Recently we saw leaked photos of what appeared to be the back panel of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, and now someone has got hold of one and shown it on video, attached to the frame of a Samsung Galaxy S10.
Jermaine Smit (also known as Concept Creator) is the person who did this, and it provides a look at what the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will probably look like in the flesh – albeit only from the back.
Since we’ve seen this back before there aren’t really any new details, though Smit confirms that – as expected – the back is made of plastic.
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The fact that it fits into the frame of a Samsung Galaxy S10 also suggests that the two phones are a very similar size, which is actually slightly surprising since the Galaxy S10 only has a 6.1-inch screen, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is rumored to have a 6.4-inch one.
Whether that means smaller bezels on the upcoming phone or whether Smit has had to make some modifications to stitch these two together is unclear.
Smit also runs through the key rumored specs of the Galaxy S21 FE in this video, but these seem to be pre-existing leaks rather than new information. One possible exception to that is his mention of a January 11 release date, which he emphasizes though notes that this could still be subject to change.
It’s interesting that Smit goes with that date, as while leaker Jon Prosser previously pointed to January 11, the latest leak actually suggests the phone could land several days earlier at CES 2022. So we’d take that date with a pinch of salt.
Opinion: too similar and too late
While the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is shaping up to be a decent phone, it might be arriving too late to really make a mark.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 range is expected to land soon after it (possibly as soon as the following month) and is likely to be a huge upgrade.
And sure, the Galaxy S21 FE will probably be much cheaper than any of those phones, but will it be substantially cheaper than the increasingly discounted Samsung Galaxy S21 or Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus?
We’re not so sure, and it’s unlikely to be much different than those phones. In fact, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if the base Galaxy S21 could be found for less than whatever Samsung ends up charging for the Galaxy S21 FE, now that it’s almost a year old.
So unless Samsung surprises us by either delivering a very different phone to the one we’re expecting or charging a lot less for it, we’re not really sure who the Galaxy S21 FE is for. A couple of months ago it might have made sense, but in January? The competition from Samsung’s own other phones is likely to just be too steep.
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Via GSMArena
