After skipping the Galaxy S22 FE last year, Samsung is said to launch two Fan Editions in 2023: the Galaxy S23 FE and the Galaxy Tab S8 FE. All but the name are “Galaxy Lite” devices. And I don’t know what Samsung is trying to achieve with them.
According to SamMobile sources, the Galaxy S23 FE will launch this fall with the Exynos 2200 chipset instead of the previously rumored Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+. We had high hopes for the 2200 before the launch of the Galaxy S22, but after poor benchmarks and heavy battery drain, Samsung went all-in on Snapdragon with the S23 series.
To offset this, Samsung may drop the price of the S23 FE to $600, according to another SamMobile. (opens in new tab) report. Also, the 50MP shooter makes photography better than the S21 FE.
Still, how many of Samsung’s discerning “fans” think a $200 drop from the S23 is worth downgrading? Especially when most trade in well below $600 Because you’re getting a flagship phone for the price?
At the same time, we have the Galaxy Tab S8 FE, which uses the lightweight Kompanio 900T chipset and a low 4GB of RAM. This will reportedly arrive around the same time as the Galaxy Tab S9, which should orbit the S8 FE with its overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip.
The Fan Edition brand is in danger of becoming a misnomer if Samsung continues to use it to fill its midrange niche rather than for fans. A smartphone expert we surveyed says Samsung’s FE plans on his side will be an uphill battle.
History of the Fan Edition
Samsung created the Note 7 Fan Edition to save the PR disaster of the original Note 7’s exploding battery. Released only in Korea, only replaced the battery. It was an apology to a core fan who was burned.
Samsung brought back the Fan Edition label a few years later for more economical reasons. From our focus group, we learned that customers didn’t like buying a Galaxy S. light Because it evokes a lighter, “lesser” feel. Thus, the flagship killing Galaxy S20 FE was born.
The S20 Fan Edition is one of the all-time favorite phones on our site that offers the same performance and display quality for just $700 ($300 off) while stripping away some of the Galaxy S20’s bells and whistles. It’s one.
But after the Galaxy S20 FE sold about 10 million units, Samsung permanently discounted its flagship flagship by $200, wiping out the margins that made the Fan Edition phone attractive to buyers. .
The Galaxy S20 FE’s one-off success has spilled over to other Samsung smartphones, making future Fan Editions nothing special.
The chip shortage prompted Samsung to agonize over months before delaying the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE, considering canceling it, and finally launching it halfway just a month ahead of the Galaxy S22.
The Galaxy S21 FE wasn’t necessarily a bad phone, but as one reviewer noted, “The two-year-old processor and awkward haptics make this phone feel dated the moment you turn it on.” We weren’t particularly impressed with the FE Exynos variant either, but the Exynos 2100’s performance fell short of the Snapdragon 888 compared to the 2200-8 Gen 1 Gap.
Unsurprisingly, the S21 FE didn’t sell very well. As Counterpoint research analyst Matthew Orf explained, the “strong promotional environment” surrounding the Galaxy S22 means that more consumers are aware of the flagship and its carrier deal, leading to trade-ins and The deal allowed me to get a better phone for “free”. .
At the same time, IDC research manager Jitesh Ubrani said last year that Samsung cut phone production last year. FE.
The S22 FE launch rumors have turned out to be false, so we’ll have to find out if the Galaxy S23 FE rumors are true.
As for tablets, Samsung also sold Tab “Lite” models such as the mediocre Galaxy Tab S6 Lite before launching the revamped Galaxy Tab S7 FE in 2021.
The latter bridges the gap between the 2020 S7 and 2022 S8, letting you enjoy a massive 12.4-inch display with great resolution at an affordable price. However, upon reviewing it, I found the tablet to be unable to utilize all the space due to average performance.
You could get the more expensive Tab S7 FE with 6-8GB of RAM, but that would bring the price closer to the far superior Galaxy Tab S8. There isn’t enough differentiation to make the Tab S7 FE appealing.
The same problem applies to the Galaxy Tab S8 FE as the Kompanio 900T’s benchmarks fall short of our favorite mid-range Android tablet, a $400 tablet like the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2 with the Kompanio 1300T chip. Almost certainly yes.
If the Tab S8 FE keeps its price tag above $530 with industry-standard memory upsells, the Galaxy Tab S8 FE wouldn’t be too thrilled. Especially if the Galaxy Tab S9 launches around the same time!
Samsung wants a different fan edition than the flagship
Given the current economic recession weighing on smartphone sales, IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani said, “The overall market is expected to decline in terms of both unit sales and average selling prices.” . It’s a risky bet for Samsung to return to his Fan Edition brand in its current form. .
“If you look back a few years ago, Samsung had three devices between $600 and $800,” explained Counterpoint’s Matthew Orf. Right now, there’s only the $800 Galaxy S23, and the $450 Galaxy A54 5G is the closest mid-range option.
Samsung has limited its mid-range offerings, Orf continues. Limited time sale. “
Hypothetically, Samsung will challenge the $600 Pixel 7 with the Galaxy S23 FE, as the Exynos 2200 and Tensor G2 likely have comparable benchmarks. But it’s not like the Pixel is selling in bulk either. Counterpoint’s stance is that “the proximity of the Galaxy FE device to the promotional environment and base Galaxy S23 model makes it very difficult for it to perform well at that price point.”
Ubrani is slightly bullish on the potential of the Galaxy S23 Fan Edition. Despite the poor economic climate, “mid- to high-end and above (~$400+) smartphones will see some growth during this period”, “The new he FE will be in this category It will fit well.”
He stressed that “I’m not sure they’ll use Exynos chips,” so it could end up being Snapdragon.But Samsung To do Using it, he does not see it as a downside. Because it “creates even more separation between the FE version of the phone and the regular S23..”
No one wants to downgrade a phone they’ve been using for years if it only saves them $100. But if Samsung can hit his $600 price point, that’s enough of a difference to make it (in theory) more compelling. This means Samsung won’t have to deal with “excess inventory” like it used to.
However, he also notes that Exynos chips will sell better “where Exynos were more common in the past.”
As for the Galaxy Tab S8 FE, Ubrani once again said that “differentiation” is more important than anything else. With phones, you can downgrade the camera, display, haptics, or other technology for a lower price without compromising too much on performance. should be done “inside,” he says.
“Fan Edition” is too ambitious naming
Samsung’s most serious buyers, who pay close attention to specs, don’t care about “compromising” the phone or waiting until the fall. They just buy the Galaxy S23 Ultra upfront more than 60% of pre-orders for the Galaxy S23 are for Ultra and the S22 Ultra like the Note is the best selling Samsung flagship in the last few years his It is said that there was one
Therefore, Samsung’s Ultra phone can be considered a true “fan edition”. But not all Samsung fans have that kind of cash-spending disposable income each year, so a Fan Edition phone could give more frugal buyers a taste of flagship life. Same goes for Galaxy Tabs. This is because most products are very expensive and do not benefit from carrier contracts to offset costs.
The “Fan Edition” promises the perfect balance of hard-to-provide quality and affordability.
But if these Galaxy S23 FE leaks are true, Samsung is betting on saving a little money by buying a device that runs on an early 2022 Exynos chip and a 2021 Kompanio chip. People who don’t read tech blogs obsessively Might be so Those who find them attractive or come from the Android side of the budget and still consider them an upgrade.
But it is doubtful if the Galaxy S23 will come light Fan Edition phones on our best Android phones list, unless Samsung tweaks the Exynos 2200 to address some of its criticisms. Rather, it feels like a calculated risk. And that’s the problem inherent in that name. It promises the perfect balance of quality and affordability that’s hard to come by.
