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Why There Probably Won’t Be a ‘Fan Edition’ of the Samsung Galaxy S22

Commentary: Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE struggled to stand out from the Galaxy S22 lineup, and a Galaxy S22 FE would likely have the same problem.

What’s happening

Samsung launched cheaper «Fan Edition» versions of its flagship phones for the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21. But a rumor suggests the Galaxy S22 FE may have been canceled.

Why it matters

Samsung’s smartphone lineup already has plenty of options, making the Galaxy S21 FE seem lost in the shuffle. It should focus on its flagship Galaxy S and midtier Galaxy A phones instead.

What’s next

Samsung is expected to introduce the Galaxy S23 lineup in early 2023.

Samsung offers a wide variety of Galaxy phones, and the company’s selection is expected to grow on Feb. 1 at the next Samsung Unpacked event. From the gigantic Galaxy S22 Ultra to the pocketable Galaxy Z Flip 4, there’s already a lot of options to consider if one is looking for a new Samsung phone. But there’s one way Samsung could simplify things: Skip the Galaxy S22 FE.

Don’t get me wrong; the Galaxy S21 FE (short for «fan edition») has plenty going for it. When I reviewed the phone last year, I was impressed with its decent battery life and solid camera for its $700 price. However, it risked getting lost in Samsung’s lineup once the Galaxy S22 launched. And I was right. If Samsung does have a successor to the Galaxy S21 FE in the works, rebranding it as a more premium Galaxy A phone would be a wiser move.

Samsung previously launched its FE phones in the fall or January. However, with Samsung weeks away from its presumed Galaxy S23 event, we’ve yet to hear an official word from Samsung on whether there will be a successor to the Galaxy S21 FE. A rumor from the blog SamMobile published this summer suggests Samsung may have canceled the Galaxy S22 FE, and I can understand why. Between the $800 Galaxy S22 and $450 Galaxy A53 5G, it was too hard for the Galaxy S21 FE to stand out. With the Galaxy S23 lineup potentially right around the corner, a Galaxy S22 FE could face the same fate.

The Galaxy S21 FE lacks what made the Galaxy S20 FE so special

The 2020 Galaxy S20 FE had a major advantage that the Galaxy S21 FE lacks: a sizable gap in price compared to Samsung’s Galaxy S phone. The Galaxy S20 launched at $1,000, making the $700 Galaxy S20 FE feel like a significant bargain. It earned a CNET Editors’ Choice in 2020, with Andy Lanxon writing that its «great balance of performance and value» makes it a better value proposition than the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra.

There are a couple of reasons why the Galaxy S21 FE didn’t strike the same chord. Samsung’s lineup and the broader smartphone landscape were different in 2020. While 5G support, multiple camera lenses and screens with higher refresh rates were starting to trickle down to cheaper devices, these features were considered premium just one year earlier in 2019. Remember the Galaxy S10 5G? Samsung’s first 5G-ready phone commanded a high price of $1,300 when it launched through Verizon in spring 2019.

Things changed the following year in 2020. Every device in the Galaxy S20 lineup supported 5G, but that also meant a higher starting price of $1,000. With that in mind the 5G-equipped S20 FE, which also has a triple-lens camera and speedy processor, was a great alternative for cost-conscious shoppers that didn’t want to make big sacrifices on quality.

In other words, the Galaxy S20 FE came at just the right time and the right price. I can’t say the same for the Galaxy S21 FE. It launched roughly one month before Samsung introduced the Galaxy S22, which offers superior camera quality, a more refined design and a newer processor. The Galaxy S20, on the other hand, debuted in September 2020, which meant it had a longer runway before the Galaxy S21’s arrival in January 2021. Samsung also now faces increased competition from Google, which has been pricing its Pixel phones aggressively compared to Samsung. Google’s main flagship phone, the Pixel 7, launched at just $600 in October.

At the same time, the Galaxy S21 FE does have advantages over the S22, particularly for people who prefer larger phones. But the differences aren’t drastic enough to prevent it from being overshadowed by the S22 and phones from competitors like Google.

Pricing is another important factor. It’s great that Samsung dropped the price of the S21 compared to the S20, but the problem is that it didn’t lower the Galaxy S21 FE’s price to match. The Galaxy S20 FE was $300 cheaper than the Galaxy S20, while the S21 FE costs only $100 less than the Galaxy S21 did at launch.

The Galaxy S21 FE feels more like an A-series phone

The Galaxy S21 FE would feel right at home in Samsung’s lineup of midrange and budget devices, aka the Galaxy A series. These phones are usually significantly cheaper than those in the Galaxy S line and inherit certain features like large displays, multiple cameras and 5G, while compromising elsewhere.

It’s an approach that’s seemingly paid off so far. Samsung’s $180 Galaxy A12 was one of the world’s top-selling phones in 2021, according to Counterpoint Research. No phones from the Galaxy S series made the list. Separate data from Counterpoint Research provided to CNET also suggests A-series phones accounted for 58% of Samsung’s smartphone sales last year.

If the Galaxy S21 FE launched at a slightly cheaper price — perhaps priced around $600 — it would have made a great upper-tier Galaxy A phone. Both the Galaxy S21 FE and A53 5G have big screens, very similar designs, regular and ultrawide camera lenses and high resolution front cameras, making them feel like they’re aimed at a similar audience.

The Galaxy S21 FE has an edge in performance and camera quality, making it a solid choice for those who need more than the Galaxy A53 has to offer at a lower price than the S22. Dropping the price to $600 would also put the phone right between the $450 Galaxy A53 5G and $800 Galaxy S22. If it were branded as an A-series phone, the Galaxy S21 FE could be a worthwhile alternative to the Galaxy A73 in markets where that device isn’t available. The Galaxy A73 5G is the Galaxy A series’ top-tier phone with a 108-megapixel camera, but it’s only available in select regions such as Australia and India.

Samsung hasn’t shared details about its future smartphone plans, so it’s unclear whether it will continue the FE line. But dropping the FE’s price and possibly moving it over to its Galaxy A series could go a long way in boosting its appeal. It wouldn’t be the first time Samsung has merged two of its phone brands recently. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, for example, has essentially replaced the company’s previous Galaxy Note phones, which stood out for their giant screens and included stylus.

Otherwise, the Galaxy S22 FE could end up like Samsung’s current «fan edition» phone and struggle to find its place.

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Technologies

How to Tip Your Amazon Driver $5 for the Holidays at No Cost to You

Amazon is letting you thank your driver with a $5 tip again as part of a limited-time «Thank My Driver» promotion. Here’s how to do it.

Amazon drivers work hard, often with little gratitude from the customers they deliver to. But periodically, Amazon runs the «Thank My Driver» promotion, offering you the chance to thank your hardworking driver at no additional cost. 

The promotion runs for a limited time. The exact end date hasn’t been specified by Amazon, but previous promotions have typically run through the holiday season.

How to tip your Amazon driver for free

  • If you’ve got an Echo device, you can say, «Alexa, thank my driver.» 
  • If you don’t own an Alexa device, you can search for the phrase «Thank my driver» on the Amazon app, and then click the top result.
  • On the Amazon website, I was also able to do it by logging in and following this link to reach a page with a big yellow «Thank my driver» button. Clicking it confirmed that a tip was sent to my driver for the most recent delivery. 

This applies to your most recent driver, valid for up to 14 days after the delivery date. You’re also able to thank the same driver multiple times, but they’ll only receive one tip per delivery. 

In the past, Amazon ended the promotion after a million thank-yous were given out. (It continued to send the thanks, even though no monetary reward was associated with it.) Last year, the company also ended its holiday promotion on January 3, after 4 million thank-you messages were sent out. 

It’s unclear whether it works the same this time around. We’ve reached out to Amazon for clarification but haven’t heard back yet. 

Since Amazon first introduced the Thank My Driver promotion in 2022, it says customers have thanked their delivery drivers more than 40 million times.

Amazon has previously gotten itself in hot water for allegedly withholding driver tips. An FTC settlement in 2022 saw Amazon pay a $61.7 million settlement to settle charges that it withheld tips from Flex drivers who use their own cars to deliver Amazon packages.

In this case, the money isn’t coming directly from you, but Amazon is passing $5 along to the driver. In either case, it doesn’t hurt to send a thank-you if you were happy with your most recent Amazon delivery.

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Technologies

McDonald’s Grinch Meal or Burger King’s SpongeBob Menu? We Pick a Winner

Do you prefer the sour-faced green guy from Dr. Seuss or the happy sponge fry cook from Bikini Bottom? I tried all the themed menu items.

Whos down in Whoville, and underwater residents of Bikini Bottom, there’s news for both of you: McDonald’s and Burger King, longtime fast-food rivals, are going head-to-head. Or, to be more accurate, scary red-wigged, face-painted clown head against equally frightening red-bearded crown-wearing head.

On Tuesday, McDonald’s introduced The Grinch Meal, and on the same day, Burger King rolled out its SpongeBob SquarePants menu. So if you’re sick of Thanksgiving leftovers and want some fast food instead, you can decide if your taste buds resonate with the crabby green Grinch or the always cheerful SpongeBob.

Both are limited-edition offerings, so get to your local McDonald’s or Burger King soon if you want to try out the meals.

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McDonald’s Grinch Meal Review

Honestly, McDonald’s Grinch Meal isn’t as creative as BK’s offerings — where are the green-dyed buns, the green shake or the McRoast Beast burger? Essentially, the Grinch Meal is an adult Happy Meal, consisting of your choice of a regular Big Mac or a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries and a medium drink.

Fries with Grinch Salt (dill-pickle seasoning)

McDonald’s offers only one unusual food item with the Grinch Meal, and that’s an accessory for the fries. They come with a small bag of tangy dill pickle seasoning, labeled Grinch Salt, that you’re supposed to shake on your fries for a puckery addition. Pickles, like the Grinch, are green and sour, so I guess that’s the connection here.

How did they taste? Pretty good! I’m a pickle fan, and once I shook them up, the fries were sour and salty and overall delightful. Two green, furry thumbs up.

No Grinch toy, but … socks?

Happy Meals always come with an extra toy or prize of some kind. But there’s no Grinch stuffed animal or Cindy Lou Who figurine with McDonald’s Grinch Meal, although the box it all comes in is cute and Grinchy-themed.

Instead, you get the one Christmas gift that’s so cliched there are endless jokes about it: a pair of socks. There are four different Grinch-themed socks showing The Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, Max the dog and some McDonald’s logo-themed ornaments. Each pair also has an all-caps, hand-scrawled-looking message from the Grinch.

The blue socks read: «These socks stink.»

The yellow socks read: «Nose Hazard.»

The red socks read: «Property of the Grinch.»

And the green socks read, «The Grinch was here.»

My review: I ended up with the yellow pair of socks. They seem to be of decent quality, and considering how lame some fast-food prizes are, this was a score for me. I might actually wear them.

Grade: A

Burger King SpongeBob SquarePants menu

If McDonald’s kind of went Grinch-appropriate stingy on its Grinch offerings, Burger King went Sponge Bob-overboard with the generous SpongeBob SquarePants menu. SpongeBob fans, you might as well go all out and order the Bikini Bottom Bundle, which gives you all four of the themed items in a pineapple-shaped box.

King Jr. kids’ meal in a pineapple box

There’s no adult meal, but there is a King Jr. kids’ meal, in a box shaped like SpongeBob’s underwater pineapple home. It includes one of six SpongeBob toys. 

My review: My toy was a figurine of SpongeBob wearing a pirate’s cap and clutching a ship’s wheel. There was supposed to be a Burger King SpongeBob crown too, but my location must’ve forgotten to give those out. The SpongeBob toy was pretty cool as kids’ toys go, though. And the pineapple box is cute.

Grade: A-

Krabby Patty? Almost!

As every SpongeBob fan knows, the cheerful sponge is a fry cook at The Krusty Krab, serving up Krabby Patties all day long, so he knows his fast food. Burger King has plenty of themed menu items, way more than the McDonald’s Grinch offerings.

SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper

SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper is the closest thing to the Krabby Patty from the show. (Wendy’s had a Krabby Patty and Pineapple Frosty last year, you might recall.) It seems to be a pretty ordinary Whopper until you get to the bun, which is square and yellow, just like our spongy hero. The yellow dye is made with natural spices, Burger King says. Otherwise, the Whopper is just a regular Whopper.

My review: The Whopper is not my favorite burger, but I have to say the light-yellow, squared-off bun looks super cool. It didn’t taste any different, but I appreciated it.

Grade: B

Mr. Krabs’ Cheesy Bacon Tots 

Mr. Krabs’ Cheesy Bacon Tots are crispy, coin-shaped potato tots filled with cheese, bacon bits and potatoes, served in a treasure chest-themed carton. 

My review: Ugh, pass on these. The artificial taste of the bacon is pretty awful, and it dried out in about 3 seconds.

Grade: C-

Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie review

Patrick Star is SpongeBob’s best friend, and in his honor, you can order Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie. It’s a strawberry shortcake pie slice featuring strawberry and vanilla-flavored creamy layers, a crunchy cookie crumb crust, shortcake cookie crumbles and pink star-shaped sprinkles.

My review: Yum! I’m not usually a fan of any fast-food dessert, but this was sweet and creamy, and the crust was tasty, too.

Grade: A

Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float review

Honoring SpongeBob’s pineapple home, you can order a Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float, described as «an icy, refreshing frozen pineapple-flavored beverage topped with tropical-flavor cold foam.»

My review: This was my favorite item among all the meals. I didn’t really detect any tropical flavoring in the «cold foam,» but the drink was kind of like a classed-up pineapple Slurpee, refreshing and sweet.

Grade: A+

Grinch Meal or SpongeBob Menu, which tastes better?

Is it wrong to say I liked the non-edible parts of both meals almost more than the food? The Grinch socks were decent quality and cute, and the SpongeBob figurine was fun.

Food-wise, Burger King gets points for the tasty pineapple float and the Patrick pie. The McDonald’s meal is just McDonald’s food with the dill-pickle seasoning for fries added. That’s fine as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go that far. 

My vote, then, is if you’re only going to go to one of these chains before the limited-edition themed meals go away, hit up Burger King and try the Bikini Bottom Bundle. Unless you’re an enormous Grinch fan, pickle lover or really need some new socks.

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Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 3, #1628

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Dec. 3, No. 1,628.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle has pretty common letters, so you shouldn’t struggle for too long, if you use smart starter words. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with H.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with E.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to excessive speed or urgency.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is HASTE.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Dec. 2, No. 1627 was CACTI.

Recent Wordle answers

Nov. 28, No. 1623: COLIC

Nov. 29, No, 1624: GRUFF

Nov. 30, No. 1625: MUGGY

Dec. 1, No. 1626: LEACH

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