Galaxy S21 FE price leak suggests Samsung's plan worked
While Samsung is projecting positive numbers for the sales of its foldable phones, it has had a rather rough year when you consider the rest of its mobile lineup. The Galaxy S20 series didn't rise up to expectations, and the absence of a Galaxy Note this year was strongly felt and heavily discussed. Even the Galaxy S21 FE, which should have launched last October, is becoming a sort of albatross around Samsung's next. It will still arrive next month against all odds, but the odds of its success look slimmer than ever.
Rough Start
It's not exactly surprising to hear the dramatic story of the Galaxy S21 FE. At one point in time, all the signs pointed to its cancellation. The time and conditions for its production didn't seem to be favorable, but the consequences of its absence could have been more serious for Samsung.
The tech world continues to be plagued by shortages even as Samsung faces new obstacles, like a fresh COVID-19 outbreak at one of its sites. The Fan Edition of this year's Galaxy S flagship was at first rumored to be delayed because of these conditions until it reached a point that plans were reportedly scrapped completely. Traces of the phone's existence started vanishing from the Internet until a fresh set of leaks painted a different story.
Now the Galaxy S21 FE is expected to launch in January 2022, just a little bit after CES. There might be no pre-order period, and the phone will jump directly into sales just a week after its announcement, but the price tag it will carry could give interested buyers pause for thought.
Cost of Persistence
Render leak source WinFuture theorizes that the Galaxy S21 FE could carry a price tag of 649 to 699 EUR, depending on the storage capacity. Depending on the context, that is cheaper than the 5G model of the Galaxy S20 FE last year, but it could also translate to $699 in the US. This would suggest that the same pricing structure worked out well for Samsung with the Galaxy S20 FE, which had an effectively identical starting price structure. Either way, that figure might not have that much appeal considering what's expected to come after it in just a few weeks.
For reference, the Galaxy S21 FE in 2022 will be carrying specs from early 2021, packaged in a more affordable form, like a 6.4-inch Full HD+ screen and a Samsung Exynos 2100 in some markets. In terms of design, it won't be straying far from the Galaxy S21, whose price has dropped since its launch. The Galaxy S22 will also be just a few weeks away by then, and it might carry a $799 price tag like its predecessor while offering a lot more than Galaxy S21 FE.
Reports indicate that Samsung's mobile head is adamant about launching the Galaxy S21 FE by all means necessary, and the phone is pretty much an expression of his fighting spirit. It might, however, also be a demonstration of Samsung's inability to accept failure and cut its losses, especially when those losses will incur even more financial and production costs in the long run.