After months of conflicting reports, it appears the Galaxy S22 FE has been canceled. However, the Fan Edition (FE) series lives on. Samsung will reportedly launch the Galaxy S23 FE later this year. The Korean media is suggesting a Q3 2023 launch for the new affordable flagship.
Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 FE in October 2020 as an entry-level flagship model. The phone was a massive hit, but a semiconductor shortage in 2021 delayed the launch of its successor. The Galaxy S21 FE finally arrived in January 2022, but it didn’t attract as many buyers as the original model. The component shortage issue led to a price hike, making it less attractive to prospective buyers. Rumors started circulating soon that the FE lineup is dead. Sure enough, the Galaxy S22 FE never arrived.
However, every few months, we came across reports that Samsung is working on a new FE model. The latest report from the Korean publication Hankooki states that the company has the Galaxy S23 FE in the pipeline. It is expected to arrive sometime in August or September this year. Since Samsung usually launches its foldable phones in August, along with the latest Galaxy smartwatches, the Galaxy S23 FE could break cover during the same event. If not, the company may launch it separately in September.
Galaxy S23 FE will fill the void left by a trimmed Galaxy A series
Samsung’s FE phones sit between the Galaxy S series flagships and the Galaxy A series mid-rangers. However, the highest-end Galaxy A model last year, the Galaxy A73, almost overlapped the Galaxy S21 FE in terms of pricing and specs. And neither phone did well in the market. The company is now rethinking the whole business model in this price segment and doing away with the Galaxy A7x lineup. There will be no Galaxy A74 this year. The Galaxy A54 will be the highest-end mid-range smartphone from Samsung in 2023.
The void left by the cancellation of the Galaxy A74 will be filled by the Galaxy S23 FE. Unfortunately, details about the new FE model are scarce at the moment. But if the latest rumor is accurate, the rumor mill should soon start churning out information about the upcoming affordable Galaxy flagship. It should bring premium features at a lower price tag by keeping the basics and cutting the extras. We will let you know as soon as we have more information about the Galaxy S23 FE.
2023-02-16 15:05:11