Galaxy S21 FE reportedly delayed to Q4 2021

It seems that the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE won't be released until the very last quarter of 2021, SamMobile reports. After the almost certain omission of the Galaxy Note 21 from Samsung's purported lineup for the rest of 2021, the Galaxy S21 FE was expected to fill the void as an affordable flagship alternative. We expect the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip in early August, but a regular smartphone like the S21 FE would do wonders for Samsung's sales performance in H2 2021.

The main culprit for the reported delay of the Galaxy S21 is the global semiconductor shortage, which has been affecting all types of industries and businesses. Interestingly, the chip shortage has also be cited as the main reason behind the lack of a Note 21, but so far it seems that Samsung will go through with the Galaxy S21 FE. However, willing adopters will have to wait between October and December later this year if they want to get their hands on an S21 FE.

This also puts the S21 FE release window very, very close to the expected announcement and subsequent release of the anticipated Galaxy S22-series in January 2022, which could hurt the potential sales of the next-gen flagship a bit. That's why it's possible Samsung would want to act as fast as possible with the Galaxy S21 FE so not to cannibalize the Galaxy S22.

As a reminder, the Galaxy S20 FE's success has convinced Samsung to release such "revisions" of its flagships each and every year from now on. And judging from what we've heard so far, the Galaxy S21 FE could turn out to be another hit in Samsung's discography. With a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, meaning it will have a circular punch-hole selfie camera, and a 120Hz refresh rate, the phone will match most of the current Galaxy S21 family specs.

We expect the Snapdragon 888 to make the rounds in the US, though it's unclear if Samsung will use an Exynos chipset internationally. Notably, Samsung stopped producing Exynos-powered Galaxy S20 FE devices earlier this year and settled with the Snapdragon 865+ chip, which is powering the US version of the phone. Maybe the Galaxy S21 FE will do that from day one and we wouldn't see an Exynos version of the upcoming phone at all.

Some other purported specs include 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, as well as a three cameras at the back, all with 12MP sensors, while a 32MP camera will take care of the selfies. 

The latest pricing rumors put the price of the Galaxy S21 FE between 700,000 won and 800,000 won in South Korea, or ~$630 and $720. This jibes well for the international and US pricing, as the Galaxy S20 FE started at 899,800 won in Korea, so the S21 FE could end up being cheaper or similarly-priced to its predecessor at launch.