Galaxy S20 FE Stock Clearance... KT Increases Official Subsidy from Up to 480,000 to 600,000 Won

Galaxy S20 FE

[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] Ahead of the launch of Samsung Electronics' 'Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE)', the official subsidy for the Galaxy S20 FE released last year has increased up to 600,000 KRW. As the Galaxy S21 FE emerges as a strategic smartphone to fill the gap left by the new Galaxy Note in the second half of the year, this is interpreted as a move to clear out the previous model's inventory.

According to industry sources on the 3rd, KT raised the official subsidy for the Galaxy S20 FE from a maximum of 480,000 KRW to 600,000 KRW as of the 1st. This is the highest level among the three major mobile carriers. KT initially offered a maximum subsidy of 240,000 KRW at the launch of the S20 FE last October, then increased it to 480,000 KRW a month later, and to 600,000 KRW this month, raising the subsidy twice in total. When using KT's plans priced over 100,000 KRW per month, the actual purchase price, including an additional 90,000 KRW subsidy from the distribution network, drops to 209,800 KRW.

This is seen as a move to clear inventory ahead of the Galaxy S21 FE launch. There are expectations that SK Telecom and LG Uplus will soon raise their official subsidies as well. Currently, their subsidies are lower than KT's, at a maximum of 480,000 KRW and 450,000 KRW respectively.

The FE is a limited edition model introduced by Samsung Electronics for Galaxy fans. When it first appeared in 2017, it largely involved recycling parts from the discontinued Galaxy Note7, but last year's S20 FE, emphasizing cost-effectiveness, gained popularity even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to compensate for the Galaxy S20's underwhelming performance.

The Galaxy S21 FE is expected to be released around August. According to the Samsung new product launch schedule revealed earlier by IT tipster Evan Blass, an FE unpacking event is scheduled in August instead of a Galaxy Note launch. Essentially, the FE is gaining momentum as a support model to fill the gap left by the Galaxy Note alongside the foldable lineup.

The new smartphone is reported to feature a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display supporting Full HD+ resolution, an in-display fingerprint sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, and a 4500mAh battery. The price is expected to be in the 700-dollar range. According to concept renderings recently released by the YouTube channel 4RMD, the signature contour-cut design of the Galaxy S21, which seamlessly connects the smartphone body, side frame, and rear camera, was not applied.

Meanwhile, KT also raised the official subsidy for Samsung Electronics' Galaxy A51 5G from a maximum of 350,000 KRW to 450,000 KRW on the 1st. This is on par with LG Uplus. The Galaxy A51 5G's retail price is 473,000 KRW, and when using KT's 130,000 KRW monthly plan, the actual purchase price, including distribution network subsidies, becomes a 'zero-won phone.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.