Update: A new alleged leak has tipped all the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, colors, its price and specs.
After an extremely troubled lead in, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is finally expected to go on sale in January — albeit only in Europe. That may disappoint American readers, but if this new pricing leak is correct then you can console yourself with the fact that you’re really not missing out on too much.
As spotted by MySmartPrice, the retailer LambdaTek lists European prices of €877 (~$994) for the model with 128GB storage, or £737 (~$989) in the U.K. listing. This goes up to €940 (~$1,065) or £790.20 (~$1,060) for the 256GB model. Similar prices were also listed on Samsung's Irish website.
There are reasons to take this with a huge pinch of salt — not least of which is the fact that the price has gone down since MySmartPrice’s original publication which suggests the figures may not be set in stone (the original article lists prices of €920/€985 and £776/£831). It's also worth noting that taxes in the U.K. and Europe mean a straight currency conversion doesn't tend to give accurate pricing.
Nor are these prices very Samsung sounding MSRPs. In the U.K., the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE launched at a much rounder £599 (~$804) or £699 (~$938) for the 5G version. And on that note the massive price inflation from the $699 S20 FE 5G can’t have escaped your attention either — even taking into account the inclusion of European sales tax. To sum up in one word: “Hmmm.”
But if you do take these figures at face value, it’s hard to imagine the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE being anything other than a sales flop.
Although branded as the “Fan Edition”, the FE line is a slightly inferior version of the original product, available at a much more appealing price: that’s the deal Samsung buyers expect. The same is expected fore the Galaxy S21 FE, in that it will use the same design as it's flagship sibling but likely sports a plastic construction and have less onboard storage or RAM.
With the S21 FE now expected just a month ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S22, the original Galaxy S21 will have depreciated in value quite a bit. Two months ahead of time, you can already buy an Amazon Renewed model for £535.50, and that price is only going to go lower as the Galaxy S22 looms larger. The idea that anybody would pay over £200 more for the Galaxy S21 FE just before the S22 arrives seems absurd to me.
So take this price listing with an enormous shaker of salt. And if you are reading this in America, remember that there are plenty of excellent Samsung Galaxy S21 FE alternatives for those that want big performance on a smaller budget.
