Samsung Galaxy S21 FE may have just been revealed in new photo leak

News
By published

But when will it arrive?

An unofficial render of four Samsung Galaxy S21 FE devices in the four available colors: black, light green, light purple and grey
(Image credit: Snoreyn/LetsGoDigital)

The question on every Samsung fan’s lips for the past few months is undoubtedly “where is the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?” There have been plenty of rumors suggesting that the phone is coming, but nothing concrete from Samsung itself.

We've now got another potential look at it, thanks to leaker Roland Quandt — who's shared images that appear to show off the S21 FE’s back cover. There aren’t any huge surprises, but it does give us an idea of how this phone could look — and the colors that may be available.

The covers are presented in black, white, purple, and olive green, which Android Police notes are the same colors as the newly-released Galaxy Buds 2. Whether this means Samsung had originally planned to tie the two products together isn’t clear, but it seems unlikely that it would be a coincidence.

If these covers are the genuine article it appears the S21 FE's design will be pretty similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S21, with the same triple lens camera array and vertical camera bump. Given the S21 FE is supposed to be a low-cost version of the S21, this makes perfect sense.

The only major difference is that the camera bump is the same color as the rest of the phone’s cover. That suggests it will be the exact same material as the back of the phone, though what that material will be is unknown at this stage.

The Galaxy S21’s rear cover is made of polycarbonate, which is just a fancy way of saying plastic. Presumably, given the S21 FE’s budget nature, it will be something similar. However the Galaxy S20 FE’s plastic back wasn’t quite as premium as the one on the S21, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the situation was repeated with the S21 FE.

Interestingly, despite the fact Samsung hasn’t told us anything about the S21 FE’s launch, Quandt noticed that some retailers are already selling parts for it. In fact, the back covers pictured in his tweet are already on sale on at least one British website, for the price of £11.80 ($16.08).

All of which suggests that the S21 FE is still on Samsung's roadmap — even if we’re no closer to learning when it might actually arrive. There had been rumors that the phone had been cancelled, but more recently it’s been suggested that it was simply delayed. In fact the delay may mean the phone launches at CES in January.

Hopefully we'll have some concrete details about it soon, but until then keep an eye on our Samsung Galaxy S21 FE hub for all the latest news.

TOPICS
Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.