Galaxy S21 FE might be delayed to late 2021
Samsung seems to be kicking its production engines into high gear for its expected August 2021 Unpacked. But while the rumors and prospects for its foldable phones seem to be on the positive side, the same can't be said for what could be an even more popular product. The Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE) sounds like a formidable "flagship killer," but its specs and price value won't matter much if it misses its window of opportunity because Samsung is delaying its launch to the last quarter of the year.
That the Galaxy S21 FE would be delayed is pretty much certain by now, at least by all the recent rumors about the phone. That it would be delayed by that much, however, is the more surprising news here. Companies like Samsung release major products on a carefully planned schedule, and even a delay of a month could prove disastrous for its profits.
Just like before, the global semiconductor shortage is being blamed for this delay, though you probably wouldn't think that's the case when reading about the Galaxy Z Fold 3's production. A recent report claims that Samsung has ordered thrice the volume of foldable phones it did last year, perhaps hoping for larger sales volumes for its third-gen foldables. This means that it will be using up what high-end components it still has in stock, leaving the Galaxy S21 FE with barely anything, at least until later this year.
SamMobile's sources claim that the Galaxy S21 FE could launch sometime in the fourth quarter of 2021, which means between October and December. Samsung is more likely to do it closer to October to hit holiday targets and avoid colliding with the Galaxy S22. Given Samsung's recent releases, its 2022 flagship could appear as early as late January.
The Galaxy S21 FE is expected to carry most of the hardware that Samsung's 2021 premium phones toted, including the Snapdragon 888 and triple 12MP cameras. It might not match the Galaxy S21 feature for feature but its more accessible price tag could actually make it more enticing to consumers than even the base Galaxy S21 model.