In September, Samsung officially announced its latest smartphone and the newest member of the S20 series, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition). It is a slightly less expensive and toned-down variant of the premium Galaxy S20-series of devices. We finally got our hands on one, so check out our initial thoughts below.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE’s design has some similarities to the more expensive Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 series. However, this model comes with more colorful options. We have Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, Cloud White, and Cloud Red. It’s more youthful and will be liked by those who have a strong liking for certain colors.
The back is made of polycarbonate and has a matte finish that is almost resistant to fingerprints and smudges. The frame is made of polished aluminum but feels like glass. It’s relatively light but is compact and feels sturdy.
The front features the 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with relatively slim bezels and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The front camera is housed in a punch-hole or which Samsung calls Infinity-O. Right above is the speakerphone. The display is very bright and offers excellent viewing angles. You can easily read what’s on the screen, even when used outdoors. Also, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a 120Hz high refresh rate for smooth scrolling and navigation.
On the right, we have the volume rocker and power button. They’re nice and clicky and reachable even with people with small hands.
Up top, we have the secondary microphone and the triple card tray with dedicated slots for two nano-SIM cards and a microSD card of up to 1TB capacity.
We have the USB Type-C port, the main microphone, and the loudspeaker at the bottom.
As for the internals, the Galaxy S20 FE is powered by an Exynos 990 chipset with a Mali-G77 MP11 GPU with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It’s the same chipset powering the other Galaxy S20 models, so expect the same flagship-level performance.
Battery-wise, we get a 4,500mAh capacity with support for 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. For software, the Galaxy S20 FE runs on OneUI 2.5 based on Android 10.
For the cameras, we have a triple-rear setup at the back, consisting of 12MP Dual Pixel F1.8 OIS main, 12MP F2.2 ultra-wide, and 8MP F2.4 OIS telephoto. For selfies, we get a 32MP F2.2. Check some of our sample shots below:
At PHP 35,990, the Galaxy S20 FE seems like a good alternative to the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+. It has good cameras, a 120Hz display, a large battery, a fashionable design, and offers a flagship-level performance at a lower price. We’re still testing this device though, so stay tuned for our full review.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE specs:
6.5-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED Infinity-O display, 407ppi, 120Hz refresh rate
Samsung Exynos 990 octa-core CPU
8GB LPDDR5 RAM
128GB storage
microSD up to 1TB
Triple-rear cameras:
• 12MP Dual Pixel F1.8 OIS primary
• 12MP F2.2 ultrawide
• 8MP F2.4 OIS telephoto, 3x optical zoom, 30x digital zoom
32MP F2.2 front camera
Dual-SIM (nano, hybrid)
4G LTE Cat.16
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
USB Type-C
GPS, A-GPS, GALILEO, BDS, GLONASS
Stereo speakers by AKG, Dolby Atmos
Fingerprint scanner
IP68 certified
Android 10
4,500mAh battery, PD 3.0 charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare
74.5 x 159.8 x 8.4mm
190g
Cloud Navy, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Red, Cloud Mint, Cloud White, and Cloud Orange
