The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has yet another rumored launch date

The oft-leaked Samsung Galaxy S21 FE was supposed to be released by now, but it’s widely believed that Samsung delayed the release due to the global chip shortage. It’s even been suggested that the phone might not actually end up being released.

Now, tipsters Max Weinbach, Ross Young, and Jon Prosser have all reported that Samsung is gearing up to release the Galaxy S21 FE in January 2022. Check out a screenshot of Weinbach’s tweet below.

Prosser has also claimed a specific launch date of January 11. For what it’s worth, CES 2022 runs from January 5 to 8. So it sounds like Samsung will host a standalone event if this date turns out to be true.

Nevertheless, a January 2022 reveal date would make for some poor timing on Samsung’s part. The company was expected to launch the Galaxy S22 series in January, so launching the S21 FE and the S22 series in the same month wouldn’t be ideal from a release strategy perspective.

One theoretical possibility is that the company could delay the Galaxy S22 series launch to February or March instead. Alternatively, the firm could rename the Galaxy S21 FE in line with the S22 series (e.g. S22 Lite), making it a four phone lineup.

Then again, you have to wonder whether it’s just better for the company to offer a limited launch for now instead of waiting until January. Samsung wouldn’t be the first smartphone brand to take this approach in 2021. Google opted to launch the Pixel 5a in Japan and the US only due to the chip shortage.

What do you think Samsung should do regarding the S21 FE? Let us know via the poll above.