What it’s worthwhile to know
- Rumors have been swirling concerning the unannounced Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, a barely scaled-back model of the Galaxy S24 out there at a lower cost.
- Just lately, the Galaxy S24 FE appeared in regulatory filings, signaling {that a} launch could also be imminent.
- Nonetheless, the Galaxy S24 FE’s rumored launch window may align with vacation gross sales, and shopping for one other flagship at a reduction may be 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, which means a launch could possibly be imminent.
Usually, Galaxy FE fashions don’t have breakthrough designs or artistic kind elements. They’re typically only a spinoff of the present Galaxy flagship design or the final “Fan Version” smartphone. Nonetheless, a leak from April 2024 signifies that the Galaxy S24 FE could possibly be coming in a bunch of latest and recent colours from Samsung this 12 months. Smaller bezels could possibly be coming too, and a number of leaks have pointed to an October launch window.
Nonetheless, it’s laborious to see a approach that the Galaxy S24 FE turns into a surefire suggestion, even because the common Galaxy S24 season nears a 12 months outdated. We don’t know the precise specs but, however Samsung must 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 continuously 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 out there for that worth from most retailers on the time of writing. Nonetheless, should you look fastidiously, you’ll discover that the base-model Galaxy S24 goes on sale rather a lot. Simply final weekend, the telephone was $150 off at main retailers, bringing the worth right down to $650. These huge reductions occur typically, and offers holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday internet you even greater financial savings.
Whereas it’s nice you can get a Galaxy S24 for between $600 and $700 should you purchase it on the proper time, this creates an issue. There’s little cause 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, conserving in step with final 12 months’s pricing. Would you need to purchase that telephone, or maintain out for a Galaxy S24 deal? We will’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.
In case you’ve been following the smartphone marketplace for some time, this isn’t a brand new downside, and it isn’t distinctive to Samsung. An analogous discourse follows the Google Pixel lineup. Initially a tiny sector with just a few gadgets, the Pixel lineup now options seven telephones which might be nonetheless being bought from the Google Retailer, together with the Pixel 9 collection, Pixel 8a, and Pixel 7a. That may be bumped as much as eight gadgets 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 worried. 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 collection. If I needed to guess, the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24 FE can be very related in worth when the brand new midranger launches.
It is best 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 collection each undercut their flagship counterparts solely barely, and I’d reasonably see Samsung and Google low cost their base-model flagships than develop and produce an entire new telephone. The tech trade desires to tout how environmentally aware it’s, however the easiest way 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 most 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 often a nasty deal. In case you 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 guess this can be much more true with the Galaxy S24 FE. It’s slated for launch in October, if the rumors are right, which is a few month earlier than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I can’t predict the long run, however I might count on the Galaxy S24 to see a big low cost across the vacation procuring season, making it a extra enticing purchase than the Galaxy S24 FE for funds consumers. If that’s the case, why even trouble with the Galaxy S24 FE?