Skip to main content

The Galaxy S21 FE may not launch at Unpacked after all

Early reports have been indicating Samsung could launch the upcoming Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE) at Galaxy Unpacked event in August, but a new report makes that out to be unlikely. Samsung will instead be launching this sometime in Q4, according to LetsGoDigital.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE was first expected to be canceled and later delayed from an original planned August launch as per earlier reports from Bloomberg, with the company stepping in to clarify that it had made no such decision, saying “While we cannot discuss details of the unreleased product, nothing has been determined regarding the alleged production suspension.”

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked August 2021 event invite.
Samsung

The new report gels with a previous report out of Korea that Samsung would be launching the Galaxy S21 FE in the fourth quarter of the year, between October and December. The company has had to do this due to the semiconductor shortage that’s ravaging the globe, and is now considering a release strategy where it uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 for select Galaxy S21 FEs, with others using the company’s own Exynos chips — not unlike it’s done with flagships in the past.

Recommended Videos

The S21 FE is otherwise expected to include a 6.41-inch full HD AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the front camera may be a high-quality 32-megapixel camera. At the rear is a triple camera layout with a 12MP wide camera, another 12MP ultra-wide, and an 8MP telephoto.  It is expected to come with between 6 – 8 GB of RAM, and Samsung is likely adding a 4,370 mAh battery with 25W fast charging. 5G support should go without saying.

Giving all the earlier reports of delay and the as yet unresolved chip shortage, it was always a long shot to expect an Unpacked launch for the Galaxy S21 FE. Samsung also made the decision to note launch a Note this year, though it is currently unclear whether that is it for the Note line, or whether the series will return next year. This report, while not confirmed, does make a later release more likely. Otherwise, Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic at Unpacked on August 11.

Michael Allison
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A UK-based tech journalist for Digital Trends, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a…
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra may take a page from the Z Fold 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6's camera.

Smartphone manufacturers rarely change how rear cameras look from generation to generation. When they do, it makes news, like when the regular Apple iPhone 16 launched with a new vertical pill-shaped camera system last month. Now, Samsung is about to make a camera design change, this time on the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra.

According to Ice Universe, Samsung’s next flagship device will feature a camera design slightly similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. While this isn’t an earth-shattering change, it’s interesting nonetheless.

Read more
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra may get a big performance boost
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

It looks like Samsung is making some major changes, inside and out, for the next Galaxy S flagship. So far, leaked renders have imagined a sharper-looking Galaxy S25 Ultra with slimmer bezels, cleaner lines, and a more boxy design.

Now, according to reliable leakster UniverseIce, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will come fitted with 16GB RAM. For comparison, the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers 12GB of RAM, while the entire iPhone 16 lineup has 8GB of memory.

Read more
I used the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. Here’s what you should know about this $650 smartphone
Someone holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, showing the back of the phone.

There's a new Samsung phone to talk about! It's not an industry-leading flagship, and it's not a foldable. It's the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, and it's Samsung's latest attempt at a "value flagship" smartphone. Think of it like the Galaxy S24 Plus, but with a few spec downgrades and a $650 price tag.

I recently had the chance to go hands-on with Samsung's newest phone, and if I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure what to think about it. Let me explain why.
The Galaxy S24 FE is a very, very big phone

Read more