Samsung Electronics is considering launching the upcoming budget model of the Galaxy S21 smartphone in the US and Europe only, industry sources said on Friday, due to global semiconductor shortages.
Samsung is reviewing a plan to release the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE) in the US and Europe after skipping the domestic market and other countries following the tight supply of mobile application processors, according to the sources.
The Galaxy S21 FE will be reportedly powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor from Qualcomm Inc. But due to supply issues, the South Korean tech giant may also use in-house Exynos chips, the sources said, according to Yonhap news agency.
Industry insiders also predicted that Samsung may push back the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE from its planned schedule.
The world’s largest smartphone maker was first expected to unveil the Galaxy S21 FE with its new foldable smartphones at the Galaxy Unpacked online event in August. But market watchers now predict that the Galaxy S21 FE is likely to be introduced separately in October.
The Galaxy S21 FE is the budget edition of the Galaxy S21 flagship smartphone released in January. Its price is estimated to be around the 700,000 won (US$610) range.
Samsung has yet to confirm any information about the Galaxy S21 FE’s specifications, but foreign tech reviewers predicted that it will come with a 6.4-inch display supporting 120Hz refresh rate.
They also expect the device to have a triple rear camera setup and a 4,370mAh battery.
