What it’s essential know
- Rumors have been swirling in regards to the unannounced Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, a barely scaled-back model of the Galaxy S24 obtainable at a lower cost.
- Not too long ago, the Galaxy S24 FE appeared in regulatory filings, signaling {that a} launch could also be imminent.
- Nevertheless, the Galaxy S24 FE’s rumored launch window may align with vacation gross sales, and shopping for one other flagship at a reduction is perhaps a greater possibility.
All indicators level to Samsung gearing as much as launch its subsequent “FE” mannequin, the Galaxy S24 FE. It’s a barely extra inexpensive model of the Galaxy S24 with a pared-down function set to match. Following months of leaks and rumors, it’s now time to get excited. The smartphone has appeared in regulatory filings with the U.S. Federal Communications Fee (FCC). Within the telephone world, meaning a launch might be imminent.
Usually, Galaxy FE fashions don’t have breakthrough designs or inventive kind elements. They’re typically only a by-product of the present Galaxy flagship design or the final “Fan Version” smartphone. Nevertheless, a leak from April 2024 signifies that the Galaxy S24 FE might be coming in a bunch of recent and contemporary colours from Samsung this 12 months. Smaller bezels might be coming too, and a number of leaks have pointed to an October launch window.
Nevertheless, it’s laborious to see a means that the Galaxy S24 FE turns into a surefire suggestion, even because the common Galaxy S24 season nears a 12 months previous. We don’t know the precise specs but, however Samsung should shave off some Galaxy S24 options to supply the Galaxy S24 FE at a lower cost level. Final 12 months, the Galaxy S23 retailed for $800 and the Galaxy S23 FE later debuted at $600, providing a mid-tier variant $200 cheaper than Samsung’s base flagship telephone.
We appreciated the Galaxy S23 FE when it arrived, nevertheless it launched when the Galaxy S23 was regularly discounted and the S24 was only a couple months out. Irrespective of how good it was for its mid-range worth, that made it an odd telephone to suggest.
This 12 months’s Galaxy S24 retailed for $800 too, and it’s obtainable for that worth from most retailers on the time of writing. Nevertheless, for those who look rigorously, you’ll discover that the base-model Galaxy S24 goes on sale so much. Simply final weekend, the telephone was $150 off at main retailers, bringing the value right down to $650. These huge reductions occur typically, and offers holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday web you even greater financial savings.
Whereas it’s nice which you could get a Galaxy S24 for between $600 and $700 for those who purchase it on the proper time, this creates an issue. There’s little motive to purchase an “FE” mannequin for $200 lower than Samsung’s flagship if the flagship can also be closely discounted. Let’s say the Galaxy S24 FE is available in at $600, protecting in step with final 12 months’s pricing. Would you wish to purchase that telephone, or maintain out for a Galaxy S24 deal? We are able to’t say for absolute certainty which might be the higher deal — we haven’t tried the Galaxy S24 FE, after all, and it hasn’t been introduced — however my cash’s on the discounted Galaxy S24.
For those who’ve been following the smartphone marketplace for some time, this isn’t a brand new drawback, and it isn’t distinctive to Samsung. An analogous discourse follows the Google Pixel lineup. Initially a tiny sector with only some units, the Pixel lineup now options seven telephones which are nonetheless being bought from the Google Retailer, together with the Pixel 9 sequence, Pixel 8a, and Pixel 7a. That is perhaps bumped as much as eight units quickly, as Google confirmed it’s brining again the unique Pixel Fold when the Pixel 9 Professional Fold initially launches.
Google’s now-bloated lineup seems like overkill the place the Pixel A-series is anxious. By the point the Google Pixel 9a comes out, the Pixel 9 will in all probability low cost sufficient to make the distinction negligible. The identical now goes for the Galaxy FE sequence. If I needed to guess, the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24 FE will likely be very related in worth when the brand new midranger launches.
You need to maintain out for Black Friday offers as a substitute
All of it begs the query of whether or not we want these pared-down midrangers within the first place. The Galaxy FE and Pixel A sequence each undercut their flagship counterparts solely barely, and I’d moderately see Samsung and Google low cost their base-model flagships than develop and produce an entire new telephone. The tech business desires to tout how environmentally aware it’s, however one of the best ways to be sustainable is to easily make fewer issues. Even when one thing is 100% recycled and carbon-neutral, it’s nonetheless extra dangerous than simply making use of what we have already got — the Galaxy S24.
That’s wishful pondering, I do know. There’s extra to it than that, although. After testing lots of the greatest telephones and scouring the web for offers for years, I’m satisfied that purchasing a Galaxy FE or Pixel A telephone at full worth is normally a nasty deal. For those who can maintain out for a reduction on a flagship or have only a bit more money to spend, you’d be higher off shopping for a Galaxy S24 or Pixel 8.
I wager this will likely be much more true with the Galaxy S24 FE. It’s slated for launch in October, if the rumors are appropriate, which is a couple of month earlier than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I can’t predict the long run, however I’d count on the Galaxy S24 to see a big low cost across the vacation purchasing season, making it a extra enticing purchase than the Galaxy S24 FE for finances patrons. If that’s the case, why even trouble with the Galaxy S24 FE?