars about its future smartphone plans, so it is unclear whether or not it would proceed the FE line. But dropping the FE’s value and presumably shifting it over to its Galaxy A collection might go a great distance in boosting its enchantment. It would not be the primary time Samsung has merged two of its cellphone manufacturers just lately. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for instance, has basically changed the corporate’s earlier Galaxy Note telephones, which stood out for his or her big screens and included stylus.Otherwise, the Galaxy S22 FE might find yourself like Samsung’s present “fan edition” cellphone and wrestle to search out its place. 
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE appears to be like nearly precisely just like the Galaxy S21

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