Those hoping for a more affordable variant from the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, prepare for some discouraging news. According to a recent scoop by SamMobile, the South Korean tech giant has allegedly cancelled plans to develop a Fan Edition (FE) of the flagship, and may also shelve the FE project altogether.
The publication claims that information regarding the cancellation was tipped by “multiple sources” familiar with the matter. In addition, SamMobile’s own research has found that “SM-S900”, which would have been the model number for the Samsung Galaxy S22 FE, doesn’t exist. This also indicates that the variant has never been developed in the first place.
Further backing up this theory is the fact that there’s no other information that hints on the phone’s potential arrival. Typically, insiders and leaksters would often share hardware specifications, 3D renders, and spy shots of a device many months ahead of its official unveiling. Unfortunately, there have been none for the Samsung Galaxy S22 FE so far.
There are several factors that could have led to the alleged cancellation of this variant, as well as the entire FE line. One of which is the delayed launch of the Galaxy S21 FE, which itself was caught in development hell prior to its release. To make things worse, the phone arrived just weeks before the newer and more hyped Galaxy S22 series, which naturally overshadowed it not long after.
Another potential cause is the ongoing global shortage of components, especially semiconductors. Samsung itself has multiple smart devices including smartphones, tablets and so on in every price range, so it makes sense for the company to prioritise on allocating components to products that are already in its development pipeline.
And it’s unsurprising if Samsung does consider the FE series to be a novelty release instead of a mainstay. In fact, the line’s full name – “Fan Edition” – suggests this. Also not forgetting that the first device that used this designation, the Samsung Galaxy Note FE, was released as a refurbished version of the company’s infamous Galaxy Note 7.
Well, so much for hoping for an affordable FE variant of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, let alone one that is equipped with an S-Pen. But who knows? Maybe Samsung will catch us off guard with a surprise announcement somewhere down the line, or maybe they won’t.
(Source: SamMobile)
