Galaxy S21 FE could still be months away, S22 on track for January launch

Samsung will start mass-producing parts for the Galaxy S21 FE next month, and for the Galaxy S22 series in November, according to South Korea's The Elec.

It is believed that Samsung had originally planned to start this process for the S21 FE in May and was eyeing a third-quarter release, but its plans were derailed by the global chip shortage. Although signs now point to a September unveiling, it could be a while before the product is actually released.

The device was initially expected to arrive in August and per today's report, the entire schedule has been pushed back by nearly four months. This suggests the product will hit the shelves towards the end of the fourth quarter.

Galaxy S21 sales have reportedly been disappointing and Xiaomi surpassed Samsung to become the number one smartphone seller in June. Samsung is apparently hoping that the budget Galaxy S21 FE will help recoup some of the lost ground. 

Galaxy S21 FE sales target reduced by nearly 3 million units

Samsung is not pinning high hopes on the phone though, as the report says that the shipment target has been revised from mid-10 million units to below 10 million units. The company also aims to sell around 6 to 7 million units of foldable phones in the second half of the year. 

Overall, sales are forecasted to take a nosedive, and this is in part because of the chip shortage. Third-quarter sales are expected to be around 10 million units below the year-ago quarter. The annual shipment forecast has been knocked down to 260 million units from 290 million to 300 million units.

The Galaxy A52 and A72 have allegedly failed to perform up to expectations. This is supposedly not because of tepid demand but because of a lack of processors. The Galaxy A5 and A7 series mid-rangers usually manage an annual sales count of around 30 million units and are counted among the best budget smartphones.