Samsung quietly launches surprising Galaxy S20 FE 2022 edition in Korea

Damien Wilde | Apr 5 2022 - 3:02 am PT

Confusing the Samsung smartphone lineup even further, the latest new handset is a surprise re-release of Galaxy S20 FE but for 2022.

Given that Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE and the recent launch of the Galaxy A33 and A53, a re-issue of the Galaxy S20 FE for 2022 with no hardware alterations seems an odd decision. However, Korean outlet Naver reports that this model will come with a much lower asking price with some omissions from the packaging (via GSMArena).

Although launching in 2022, the Galaxy S20 FE is exactly the same as the device initially launched in late 2020. That means it comes with a 6.5-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 865 processor, 4,500mAh battery, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of base storage with microSD card expansion included. This is the base model, and it seems that Samsung will not offer the 8/256GB version this time around.

As this is the same device, all of the other external and internal components remain the same including a 3.5mm headphone port, and a triple camera setup that consists of a 12MP main, 8MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto. The selfie camera is rated at 32MP.

It’s unclear what update schedule Samsung will follow for the 2022 edition of the Galaxy S20 FE. The original model is currently running One UI 4.1 with Android 12 and is eligible for Android 13. It will also receive one further year of updates. The current update cadence for new Samsung smartphone releases includes at least three years of OS upgrades and a further year of security patches. While no details were shared on the update commitment, this poses a problem. In theory, the Galaxy S20 FE from 2020 could, therefore, be left behind while an unchanged and re-released version gets updated for a further 3 years.

This initial report out of Korea suggests that Samsung’s strategy here is to “sell the stock of the existing” units in the firm’s inventory. The device is only available in a limited color selection including Cloud White, Cloud Lavender, and Cloud Navy.

Despite being almost two years old, the Galaxy S20 FE is still a great buy in 2022 as it offers a package that will best vast portions of the budget and mid-range market. No details were shared on if Samsung plans on re-releasing the S20 FE outside of Korea though.

However, a stumbling block could be the pricing of the Galaxy S20 FE, which even after discounts sits at KRW 700,000, which with exchange rates is around the $580 mark. It remains to be seen if people would be happy to pay such a price for what is a two-year-old device.