After skipping the Galaxy S22 FE final 12 months, Samsung will allegedly launch two Fan Editions in 2023: the Galaxy S23 FE and the Galaxy Tab S8 FE. If their leaked data proves to be true, each are “Galaxy Lite” units in all however title; and I am unsure what Samsung is making an attempt to perform with them.
A SamMobile supply claims the Galaxy S23 FE will launch this fall with an Exynos 2200 chipset — not the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ as beforehand rumored. We had excessive hopes for the 2200 earlier than the Galaxy S22 launch, however its lackluster benchmarks and battery drain led Samsung to go all-in on Snapdragon with the S23 collection.
To counterbalance this, Samsung might slash the S23 FE value right down to $600, as per one other SamMobile (opens in new tab) report. And it will get a images increase over the S21 FE with its 50MP shooter.Â
Nonetheless, what number of of Samsung’s discerning “followers” suppose the $200 dip from the S23 might be value downgrading? Particularly since most individuals get their flagship telephones for a lot decrease than $600 with trade-in offers?
On the identical time, you will have the Galaxy Tab S8 FE, which can use a light-weight Kompanio 900T chipset and as little as 4GB of RAM. It will reportedly arrive across the identical time because the Galaxy Tab S9, which ought to run laps across the S8 FE with its overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip.Â
The Fan Version model is at risk of turning into a misnomer if Samsung continues to make use of them to fill a mid-range area of interest as a substitute of catering to its followers. The smartphone specialists we have polled say that Samsung’s FE plan, as is, might be an uphill battle.
The historical past of the Fan Version
Samsung made the Be aware 7 Fan Version to salvage the PR catastrophe of the unique Be aware 7’s exploding batteries. Solely launched in South Korea, it modified the battery and nothing else; it was an apology to core followers who felt burned by the incident.
Samsung resurrected the Fan Version label years later for extra financial causes: it discovered from focus teams that prospects did not like shopping for Galaxy S Lite telephones as a result of it evoked a light-weight, “lesser” really feel. Thus, the flagship-killing Galaxy S20 FE got here into being.
Certainly one of our website’s favourite telephones for years, the S20 Fan Version stripped out a number of superfluous Galaxy S20 options whereas delivering the identical efficiency and show high quality for simply $700 (a $300 low cost).Â
After the Galaxy S20 FE offered about 10 million items, although, Samsung completely discounted its most important flagships by $200, erasing the margin that made a Fan Version telephone sound interesting to consumers.Â
The Galaxy S20 FE’s one-off success rubbed off on different Samsung telephones, making future Fan Editions much less particular.
Chip shortages brought on Samsung to delay and take into account canceling its Galaxy S21 FE, waffling for months earlier than finally launching it half-heartedly only a month earlier than the Galaxy S22.Â
The Galaxy S21 FE wasn’t essentially a nasty telephone, however as our reviewer put it, “a 2-year-old processor and nasty haptics make this telephone really feel outdated the second you flip it on.” We additionally weren’t particularly impressed with the Galaxy S21 FE Exynos variant, although Exynos 2100 efficiency did not fall as wanting the Snapdragon 888 in comparison with the 2200-8 Gen 1 hole.
Unsurprisingly, the S21 FE didn’t promote properly. As Counterpoint analysis analyst Matthew Orf defined, the “sturdy promotional atmosphere” across the Galaxy S22 meant that extra customers knew in regards to the flagship and its provider offers, with which you can get a greater telephone for “free” with a trade-in and contract.
On the identical time, IDC analysis supervisor Jitesh Ubrani advised us final 12 months that Samsung reduce telephone manufacturing final 12 months as a result of it was “going through a problem with stock increase throughout its portfolio of telephones. So it wasn’t a shock when Samsung canned the S22 FE.Â
We’ll have to attend and see if the Galaxy S23 FE rumors are true, because the rumors surrounding the S22 FE launch proved false.
As for its tablets, Samsung additionally offered Tab “Lite” fashions such because the mediocre Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, earlier than launching the improved Galaxy Tab S7 FE in 2021.Â
The latter bridged the hole between the 2020 S7s and 2022 S8s, letting you take pleasure in a large 12.4-inch show with incredible decision for an affordable value. However after I reviewed it, I famous how the pill could not make the most of all that actual property due to the common efficiency.Â
You can get a costlier Tab S7 FE with 6–8GB of RAM, however doing so takes you shut in value to the far-superior Galaxy Tab S8; there is not sufficient differentiation to make the Tab S7 FE compelling.Â
That very same subject will nearly undoubtedly apply to the Galaxy Tab S8 FE, because the benchmarks for the Kompanio 900T fall wanting $400 tablets just like the Lenovo Tab P11 Professional Gen 2 with its Kompanio 1300T chip, our favourite mid-range Android pill.
If the Tab S8 FE retains the $530-and-up value with an upsell for industry-standard reminiscence, the Galaxy Tab S8 FE is not going to attract a lot pleasure. Particularly if the Galaxy Tab S9 launches across the identical time!
Samsung desires its Fan Editions distinct from its flagships
Given the present financial downturn that is miserable smartphone gross sales — IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani says the “total market is predicted to say no by way of each items and common promoting value” — it is a dangerous gamble for Samsung to return to the Fan Version model in its present type.
“If we glance again a few years in the past, Samsung had three units between $600 and $800,” Counterpoint’s Matthew Orf defined. Now, there’s solely the $800 Galaxy S23, with the $450 Galaxy A54 5G because the closest mid-range choice.Â
Samsung has restricted its mid-range choices, Orf continued, as a result of “customers within the US are pushed in direction of the low-end (<$300) of the market in pay as you go, and the premium phase ($800 or extra) within the postpaid market, with restricted gross sales between.”
Hypothetically, Samsung would problem the $600 Pixel 7 with the Galaxy S23 FE, because the Exynos 2200 and Tensor G2 would doubtless have comparable benchmarks. Nevertheless it’s not as if Pixels promote in big numbers, both. Counterpoint’s stance is that it will be “fairly troublesome for Galaxy FE units to carry out properly at that value level as a result of promotional atmosphere and the shut proximity to the bottom Galaxy S23 mannequin.”
Ubrani is barely extra bullish on the Galaxy S23 Fan Version’s possibilities. Regardless of the poor financial situations, “smartphones within the mid to high-end and above (~$400 and up) will see some development throughout this era,” and “a brand new FE would match properly into this class.”
He emphasised that he is “unsure they are going to use an Exynos chip,” so it might nonetheless find yourself with a Snapdragon. But when Samsung does use it, he does not see it as a draw back as a result of it will “create additional separation between the FE model of the telephone and the common S23. Previously, there was far an excessive amount of overlap, which didn’t assist both telephone.”
Nobody desires to downgrade a telephone they will use for years if they will solely save 100 bucks. But when Samsung can pull off the $600 value level, that is sufficient of a distinction to make it extra interesting (in idea). And that’ll guarantee Samsung does not cope with “extra stock” because it has up to now.Â
However he additionally notes that the Exynos chip will promote higher “the place Exynos has been extra commonplace up to now,” so Samsung’s plan to promote the Exynos variant within the U.S. might face roadblocks.Â
As for the Galaxy Tab S8 FE, Ubrani as soon as once more mentioned that it is about “differentiation” greater than the rest. With a telephone, you may downgrade the cameras, shows, haptics, or different tech to hit a lower cost level with out hurting efficiency an excessive amount of. However with a pill, he says, most cost-saving adjustments should be “below the hood.”Â
“Fan Version” is an excessively formidable title
Samsung’s most severe consumers who pay shut consideration to specs will not take note of “compromise” telephones or wait till the autumn; they will simply purchase the Galaxy S23 Extremely upfront. Over 60% of Galaxy S23 preorders have been for the Extremely, and the Be aware-like S22 Extremely was allegedly certainly one of Samsung’s highest-selling flagships in years.Â
So that you would possibly take into account Samsung’s Extremely telephones the actual “Fan Editions.” However not each Samsung fan has the disposable revenue to spend that sort of money yearly, so a Fan Version telephone might give extra frugal consumers a style of the flagship life. The identical applies to the Galaxy Tabs, since most are so expensive with out the good thing about provider offers to offset the price.
“Fan Version” guarantees an ideal steadiness of high quality and affordability that is arduous to ship.
But when these Galaxy S23 FE leaks are true, Samsung is playing on folks shopping for units run by an early-2022 Exynos chip and a 2021 Kompanio chip to save lots of somewhat cash. Individuals who do not obsessively learn tech blogs would possibly discover them tempting, or these coming from the finances Android aspect of issues who’ll nonetheless see them as upgrades.Â
However I doubt we’ll see the Galaxy S23 Lite Fan Version telephone on any finest Android telephones lists except Samsung has tweaked the Exynos 2200 to handle a few of its criticisms. Definitely, it feels extra like a calculated danger to focus on a sure demographic than a love letter to followers. And that is the inherent drawback with the title: it guarantees an ideal steadiness of high quality and affordability that is arduous to ship.
