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Samsung stops caring about leaks, showing off the Galaxy S23 FE, Tab S9 FE, and Buds FE

Published: Sep 25, 2023, 3:01 AM

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Samsung stops caring about leaks, showing off the Galaxy S23 FE, Tab S9 FE, and Buds FE

Remember when product launch events used to mean something? When you'd wait with bated breath to find out all the official details about a device that was completely (or at least in large part) shrouded in mystery? When you didn't even know exactly what products a company was planning to unveil until the actual announcement unfolded?

That... almost never happens anymore, and while some companies do at least try to maintain some sort of a facade and not reveal all their secrets prematurely, others are making no effort whatsoever to keep anything up the sleeve. Samsung, for instance, may not have (yet) adopted the OnePlus strategy of confirming details about upcoming devices directly to the press, instead randomly putting them up on various official webpages.

Of course, it's impossible to know if that Galaxy S23 FE name confirmation from a little while back was intentional or not, and the same now goes for a super-high-quality promotional image starring not one and not two but three as-yet-unannounced members of Samsung's expansive Galaxy. At the end of the day, it's not really that important if the tech giant meant for this picture to come out right now or not. What's important is that the S23 FE, Tab S9 FE, and Buds FE are (even) more transparent than before.

A sleek family portrait with a lot of character

As presumed for a long time and repeatedly revealed in recent weeks, Samsung's next crop of Fan Edition gadgets doesn't serve a radical redesign over a number of existing Galaxy devices. The S23 FE looks an awful lot like both the "regular" S23 and the A54 5G mid-ranger, for instance, while the Tab S9 FE is all but guaranteed to keep the Galaxy Tab S9 aesthetic largely unchanged.

This is an official image depicting three products that are technically not official yet.

Then you have the Galaxy Buds FE, which do indeed bring a distinctive design element to the table in their large touchpad area that stands out from the rest of the body of Samsung's next (inexpensive) AirPods alternatives.

All in all, the trio pictured today isn't exactly expected to break new ground in terms of appearance or functionality, but there's something about it that inexplicably draws us in. It might be the inspired chromatic choice, with the Tab S9 FE (and its accompanying S Pen) seemingly matching the green (or rather olive) S23 FE and the Buds FE playing it safe yet decidedly elegant in a good old fashioned white outfit.

Or it might be that we know these devices will cost significantly less than their non-FE-branded forerunners, in which case the undoubtedly premium designs become even more appealing than they probably strike you at a first glance.

So when should we expect an official launch?

While there are no guarantees yet and rumors from a while ago about a formal announcement by the end of September seem unlikely to pan out at this point, Samsung may have slipped an important timing hint in another official image prematurely made public in Argentina.

Is October 4 the big day?

That's right, we have a photo of the Galaxy S23 FE that shows the October 4 date on the handset's lock screen, which could mean everything... or nothing at all. October 4, in case you're wondering, falls on a Wednesday (next Wednesday, to be exact), which just so happens to be the day of the week when the S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra were unveiled back in February and also when the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5-dedicated Unpacked event took place a couple of months ago.

Given the sheer amount of information we've been treated to lately about the S23 FE, Buds FE, Tab S9 FE, and Tab S9 FE Plus, both from official and unofficial sources, Samsung simply has to release these puppies soon, so October 4 is not etched in stone but it sure looks like a very likely launch date.

The company has even started to tease the impending arrival of the Galaxy S23 FE on social media, which feels... a little useless at this point while acting as further confirmation that "The New Epic" will not remain a (theoretical) secret much longer.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.