A curious rumor circulating is that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, the company's mid-range alternative to its 2020 premium phones, could soon get a newer 4G version with a different chipset.
These rumors are looking more and more substantiated though - as spotted by MySmartPrice, the phone has been seen in the rankings of benchmark test Geekbench (where it scored fairly well) and it also has its own support pages on the Samsung website.
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As a result, it's looking increasingly likely this new 4G spin on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE could launch any time now.
People who know about the Galaxy S20 FE might be confused, as there is already a 4G version. However, that used Samsung's Exynos 990 chipset while the 5G version had the more powerful Snapdragon 865, which was the premium Android processor for 2020, and the key selling point of this new phone is that it has that Snapdragon 865 too.
What's the point?
On the surface level, this question is easy - 4G phones can be cheaper than 5G ones (as 5G modems are still pricey), so this new phone should be one of the few premium-ish phones in 2021 that doesn't break the bank.
It's worth pointing out that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G didn't go on sale in all regions, with many places only getting the 5G model. What's possible is that this new 4G version will go on sale in the regions that didn't get the old one, so people who don't want a 5G phone still have something to buy.
But that leaves loads of questions. Why didn't Samsung just wait until the anticipated Galaxy S21 FE to do this? Will there be any audience interest in a new S20 phone, now that the Galaxy S21 series is here? Will the older 4G version still go on sale?
We'll have to see how the company rationalizes this decision if and when the new phone is launched, and we've no idea when that'll be, so stay tuned and we'll bring you the latest when we hear it.
