With a global slowdown in smartphone sales, Samsung could be looking to launch fewer models this year to keep expenses in check. At the same time, a consolidated product lineup could allow existing products to sell better. But with fewer release slots, product strategy gets tricky for a company serving a large audience across the price spectrum. We’ve heard rumors that a Galaxy S23 FE could appear this year in lieu of a Galaxy A74 — both are mid-market phones with the former edging out the latter by a half-step. But now there’s fresh word that even that option has come off the table.
Leaks blogger Roland Quandt, who’s had a long track record with more hits than misses, has said that he hasn’t seen any sign of Samsung working on a Galaxy S23 FE. And considering that we would’ve seen some hard intelligence about one spec or another on this device about this far ahead of a fall launch, we’re inclined to go along with this notion.
If true, this would be the second year without an entry in the Fan Edition series, one which began in 2017 with the Galaxy Note FE — a South Korea-only product that basically took the Galaxy Note 7, under recall shortly after launch for explosions, and equipped it with a smaller battery.
The company brought back the Fan Edition branding in 2020, hitting a home run with the Galaxy S20 FE as the device managed to salvage the best aspects of the flaw-plagued Galaxy S20 series for the right price. Samsung floundered, though, with the Galaxy S21 FE primarily due to its late announcement and higher-than-expected price tag.
Despite the moderate success of the FE lineup, Samsung never launched a Galaxy S22 FE last year. This led onto claims that the Korean multinational was done entirely with Fan Edition phones, though the ephemeral nature of FE products in general doesn’t lend much to a proper legacy. Still, we’d hate to see a year full of economic uncertainty go without a $600-700 S23 FE.
If you are bummed about Samsung not launching the Galaxy S23 FE this year, consider checking out the Galaxy S23, which is among our favorite Android smartphones right now. You’ll be able to find a stellar price on the Galaxy S23 as 2023 progresses.
