Samsung Galaxy S20 Fe Review: The right price for the right content

The new Samsung Galaxy S20F is the fourth phone in the S line this year. There are so many types, and they don’t include two Note 20 phones and most of the A-series phones, Samsung introduced this year. Trying to figure out what is the right combination of features and values ​​for you seems like you need a spreadsheet, an accountant and a standing virtual one.

Fortunately, they have a lot of good things in most of Samsung’s S-Series and Note phones: a faster processor, better build quality, a nice screen and a decent camera. I’m not saying you can’t go wrong, but the S20F keeps the very important “flagship” parts enough to make it a great value at FE699.

It’s also positive proof that when Samsung wants to quickly rotate the phone, it can. Development began shortly after the announcement of the original three S20 phones in March 2020, as it became clear that the economy would be tanked by the epidemic.

But the Galaxy S20 doesn’t look like a fair job. It has a few high-quality components that will delight while cheap parts don’t hurt the experience much.

Galaxy S20F hardware

The Galaxy S20F is built around a 6.5-inch 1080p OLED display. It has a full flat screen with bezels which is quite nice but it is more visible than other S20 devices.

The fact that the screen is “only” 1080p, this size is also not a problem. The thing you get in return is a high refresh rate of 120 Hz, which makes scrolling easier and makes some games look better. I was very happy to see it in a phone priced at Rs 700, especially since Samsung has oddly dropped it from the more expensive Galaxy Note 20.

Samsung is sticking its guns on the colors and vibrancy on this screen – which means it’s a little dominant out of the box. Luckily, you can tone it down by hunting for “natural” screen mode.

But the hardware element that is most likely to draw criticism is the back of the phone. It’s plastic, but don’t throw it at you. The phone overall still looks strong and solid. Samsung is also offering it in six different colors: navy, lavender, mint, red, white and orange. They’re all “cloud” colors, which happens in Samsung’s discussion, meaning they have a matte finish.

The S20F is a bit more square than other S20 phones, but it still mostly feels like it’s in the family. It’s well made, and my only real hardware grip is the chrome ring that surrounds the hole-punch selfie camera. It catches and distracts the light at all times – and completely unnecessarily. Samsung does this with some A-Series phones too, and I don’t get it.

It supports wireless charging and fast charging, although the in-charger charger does not have enough wattage to quickly absorb its juice. The battery of 4,500 mAh is too big for a phone of this size. In my test, I was going through two days with moderate use. Unless you’re doing something really battery-intensive, it should be fine for about 6 hours of total screen time.

Galaxy S20F camera

Samsung had to cut costs somewhere, and the marrow is one of those places. However, I don’t miss anything Samsung left out. Instead of Samsung’s new high-megapixel “Ultra” sensor, the S20F has three standard 12-megapixel sensors.

That means it gets a wide, ultraviolet and telephoto camera. All three take good shots in good condition. In night mode, I continue to be impressed with Samsung’s updates. S20F can’t Quite Head to head against the Pixel or iPhone 11 Pro, but it’s close. The video is exactly what you expect: right in the middle in terms of quality. Unlike other S20 devices, the FE 8K won’t be able to do recording – no big loss.

So the marrow has its own, but it does not stand appreciatively. Get it out but stay where I leave it, but I have long-standing complaints that I need to object to. Samsung is still stuck in my habit of having three bad cameras. None of that is so bad for deal breakers, but they deserve to be aware of it.

First and foremost, Samsung still tends to overdo it by cranking it up with bright photos and vibrations. I think this is probably a lot of people prefer, but in some light conditions, it all makes a little neon for my eyes. You can tweak some of these with pro mods and some of the things you don’t even tone in the post.

Second, Samsung continues to market its lenses as it is capable of 30x zoom. It’s technically, but the results at that zoom level look like someone sprayed water on a photocopy of a printout. If you keep the zoom level at 10x or less, you’ll be really happy with the result.

Finally, Samsung insists on smoothing the face, especially with a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Even if you turn off all the filters, you will still see something different from what your mirror shows.

As I said, I don’t think there is any reason to avoid any of these S20 Fei. But all three are disappointing because they are not the result of any hardware defects; They are just making decisions made by Samsung the software.

Galaxy S20F operation and software software

Samsung has laid out the pieces that it knows people take the most care of when it comes to performance: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor and the 5G. I don’t think there is a need for a fast, good phone (especially 5G). Nonetheless, the S20F is very fast for everything I need.

While we are on the 5G topic, I should note that the Verizon version of this phone costs $ 50 more. That’s because it needs to include the necessary components for Verizon’s MMWave 5G network. A network, I should add, works only if you throw a distance from one of its scattered visible urban towers.

Although I didn’t have any issues with speed, lag or launch time, I will admit that I haven’t pushed this phone to the limit of what some phones can do now. However, it is possible that power users hit the limits of the phone. Samsung cut some costs by reducing RAM from 12GB to 6GB, which could affect multitasking and Samsung’s DEX desktop interface. It also limits the S-20FE to one storage configuration: 128GB, but it’s expanded with microSD.

One of Samsung’s UI software software is similar to the S20F, it is on all other S20 and Note 20 phones. I enjoy its many extra features and feel that its overall design is also relevant and elegant in some places. I also find it incredibly encouraging that Samsung finds its small corners to stick to the ad or asks to sign up for partner services.

I also don’t like Bixby, which is a bad digital assistant. You can still use Google Assistant, and with a little bit of software software Tomfulry, you can recreate the assistant with a long press of the power button.

The Samsung Galaxy S20F arrives at a very exciting time and as part of an interesting trend. It just beats the Google Pixel 5 in the market (at the same price) and even comes out ahead of the new iPhone. It’s a pixel, and at least one of them will be an iPhone, priced at the same price as the Galaxy S20F.

Phone companies are waking up to the idea that people who don’t want to spend $ 1000 on a phone still want a new phone, not just an old one. Samsung, as it often does, leads this trend by ensuring store shelves can be stacked with its products at every conceivable price. The S20F is not just to meet the economic downturn, but to make sure Samsung has something new in that 699 slot.

And while the Galaxy S20 Fan could rightly be called a fast-paced “parts bin” phone, that doesn’t mean Samsung didn’t make something solid here. He did. The combination of speed, a large high refresh rate screen, decent battery, capable camera and Samsung’s build quality enhances the result which is remarkably close to the pitch: S20 flagship features at a more reasonable price. All S20 phones share those qualities; There is a little more in flagships.

Samsung phones also tend to share all the other qualities: frequent and sometimes significant discounts. While my partner Dan Seifert and I are repeating the nausea of ​​the ad, it is worth waiting to see if the price will always come down or you can buy a step-up phone for the same price.

If you prefer Galaxy S20FE, you will be happy. But if you can get a regular S20 or S20 Plus at the same price, you’ll be happier.

Photography by Dieter Bohan / The Verge