Samsung's plans for a phone to be released later this year are becoming clearer. And it appears that the low-cost Galaxy S21 FE will debut at the same press event later this summer, along with an updated version of Samsung's foldable phone.
This comes from South Korea's Yonhap, which reports that the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, and Galaxy S21 FE will all launch simultaneously. The report claims that these models will debut in late August, shortly after an event to unveil the new phones was held earlier this month.
If true, this differs slightly from previous rumors regarding Samsung's plans to launch folding phones. Previous reports said that updates to the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip would be out in July. However, even if the August date is correct, it would be earlier than the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy S20 FE that Samsung released last year. Both of these phones shipped in the fall.
Samsung may have a strong incentive to release these phones sooner rather than later. Yonhap reported that Samsung "has decided not to release a new Galaxy Note this year."
There has been no official announcement from Samsung regarding the status of the Galaxy Note 21. However, rumors have been circulating since the beginning of the year that there may not be an updated phablet in 2021, and the writing has been on the wall about this phone for some time; in March, co-CEO DJ Koh told Bloomberg that due to a chip shortage and to streamline the product lineup, He said the company is considering not releasing a Galaxy Note model this year. Even if no new versions are released in 2021, the Note series could return next year, Samsung said.
Samsung has emphasized that it wants to make folding phones more mainstream this year, and the event focusing on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 may be part of that strategy Yonhap reports that Samsung is considering making the new Z Flip lighter than the previous model and reiterates previous reports that Samsung is considering lowering the price of this year's Galaxy Z Flip, claiming that it is considering doing so.
As for the Galaxy Z Fold 3, it is rumored to feature an under-display camera; other phones, such as the ZTE Axon 20 5G, have added this feature, but this would be a first for Samsung. We can expect that this foldable phone, along with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, will offer compatibility with Samsung's S Pen, potentially making the Galaxy Z Fold 3 a replacement for the Galaxy Note.
The Yonhap report does not contain too many new details about the Galaxy S21 FE, but it gives us a better idea of the phone's price. the S21 FE will reportedly go on sale in Korea for 700,000 won (roughly $629 based on current exchange rates). This price point is in line with the features and specs of the S21 FE. This price point is in line with what one would expect from a phone that is a cheaper version of the $799 Galaxy S21 with reduced features and specs.
All three new Samsung phones scheduled for launch events in August are expected to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 system-on-chip, the same silicon found in the S21 lineup.
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