One illustrative method disclosed herein includes, among other things, forming a plurality of initial fins that have the same initial axial length and the same initial strain above a substrate, performing at least one etching process so as to cut a first fin to a first axial length and to cut a second fin to a second axial length that is less than the first axial length, wherein the cut first fin retains a first amount of the initial strain and the cut second fin retains about zero of the initial strain or a second amount of the initial strain that is less than the first amount, and forming gate structures around the first and second cut fins to form FinFET devices.