With the iPhone 13 family already out and about and Google's highly anticipated Pixel 6 and 6 Pro officially scheduled for a (full) October 19 announcement, the Galaxy S21 FE is somehow still in the running for the dubious title of the most rigorously detailed smartphone never to commercially materialize.
In addition to a bunch of accessory listings spotted by Roland Quandt "all over the place" of late that would seem to suggest the S21 FE 5G is still very much coming... at some point in the not-too-distant future, the usually reliable folks from SamMobile claim to have learned an interesting new availability detail from an undisclosed inside source.
January 2022 is the new target
That's right, the 5G-enabled Galaxy S21 FE might have been delayed once again, with Samsung reportedly setting its revised sights on the very beginning of next year.
Keep in mind that, while the S20 Fan Edition went on sale in October 2020, the Galaxy S10 Lite was unveiled earlier that same year, so in a way, it would make sense for the next installment in this series of watered-down flagships to finally go official in January 2022 before shipping later that month or perhaps even in February.
This is a leaked promotional image from all the way back in July
In many other ways, of course, this would be just the latest in a long line of major setbacks potentially sentencing the S21 FE to immediate irrelevance when the high-end device does eventually see daylight.
Undoubtedly powered by the same Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100 processors as all the other members of the Galaxy S21 family, the FE model is also widely expected to come with a 120Hz 6.4-inch or so Super AMOLED display, a triple rear-facing camera system composed of a primary 32MP shooter, 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and 8MP telephoto sensor, a battery of around 4,400mAh, and a respectable combination of 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage space in an entry-level configuration.
By no means terrible, those specifications certainly look instantly forgettable for an early 2022 device unlikely to be priced aggressively enough to give today's best budget 5G phones a run for their money. And by the way, that January launch is not etched in stone at the moment either, so depending on how the global chip shortage evolves in the next few months, you may end up waiting even longer to get your hands on this ill-fated bad boy.
What does this all mean for the Galaxy S22 series?
While it definitely sounds like SamMobile is extrapolating and theorizing a product roadmap from a single piece of inside information, we wouldn't exactly be shocked if the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus (or Pro), and S22 Ultra (or Note 22 Ultra) ended up breaking cover in February 2022 instead of January.
After all, if the aforementioned chip shortage caused the S21 FE so much trouble, how could Samsung be able to entirely avoid similar production issues impacting the S22 family?
These recently leaked renders purportedly depict the regular Galaxy S22
Granted, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 5G seem to be experiencing no delays or long waiting times for worldwide buyers, but despite the rapidly growing popularity of foldables, we can probably expect the Galaxy S22 lineup to sell in even bigger numbers.
If that's the case, a "late" release might actually be a better idea than a limited first wave of sales scheduled for January. Speaking of, the Galaxy S21 FE could still hit only a small number of markets in January following a "quiet" announcement via a simple press release, with the first big Unpacked event of 2022 likely to be reserved for the S22 trio in February.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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