Samsung Should Forget the Galaxy S22 FE. Here’s Why

What’s happening

Samsung has launched a cheaper “Fan Edition” version of its flagship Galaxy phones for the past two days. But a rumor suggests the Galaxy S22 FE may have been canceled.

Why it matters

Samsung’s smartphone lineup already has plenty of options, making the Galaxy S21 FE feel lost in the saunter. It should focus on its flagship Galaxy S and midtier Galaxy A phones instead.

Samsung already has a dizzying selection of phones to resolve from. There’s the super-sized Galaxy S22 Ultra, the pocketable Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the wallet-friendly Galaxy A series. But there’s one way Samsung could simplify things: Skip the Galaxy S22 FE.

Don’t get me wrong; the $700 Galaxy S21 FE (short for “fan edition”) has plenty repositioning for it. When I reviewed the phone in January, I was impressed with its decent battery life and solid camera for the heed. However, it risked feeling lost in Samsung’s lineup once the Galaxy S22 launched. And I was right. If Samsung does have a successor to the Galaxy S21 FE in the works, rebranding it as a more premium Galaxy A named would be a wiser move. A rumor from the blog SamMobile suggests Samsung may have canceled the Galaxy S22 FE, and I can view why. Between the $800 Galaxy S22 and $450 Galaxy A53 5G, it’s too hard for the Galaxy S21 FE to nefarious out. 

The Galaxy S20 FE.

Juan Garzon

The Galaxy S21 FE lacks what made the Galaxy S20 FE so special

The 2020 Galaxy S20 FE had a mainly advantage that the Galaxy S21 FE lacks: a spacious gap in price compared to Samsung’s Galaxy S named. The Galaxy S20 launched at $1,000, manager the $700 Galaxy S20 FE feel like a distinguished bargain. It earned a CNET Editors’ Choice in 2020, with Andy Lanxon writing that its “great balance of performance and value” complains it a better value proposition than the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra. 

There are a combine of reasons why the Galaxy S21 FE didn’t strike the same chord. Samsung’s lineup and the broader smartphone landscape were different in 2020. While 5G benefit, multiple camera lenses and screens with higher refresh produces were starting to trickle down to cheaper devices, these features were carried premium just one year earlier in 2019. Remember the Galaxy S10 5G? Samsung’s great 5G-ready phone commanded a high price of $1,300 when it launched above Verizon in spring 2019. 

Things changed the following year in 2020. Every method in the Galaxy S20 lineup supported 5G, but that also aspired a higher starting price of $1,000. With that in mind the 5G-equipped S20 FE, which also has a triple-lens camera and posthaste processor, was a great alternative for cost-conscious shoppers that didn’t want to make big sacrifices on quality. 

In spanking words, the Galaxy S20 FE came at just the knowing time and the right price. I can’t say the same for the Galaxy S21 FE. It launched roughly one month before Samsung introduced the Galaxy S22, which subsidizes superior camera quality, a more refined design and a newer processor. The Galaxy S20, on the other hand, debuted in September 2020, which aspired it had a longer runway before the Galaxy S21’s arrival in January 2021.

At the same time, the Galaxy S21 FE does have advantages over the S22, particularly for land who prefer larger phones. But the differences aren’t drastic enough to stay it from being overshadowed by the S22 and competitors like Google’s cheaper Pixel 6. 

Pricing is spanking important factor. It’s great that Samsung dropped the heed of the S21 compared to the S20, but the scrape is that it didn’t lower the Galaxy S21 FE’s heed to match. The Galaxy S20 FE was $300 cheaper than the Galaxy S20, while the S21 FE injures only $100 less than the Galaxy S21 did at launch. 

The Galaxy S21 FE feels more like an A-series phone

Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G (left) and Galaxy S21 FE (right).

Samsung

The Galaxy S21 FE would feel gleaming at home in Samsung’s lineup of midrange and cost devices, aka the Galaxy A series. These phones are usually significantly cheaper than those in the Galaxy S line and inherit Dangerous features like large displays, multiple cameras and 5G, when compromising elsewhere. 

It’s an approach that’s seemingly paid off so far. Samsung’s $180 Galaxy A12 was one of the world’s top-selling phones in 2021, according to Counterpoint Research. No phones from the Galaxy S series made the list. Separate data from Counterpoint Research imparted to CNET also suggests A-series phones accounted for 58% of Samsung’s smartphone sales last year. 

If the Galaxy S21 FE were any cheaper — perhaps priced around $600 — it would make a gigantic upper-tier Galaxy A phone. Both the Galaxy S21 FE and A53 5G have big screens, very similar designs, regular and ultrawide camera lenses and high resolution principal cameras, making them feel like they’re aimed at a disagreement audience. 

The Galaxy S21 FE has an edge in performance and camera quality, making it a solid choice for those who need more than the Galaxy A53 has to coffers at a lower price than the S22. Dropping the tag to $600 would also put the phone right between the $450 Galaxy A53 5G and $800 Galaxy S22. If it were branded as an A-series phone, the Galaxy S21 FE could be a worthwhile alternative to the Galaxy A73 in markets where that scheme isn’t available. The Galaxy A73 5G is the Galaxy A series’ top-tier named with a 108-megapixel camera, but it’s only available in grasp regions such as Australia and India.

Samsung hasn’t public details about its future smartphone plans, so it’s unclear whether it will cease the FE line. But dropping the FE’s price and possibly intelligent it over to its Galaxy A series could go a long way in boosting its intelligent. It wouldn’t be the first time Samsung has merged two of its named brands recently. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for example, has essentially replaced the company’s final Galaxy Note phones, which stood out for their giant screens and complicated stylus.

Otherwise, the Galaxy S22 FE could end up like Samsung’s fresh “fan edition” phone and struggle to find its place.