Samsung surprised the world in 2020 by unveiling a Fan Edition version of its Galaxy S20. This featured a slightly reduced spec sheet compared to its full-fat sibling, but brought the overall flavor of a Galaxy device to those who didn’t want to spend the ever-increasing amounts it costs to box up a flagship phone these days- this.
This was followed by the Galaxy S21 FE about a year later, and we were looking forward to the Samsung Galaxy S22 FE too, but it never launched – and we’re skeptical if we’ll see the S23 FE too. or not.
When will the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE be released?
It’s hard to predict given that the S22 FE never launched at all. We expected Samsung to launch this phone around October 2022, shortly after the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, but that obviously didn’t happen, and it seems likely that it won’t. will not launch at all. NOW.
That’s because the Galaxy S23 lineup has now arrived, so if an FE phone is on the way, it’s sure to be the S23 FE.
Korean publication Hankooki basically suggests that: there will be an FE phone this year, but it will be branded S23 FE and will launch in August or September.
Adding weight to this report, it suggests the Galaxy A74 was scrapped, to prevent the two phones from cannibalizing each other’s sales – which appears to be true, as we’ve since seen the A34 launch. and the A54 with no sign of the A74.
For reference, here’s when previous FE phones debuted:
As you can see, there was just over a year between the two devices, but that was mainly due to the S21 FE being significantly delayed due to a combination of Covid-related production disruptions and the shortage world of processor chips.
Has the S23 FE been cancelled?
Now that most leakers have accepted that the S22 FE isn’t coming, speculation has turned to whether the S23 FE is really on the way or not. While sites like Hankooki (above) have reported that the phone is on the way, not everyone agrees.
Previously, SamMobile reported based on “multiple sources” that not only was the S22 FE canceled, but it actually removed the FE line entirely.
The usually reliable leaker Yogesh Brar also tweeted that “there is no Galaxy S23 FE in the development chain,” casting doubt on hopes of another Fan Edition.
The Korean site The Elec reports a little differently. It confirms that the S22 FE has been cancelled, blaming it on the success of the S22 Ultra – that phone sold better than expected, and so Samsung is repurposing components to ramp up production. However the site reports that this is only a temporary setback for the FE, and that Samsung will be launch a Galaxy S23 FE this year as planned, with a production expectation of 3 million units.
How much will the Samsung S23 FE cost?
The phone probably won’t launch, but we can use previous models as a baseline to know what to expect if the S22 FE still launches. So, here are the prices we’ve seen so far:
Samsung S20 FE:
- 4G: £599/$649
- 5G: $699/£699/$749
Samsung S21 FE (5G):
- 6GB + 128GB: $699/£699/$749
- 8GB + 256GB: $769/£749/$819
While the S20 FE offered both 4G and 5G versions, this settled into the more standard 5G platform for the S21 FE and thus the S22 FE. Hopefully Samsung will stick to its pricing for the new model, meaning you should expect to shell out around £699/$699/$749 for the entry-level configuration.
What specs and features will we see in the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE?
As the launch of the S23 FE now seems uncertain, there’s little definitive information on what it might look like, especially as we’ve had a year of conflicting rumors about an S22 FE that never launched. neither.
The most interesting speculation came from Notebookcheck and Business Korea, which announced that Samsung would switch to using MediaTek chips for the S22 FE.
MediaTek has built its reputation over the past few years, and its flagship Dimensity 9200 is a real rival to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Its chips are good enough for Samsung to fit into its phones, but there are good reasons to think that would not be the case.
For one thing, the Business Korea report also suggested that Samsung will use MediaTek chips in the Galaxy S23 – although we now know that the S23 is Snapdragon only. It’s part of a wider exclusive deal that makes it unlikely that Samsung will mix Snapdragon and Dimensity chips in its S-series.
We’ll update this article as more details become available, so be sure to check back regularly. If you want to see the phones you can actually buy, check out our guides to the best Android phones and the best Samsung Galaxy phones.
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