Samsung didn't reveal a new Fan Edition smartphone alongside the Galaxy S23 lineup at Galaxy Unpacked, but it did have a surprise announcement concerning the base Galaxy S22 model from last year. The 2022 flagship received a flat $100 discount, and in a roundabout way, this makes it the S22 FE we never received.
Samsung usually stops selling previous-generation flagships once a new series is out, and indeed, you can no longer buy the Galaxy S22 Ultra in the USA. As of this writing, the S22 Ultra page redirects to the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
However, the company will keep selling the base Galaxy S22, and during its S23 launch event in San Francisco, Samsung announced a new price of $699 for the 2022 flagship phone. The Galaxy S22+ is still available for the original price of $999.
The Galaxy S22 is almost like the new Fan Edition smartphone
Samsung released the Galaxy S22 flagship last year for $799 and the Galaxy S21 FE for $699. So, even though the company didn't reveal a new Galaxy S22 FE phone for 2023, the $100 flat price reduction certainly makes up for it.
We don't know how long the Galaxy S22 will remain in stock, but given that Samsung announced the $100 price cut on stage at Unpacked, the S22 is probably here to stay for a while.
Filling the $699 price segment with the Galaxy S22 may be an even better solution than releasing a new Fan Edition phone. The Galaxy S22 is a full-fledged flagship with premium firmware support, and it would've been difficult for a Fan Edition smartphone to offer better features for the price and fill its shoes.
By dropping the Galaxy S22 to $699, Samsung has essentially turned it into a Fan Edition smartphone — the one we never got and FE enthusiasts deserve. Assuming this price cut happens in every market where Samsung would've released the S22 FE.
The Galaxy S22 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 platform (in the USA). It has 8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of storage, a 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and much better build quality than any other Fan Edition smartphones released to date.
If you want to spend a little extra and get the newer Galaxy S23, Samsung has it up for pre-order for $799.
