Samsung has once again been tipped to resurrect the dormant Fan Edition smartphone line, with a potential Galaxy S23 FE launch later in the year.
South Korean website Hankooki is claiming that the so-called Galaxy S23 FE will be launched in August or September of 2023. However, the publication suggests that the affordable phone may not get a full global launch due to expected sluggish demand in the industry.
Samsung’s two Fan Edition phones to date have been slightly scaled back and thus more affordable updates on preceding Galaxy S flagship phones.
The last Fan Edition phone we saw was the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, which launched right at the beginning of 2022. This was seen as a fatally late launch by many covering the industry, arriving less than two months ahead of the Galaxy S22.
“The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE ticks multiple boxes, offering good performance and a well-thought-out feature list,” said our own Max Parker at the time. “It isn’t the most exciting phone I’ve reviewed recently, though, and I can’t help but feel it’s been released a little too late.”
The writing was on the wall for a follow-up, and in June and July of last year various sources claimed that Samsung had cancelled its Fan Edition phone range altogether.
However, just before the turn of the year we heard news that Fan Edition phones might be back on. According to a (less established) tipster, the Samsung Galaxy S22 FE was still on for a launch, and may effectively take the place of the Galaxy A74 in Samsung’s sprawling range.
The source claimed that the Galaxy S22 FE would be powered by a new Samsung Exynos 2300 chip, with an Isocell HM6 108MP main camera sensor. Whether we get a Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, a Galaxy S22 FE, or something else entirely, we’ll be looking out for a bonus Unpacked event later in the year.
