Samsung may have resumed S21 FE production, but will it be enough?

All signs point to the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE being delayed due to the global chip shortage, with rumors earlier this year suggesting that the phone’s production had actually been halted as a result.

Now, Korean news outlet ET News has reported that Samsung has recently resumed mass production of the device and suggested that the company may have addressed its chipset challenges. It also reported that the phone could launch in Q4 2021.

An industry source told the outlet that Samsung is likely to release the Galaxy S21 FE in stages because demand for the device was “substantial.”

“A plan to release them sequentially by dividing them into categories such as North America, Europe, and other areas is likely to happen,” the source was quoted as saying.

The news comes a couple of days after tipster Max Jambor claimed that Samsung only produced about 10,000 Galaxy S21 FE units this month. The leaker did however say that things could change (presumably for the better) this week or next week.

What does this mean for consumers?

We do wonder about the gaps between releases in various markets if Samsung is indeed opting for a staged launch. Waiting a couple of weeks might not be a huge issue, but a longer delay between releases wouldn’t be good news. Samsung and other mobile brands are expected to launch their next-generation smartphones in January 2022, so it stands to reason that some consumers might wait for these devices instead.

Another Korean outlet reported back in June that Samsung was considering a release in Europe and the US only in October, with the S21 FE missing Korea and Japan (and ostensibly several other markets too). This approach also makes sense if the company is unable to produce enough units for even a staggered release schedule.

Either way, it seems like we’ll have to wait for the actual launch event to find out more information about the Galaxy S21 FE’s availability.