Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Faces Delay Due to Chip Shortage

The future of Samsung’s rumored Galaxy S21 FE, which stands for Fan Edition, is up in the air. Initially said to be delayed or even canceled due to a chip shortage that has plagued the electronics industry for the past couple of months, Samsung told Bloomberg: “While we cannot discuss details of the unreleased product, nothing has been determined regarding the alleged production suspension.”

Even with that haze of uncertainty, it appears that the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is still being worked on with an eye toward a possible launch. A report from Korea shared the S21 FE will launch with either an Exynos or Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, depending on the market, with a launch date sometime during the second half of the year. It is also said to be exploring strategies such as a limited launch in high-performing markets like the U.S. and Europe.

We do know a fair bit about what the S21 FE may be like, despite it being unofficial. Renders from prolific leaker Evan Blass shared in June showcased a design that is very similar to the regular Samsung Galaxy S21, while renders shared in July by Android Headlines show the color options to expect. There’s a camera bump at the back that blends in with the chassis, a display with a hole-punch selfie camera, and a selection of colors from the classic black and white to olive and purple.

Additional rumored specs for this device include a 6.41-inch full HD AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the front camera may be a high-quality 32-megapixel camera. All of this is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 888 processor and at least 6GB of RAM. China’s 3C certification board recently approved the Samsung EP-TA800, the company’s 25-watt fast charger, for use with the S21 FE. As the older Samsung Galaxy S20 FE did offer up to 25W wired fast charging, it was likely that Samsung would do the same for its sequel.

This is not the company’s first rumored cancellation this year as a result of the chip shortage. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 21 was also said to be canceled this year, as the company was finding it difficult to balance launching multiple flagships under supply constraints.

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