Earlier this year, Samsung gave the Galaxy S10 a final cheer with the S10 Lite. It provided a cheaper alternative to the super expensive S20, with a marginally cut version of an even more powerful handset.
Samsung is looking to repeat the experiment with the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (as S20 FE). The name may make less sense (why would a ‘fan’ buy a weaker version of the same product?), But otherwise it’s a very similar project to the S10 Lite, with one small difference: the release date.
While the S10 Lite came alongside the S20 in March, the S20 Fan Edition will appear this year. Korean publication The Elec predicts a launch in October, and that has been given more credit by the handset that has been certified by the NFC Forum.
As detected by GSM Arena, both the SM-G781V and SM-G780F / DSM are now certified for Near Field Communication. Why two versions? Now, both have appeared on Geekbench and it looks like the former is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, while the latter is attached to Samsung’s own Exynos 990. That’s not a matter for consumer choice: it will depend on where in the world you buy. But if you decide to import, then it is pretty clear that the Qualcomm version will be the superior handset.
In any case, NFC certification is something that happens when a device is at the end of its production. For reference, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 devices (SM-N986U and SM-N981U) were certified by the same process in June before appearing at Samsung Unpacked on August 5th. Assuming a similar job, the predicted October release date takes up a lot of space.
We do not expect any major unveiling from Samsung for this, and it will likely be unveiled by press release. Fortunately, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect at this point.
Next to the Snapdragon 865 or Exynos 990 processor, you get 6GB or 8GB of RAM – a bit of a 12GB downgrade in the normal S20, but fine for most people. Interestingly, reports indicate that the 120Hz screen will be retained, although it seems likely that it will miss out on the glass back, with Samsung choosing plastic for cost-saving reasons. However, it still looks fun, as the render above from Pricebaba and OnLeaks proves.
It’s not clear if Samsung intends to release the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition in the US, but if it does, the quoted price advantages translate to around $ 750 – a decent saving on the original $ 999 retail price of the original S20 . That price could also give Android fans a solid alternative to the upcoming iPhone 12, which is predicted to start at around $ 649, but could cost as much as $ 1,099 for the higher-end pro models
