Samsung doesn’t seem to have shelved the Galaxy S23 FE just yet. A fresh report coming out of South Korea says the company is still planning to launch a new Fan Edition (FE) model later this year. It will reportedly equip the handset with a two-generation old chipset to bring the cost down.
The Galaxy S23 FE may still happen
It’s been more than a year since Samsung launched a FE model. The Galaxy S21 FE debuted in January last year following the success of the inaugural device. But it failed to replicate that success, partly due to the economic recession. Despite the poor performance in the market, the company was expected to keep the FE lineup as an affordable flagship offering. But the evidence was lacking. There have been conflicting reports about the existence of the Galaxy S22 FE, and in the end, it never arrived.
When the Galaxy S22 FE didn’t happen, rumors shifted to the Galaxy S23 FE. Some industry insiders said that Samsung is readying the device for launch in the second half of 2023. However, halfway through March, there’s hardly any evidence of its existence. This has led many to believe that the Korean firm has shelved it too. Most recently, reputed tipster Roland Quandt said that the Galaxy S23 FE doesn’t look like happening this year. But even before the dust around this rumor could settle, we are now hearing that the phone is still in the pipeline.
According to the latest report, Samsung has finalized component suppliers for the Galaxy S23 FE. The company plans to release the phone in the last quarter of 2023. It wants to price the device similar to the Galaxy S21 FE ($699). But considering the recent increase in component prices, Samsung may end up shipping the Galaxy S23 FE with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor as a cost-cutting measure. This chipset powered the Galaxy S22 series and will be two generations old later this year.
Samsung has a gap to fill in the premium segment
Samsung plans to strategically place the FE lineup as the bridge between its Galaxy A series mid-rangers and Galaxy S series flagships. This has been the idea the whole time. However, the Galaxy A7x lineup almost overlapped the FE phones both in terms of specs and price. To give the affordable flagships more room in the market, the company has now canceled the Galaxy A7x lineup. There will be no Galaxy A74 this year. If the Galaxy S23 FE does arrive, it will sit between the base Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy A54 5G. But considering all the conflicting reports lately, we will have to wait and see what ends up happening.
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