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Every year, Samsung increases the price of its Samsung Galaxy S series by a considerable amount. From the S10 to the S20 alone, the standard model went from $ 899 to $ 999, and the S10 Plus to the S20 Plus went from $ 999 to $ 1199. That’s a lot.
Your other Samsung options include the Note, Z Flip, and Z Fold series, each of which costs $ 1,000 or more. Otherwise you have the A series, which generally costs less than $ 400. This leaves a pretty big gap in the $ 500- $ 1,000 market segments, catering to people who want something premium but don’t want to spend $ 1,000. to get it.
Enter the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.
What is different with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE?
The “FE” in Galaxy S20 FE stands for “Fan Editon”. This supposedly means that it is intended for people who are fans of the Samsung brand but did not have the opportunity to buy an S20 at launch, due to prices or some other reason. While the Galaxy S20 FE maintains many of the same features as the regular S20 series, Samsung has made some adjustments to bring the price down to $ 699.
The S20 FE looks strikingly like the standard S20 series, but the first thing you’ll probably notice is that it comes in a lot more colors. There are six colors in total, and each of them is quite eye-catching. According to the advertising, Samsung is targeting this device at the Millennial crowd, although I feel like someone would like the colors. I’m a big fan of the Cloud Orange color scheme, but Samsung sent Android Authority the Cloud Navy color, and I think it looks great too.
However, with these new colors, come some changes to the materials to keep costs down. While the body of the original S20 was made of glass, the S20 FE is made of plastic (or as Samsung likes to call it, “glasstic”). That said, it feels better than the Galaxy A51’s glasstic in my opinion. The matte material that Samsung used in this device makes it feel quite premium, although you will know that it is cheaper simply because it is lighter than most high-end phones.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a larger screen than the standard Galaxy S20, but a smaller screen than the S20 Plus. It’s 6.5 inches tall and has a bit of a chin on the bottom, unlike the standard Galaxy S20. Samsung also downgraded the resolution to FHD + from QHD +. It also uses a flat screen in front of the curved panel of the S20. I quite like flat screens and this one looks and feels great, but you might be disappointed if you liked the curved screen on the Galaxy S20.
The S20 FE also reduces RAM to 6GB, rather than the 8GB and 12GB models we saw on the S20 series.
The cameras are also slightly different
The cameras have also changed on the S20 FE. This time we have three cameras on the back and one on the drill cutout at the front. There is a standard 12MP lens, a 12MP wide-angle lens, and a 64MP telephoto lens, which has four compartments to result in an 8MP image. This isn’t the same as the S20’s optical telephoto lens and you’ll need more light to get a similar-looking image, but it’s still nice to see the versatility here. The front camera is now 32MP (up from 10MP), but it misses the dual phase detection autofocus we saw on the standard S20.
Because the main camera is a 12MP sensor, the S20 FE cannot record 8K video. To achieve this, you will need about 33MP. That said, the S20 FE still has many of the same camera features from the S20 series, such as the single shot mode, which captures a variety of different still images and video clips with a single tap.
What about the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE?
Considering that Samsung is marketing this device as a more affordable alternative to the S20 series, you are probably wondering how much of the S20 you are getting in the S20 FE.
Probably the most important spec that the S20 FE maintains is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor. This means that performance on the S20 FE should fly, just as it would on the standard S20 series of devices. We’ll have to see if 6GB of RAM is enough to keep apps in memory, as it doesn’t hit the minimum RAM capacity in 2020. Overall performance wise, however, the S20 FE should perform about the same. Stay tuned for our independent tests coming soon.
Samsung has also kept the 120Hz refresh rate on the S20 FE. This is a big problem for people who want a phone that feels fluid. It also uses a 4,500 mAh battery, which has the same capacity as the S20 Plus. Considering that this phone has a smaller and lower resolution screen compared to that device, we expect it to have even better battery life. Again, we will have to wait for our full review to confirm it.
When it comes to storage, Samsung has included 128GB of internal storage as the only option, but kept the expandable storage option, up to 1TB.
It also has a lot of little things, like IP68 water and dust resistance and wireless charging, which is not yet present in all devices in this price range. That is good to see.
Does the value match the price?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE retails for $ 699. While this isn’t exactly cheap, it fills the gap that Samsung left when its flagship devices topped $ 1,000. While the low-end and ultra-premium markets are pretty crowded at the moment, Samsung has room to compete in the upper mid-range as well, and the S20 FE slots there are pretty good.
I think the strangest thing about the S20 FE is its timing. Samsung devices rarely stay at full price for long, and now that the S20 series has been available for seven months, the price of that line of devices has dropped considerably. At press time, you can get a brand new unlocked Samsung Galaxy S20 for $ 672 on Amazon. This is cheaper than what Samsung is asking for the S20 FE. It would have made a lot more sense to launch this device alongside the S20 series like Samsung did last year with the cheaper Galaxy S10e.
Of course, the S20 FE offers advantages. There are many more color options, battery life is probably better than standard models, and the trade-in offers Samsung has when buying the device can be quite attractive. Samsung will give you up to $ 500 off the device if you swap the right phone, and that can make the switch a lot easier. However, if you were planning to buy one of these at full retail value, it would probably be more appropriate to buy an original S20 for less cash.
Pre-orders are open now
If you want to get your hands on an S20 FE, you can reserve it now and it will be available on October 2. You’ll be able to unlock it at Samsung and other retailers, or head over to your carrier’s store. to grab one. Verizon will carry an exclusive variant of the phone called the Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW that costs $ 50 more.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE All the best features of the Galaxy S20 series at a lower price
If you don’t mind taking a few corners, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (which stands for “Fan Edition”) might just be the phone you’re looking for. It offers most of the flagship specs and features of the Galaxy S20 family, but cuts things off to keep the price low.
In the UK, there will be a 5G variant and a 4G-only variant. The 5G model will cost £ 699 (~ $ 890), while the 4G-only model will cost £ 599 (~ $ 763). In Europe, the 4G-only Galaxy S20 FE will start at € 659 (~ $ 769), while the 5G version will cost € 759 (~ $ 886).
Of course, the real value of a device comes from the ease of use, and we will need to test the S20 FE much more before reaching a conclusion. Stay tuned for our full review coming soon!
