Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, the smartphone which ideally should've been released in October 2021 had Samsung followed the suit of Galaxy S20 FE, is finally making its way to the market sometime next year, according to some reports. With the worldwide chip shortage in place and supply chain constraints, Samsung has faced many issues in releasing this device. At one point, Samsung had apparently canceled the device and removed all the references to it, but it appears that the Korean giant has overcome the issues. And now, thanks to a leak by Jon Prosser, it seems that Samsung will launch the Galaxy S21 FE next year.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that over the course of the past few months leaks and rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE have shown up. Hence, here is a rumor roundup of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE combining all the leaks and rumors we have heard so far.

When will Samsung launch the Galaxy S21 FE?

Source: Samsung Instagram

If Samsung had followed the Galaxy S20 and S20 FE launch timeline, the company should've launched the device by September or October this year. However, with the supply chain constraints, limited chips, saving Snapdragon chips for its excellent performing Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung decided to delay the S21 FE launch. But now, it seems that the company is still willing to launch the smartphone.

If the leaks by Jon Prosser are to be believed, Samsung will host two Galaxy Unpacked events in the January-February window next year. The first, according to the leak, will be held on January 4, 2022, during which the company will unveil the Galaxy S21 FE. A week after the announcement, i.e. on January 11, 2022, the S21 FE lineup is expected to be made available in the markets. The second event, which will reportedly be hosted on February 8th, will be focused on the Galaxy S22.

Update: Samsung was expected to announce the Galaxy S21 FE on January 4, 2022. According to the latest leaks from Jon Prosser and Evan Blass, Samsung has moved the product announced up by a day, and now the Galaxy S21 FE is expected to be announced on January 3rd at 6 PM PST (9 PM ET). The general availability and the sale start date is still January 11th according to the latest leaks.

Display and Design

Source: Galaxy S21 FE brochure leak

Like the S20 FE kept a similar design as the S20 series, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is also expected to keep a similar design to its higher-priced S21 sibling. The camera module on the S21 FE will also 'melt' into the side frame (which isn't expected to be metallic) of the smartphone. Moreover, just like the standard S21, the S21 FE is also expected to come with the 'glastic' back. Samsung calls the plastic back on its premium smartphones 'glastic' as it keeps the same feel and touch as the glass but is more durable. It will likely keep the IP68 water and dust resistance rating as well.

The display is one segment where the Korean giant is expected to make some of the cuts to bring down the price of the smartphone. On the front, the S21 FE is expected to feature the flat 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED single-hole-punch Infinity-O display with 2,340x1,080 pixels, but it isn't expected to be as high quality as the display of the vanilla S21. The display is said to boast a 120Hz refresh rate as well, but we won't be surprised if the phone featured just a 90Hz refresh rate capability.

Specs

Source: Galaxy S21 FE brochure leak 2

Before the production fiasco, Samsung was on track to release the S21 FE in the September-October window. At that time, an alleged user manual of the S21 FE leaked which spilled the beans on the smartphone's specs. According to the manual, the smartphone will host a 6.4-inch screen with a 2340 pixels x 1080 pixels resolution. The display will host the smartphone's in-display fingerprint scanner and could boast a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It will have a 4,370-mAh battery and could support 45W fast charging. The smartphone could come with 6GB/8GB RAM and start with 128GB of internal storage. It will reportedly be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 processor.

Here's a simple table that'll give you an idea of the differences we can expect between the rumored specs of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and the specs of the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S21.

Cameras

Samsung will be cutting no slacks in the camera department of the Galaxy S21 FE. In fact, the device could feature a higher-megapixel camera than the standard S21. According to the leaks, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will host a triple-camera setup on the back which will have a 32MP primary sensor. It will be coupled with a 12MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP telephoto sensor which will boast 3x optical zoom. On the front, the smartphone will feature a 12MP camera which will be hosted in the punch-hole cutout.

Price, Colors, and Availability

Source: evleaks

When Samsung announced the first 'Fan Edition' Galaxy S smartphone, it was priced quite aggressively to compete with smartphones from OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo, and others. Similar to the S20 FE, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is also expected to be priced in the mid-range segment. According to the latest leaks, the S21 FE will arrive with the starting price tag of €649 in Europe. The variant with 256GB storage will cost you €50 more, i.e., €699. In the United States, the smartphone could start in the same $650-$700 price range.

Source: evleaks

According to the rumors, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will be available for purchase starting 11th January. Rumors suggest that the device will be available in four colors: White, Black, Pink, and Green. Leaked images have also revealed the case options that will be available for the device. According to the leaks, Clear View Cover, a Silicone Cover, and a Clear Standing Cover case will be available for the S21 FE at launch. Once, even the real-life pictures of the S21 FE have surfaced on the internet..

Update: Samsung accidentally published the product page for the Galaxy S21 FE on its website just a few days ago. Thanks to the listing going live a few days early before its announcement, the pricing and the colors for the S21 FE have been revealed. While the color options remain the same as listed above, it seems that the S21 FE will be priced at €769 ($870) for the 6/128GB model while the 8/256GB variant will set you back €839 ($950). Although these prices can change at any moment, however, the listing was so close to the real announcement, we expect the S21 FE to be priced at €769/€839.

Update 2: The latest leak has tipped the pricing of Samsung Galaxy S21 FE for the US market. The smartphone was accidentally listed on the online shopping website Walmart which has given out the S21 FE pricing for the United States market. According to the listing, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will be priced at $699 for the model with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant. If this pricing is true, the 8GB RAM/128GB variant could be priced at $749 and the 8GB RAM/256GB variant could be priced at $799 in the United States.

What we want to see

With the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE launching close to Galaxy S22, we don't just want a device that lasts a month. We expect

• Resolved Heating Issues: One of the problems that plagued the S21 series was heating. The phone was criticized by a lot of YouTubers and reviewers that the phone ran hot even on normal usage. And it's not only about the S21, a lot of Snapdragon 888 phones have been criticized for heating issues this year. With Samsung releasing the S21 FE almost a year after the S21 introduction, we hope the company fixes this issue with it.

• Better Battery Life: Samsung Galaxy S21 lacked behind battery life as well. With Samsung reportedly switching to a larger battery on the S21 FE, we hope that the smartphone has better battery life than its higher-priced siblings.

• No 4G-only Model: Samsung introduced two versions of S20 FE: the standard S20 FE and S20 FE 5G. With the Korean giant shipping Snapdragon 888 in the smartphone, we hope Samsung only launches only one model of the S21 FE that supports both 4G LTE and 5G.

• Better overall value-for-money product: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE gave even the standard S20 a run for its money. With the S21 FE launching close to S22, and it carrying the flagship 'S' tag, we expect a device from Samsung that offers a bang for its buck in the mid-range segment, making Samsung's S-series portfolio complete with smartphones available at all the price range.

For now, this is all we know about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. If the leaks are to be believed, it's only a month before the lineup is officially unveiled. So stay tuned to Pocketnow and make sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to get the latest updates about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.