Samsung Galaxy S20 FE buyer's guide: Everything you need to know

David Imel / Android Authority

Back in September last year, Samsung took the wraps off its newest smartphone in the 2020 Galaxy S series: the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (the ‘FE’ stands for “Fan Edition”). As the name implies, this phone offers what Samsung considers to be the most important Galaxy S fans’ wants.

While fans will find most of their desired specs and features here, Samsung is also leaving out several premium aspects of the main Galaxy S20 series, which results in a lowered price. Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition!

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: At a glance

Eric Zeman / Android Authority
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

The Galaxy S20 FE is sort of like a “greatest hits” of the Galaxy S20 series. It offers the features that Samsung thinks its fans want the most while leaving out the features fans either don’t care about or would gladly do without, if it lowered the price.

With that in mind, the usual Galaxy S features are all here: a flagship processor, expandable storage, an IP68 rating, a big AMOLED display, wireless charging, Wireless PowerShare, and a triple-lens rear camera. In addition to the usual specs and features, Samsung is looking to entice a younger generation of users with a slew of new colors.

However, Samsung also reduced or removed several features and design elements. There’s less RAM, a “glasstic” back, a reduced display resolution, and a weaker overall camera system. There’s also no headphone jack, which is unfortunate.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE worth buying?

Eric Zeman / Android Authority

Samsung’s marketing makes it clear that it is gunning for a younger audience with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. The reduced price, colorways, and provided promotional images all scream “hip, young Millennials.”

That being said, you don’t need to be under 30 to enjoy this phone. It offers pretty much all the core Galaxy S line features at a much more affordable price. For some buyers, this phone might improve upon the primary line, such as offering a flat display panel, using an optical fingerprint sensor instead of an ultrasonic one, and those new fun colorways.

It's clear that Samsung is gunning for Millennial buyers with this phone, but anyone can enjoy it.

Samsung is also offering the same three years of Android updates the primary Galaxy S phones get. That means you should see Android 11, Android 12, and possibly even Android 13.

In general, this phone is for anyone who wants a terrific smartphone in the Galaxy S line but doesn’t want to spend over $1,000 to get one.

What do the experts say about the Galaxy S20 FE

Eric Zeman / Android Authority

Android Authority’s own Eric Zeman reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and was a fan of the Fan Edition. He had a lot of good things to say about the phone, particularly when talking about the display with a 120Hz refresh rate, the solid performance, excellent battery life, and the six different colorways available.

Of course, it’s not perfect. The design and build materials aren’t as refined as other flagships, and the cameras don’t do justice to Samsung’s usual prowess in that department. That said, Samsung certainly put a lot of thought behind what features to keep here and covers the right selection of must-haves.

Eric adds that with so many phones competing in this price range now, it’s hard to peg the Galaxy S20 FE as the best of the lot. For fans of the company though, this phone is a great way to get a Samsung flagship without spending more than a thousand dollars.

Many consider the Galaxy S20 FE the “OnePlus killer,” and our own C. Scott Brown wanted to see whether this might be true. He says that when you compare the Fan Edition with the latest crop of OnePlus phones, you see that Samsung is offering a whole lot more for a comparably lower price.

There are still areas where the Galaxy S20 FE falls short compared to the similarly-priced competition. The cameras aren’t great outside of ideal shooting conditions. The software feels incredibly bloated for anyone used to stock or stock-like iterations of the Pixel or OnePlus’ Oxygen OS. However, he adds that the Galaxy S20 FE is proof that Samsung can create phones that one-up the competition while still being affordable.

Dhruv Bhutani adds to the praise, saying that the Galaxy S20 FE is Samsung’s most important phone of 2020. Removing unnecessary “premium” design flourishes like curved display edges and a glass build actually make the S20 FE better, in his opinion. He adds that the Galaxy S20 FE wins in the camera department by focusing more on image quality than gimmicks or megapixels.

Samsung also manages to tack on key differentiators like wireless charging, an IP68 rating, and expandable storage via microSD card, that you’d be hard-pressed to find at this price point. Even the battery life is excellent, making up for the lack of super-fast 30W or 65W charging that the competition offers.

He concludes by saying that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE democratizes all the key features of the Galaxy S20 at a highly competitive price point, which is quite an impressive feat.

What other reviewers from around the web are saying about the Galaxy S20 FE

Eric Zeman / Android Authority

To give you a clearer picture of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, we take a quick look at what other tech reviewers have to say about this phone.

• PC Mag’s Sascha Segan says that the Galaxy S20 FE offers the “perfect balance of power and price.” Samsung cherry-picked exactly what users were looking for and put it together in a relatively affordable package. The phone cameras aren’t great performers in low-light conditions, but that doesn’t stop the Galaxy S20 FE from being “the best Android phone you can buy for $699.”
• Cnet’s Andrew Hoyle calls the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE “the mid-range phone to beat.” The camera is one of the main areas with compromises to help keep the cost down, but it’s still capable of taking some great looking shots. He says that the high-end specs, 5G connectivity, and affordable price tag make this phone a strong value proposition, without sacrificing the features you’d expect from a flagship.
• Tom Guide’s Mark Spoonauer is a fan of the phone’s 120Hz display, excellent performance, solid cameras, and affordable price tag. He says that while Samsung has had to cut a few corners to keep the price down, that doesn’t stop the Galaxy S20 FE from being “one the best phones for the money.”

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: Specs

How are the Galaxy S20 FE cameras?

A triple-camera system is a minimum some users expect with a current smartphone, and the Galaxy S20 FE delivers. The setup includes standard, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses that many will consider a better set than what is available with some of the competitor’s macro cameras and depth sensors.

The camera app is identical to what is available with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 series. This brings Samsung’s signature Single Take feature, allowing you to capture nine different types of photos or video with a single tap.

It’s loaded with other features and modes as well, like panorama, food, night, live focus, super slow-mo, hyperlapse, and a robust pro mode, to name a few. It’s quick and easy to switch between the three cameras, and additional tools let you adjust the shot resolution, the flash, aspect ratio, and more.

The Galaxy S20 FE is capable of taking excellent shots. In his review, Eric found that the color reproduction was a little over the top, but looked good overall. White balance was accurate, the focus was sharp, and the shots were noise-free in good lighting conditions. Low-light shots had more noise, but were still good enough for social media.

The 32MP selfie shooter can take regular and wide-angle shots, as well as normal selfies and portraits. Eric found that selfies looked good in general, but lacked pop.

You can take a look at our Galaxy S20 FE camera review for more info or check out full-resolution camera samples at the link.

Does the phone offer good battery life?

Eric Zeman / Android Authority

The Galaxy S20 FE slots into place alongside the S20 Plus with its 4,500mAh battery in terms of battery capacity. On the other hand, the S20 has a 4,000mAh battery, while the S20 Ultra comes with a 5,000mAh power cell.

In his review, Eric found the phone to last longer than a full day comfortably. With above-average usage, he got around seven hours of screen-on time, with the battery still having 25% of charge left at the end of the day.

The Galaxy S20 FE supports 25W wired fast charging, but it ships with the 15W charger in the box. You’ll have to buy the Samsung 25W charger separately, or get a third-party alternative. The 15W charger doesn’t power up the phone very quickly. The phone reached just 30% after 30 minutes, 55% after 60 minutes, and 88% after 90 minutes. It took just over two hours to charge fully.

Wireless charging is a nice feature to have at any price point, and you get 15W wireless charging with the S20 FE. The phone keeps another flagship feature with Wireless Power Share, allowing you to charge accessories like smartwatches and wireless earbuds, and even other phones, if needed.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: Performance

The Galaxy S20 FE retains quite a few high-end features from its flagship siblings. The most important spec it carries over is the Snapdragon 865 processor. 6GB is the least amount of RAM a modern Android phone should have, but meeting just the minimum RAM requirement didn’t hinder the S20 FE’s performance in any way.

The phone handles every task with ease, with no signs of lag, stutters, or generally slow performance. Gaming is excellent on the phone, and media consumption is a joy on the beautiful display.

Benchmark apps showed the phone at its best. We saw top numbers from 3DMark and GeekBench, though in AnTuTu, the phone bested only 82% of competing phones. As Eric says in his review, the bottom line is that the Galaxy S20 FE performs like a flagship should and has the numbers to back it up.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: Software

David Imel / Android Authority

Samsung’s One UI 2.5, based on Android 10, defines the basic user experience for the Galaxy S20 FE. The same software package is found with every Samsung flagship going back to the Note 10 series, so there’s nothing new here.

You’ve got several home screens active out of the box, with the left-most home screen reserved for the Samsung Daily feed. You won’t be able to switch out the Daily Feed for Google Discover without third-party launchers though. However, Samsung Daily is better than ever and more customizable than in the past, so you might not want to change anything.

Samsung allows for plenty of customization. Not only can you alter how many apps appear on the main screens and app drawer, but you can also change themes, fonts, and other aspects of the design to make it your own. People who are used to stock Android will still find this to be a slightly bloated experience. That said, One UI is leaps and bound better than what Samsung offered a few years ago.

The Galaxy S20 FE will receive three major software updates, but it would have been nice to see the phone launch with Android 11 out of the box. The good news is that One UI 3.0, based on Android 11, has already rolled out to the S20 FE in a few markets and should expand globally soon.

Competition and alternatives

Adam Molina / Android Authority

The most obvious alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE are the phones in the main Galaxy S20 line. Those phones will offer most of the same features while either adding in more or improving them. Of course, they will cost more — a lot more. The lowest-tier Galaxy S20 device has a list price that is $300 more expensive than this one.

Samsung changed things up with its latest high-end releases though, with the regular Galaxy S21 proving to be a great alternative to the S20 FE. A great camera, and a faster processing package in the Snapdragon 888 is what you get with the new Samsung flagship.

Another alternative would be the vanilla OnePlus 9. You get 2021 hardware with the latest affordable flagship from OnePlus, at a price similar to the S20 FE. OnePlus also ups its camera game with a new partnership with Hasselblad and introduces features like wireless charging for the first time with the non-Pro models. You can also get dust and water resistance if you get the T-Mobile version of the OnePlus 9.

Joining the crowd in this price range is the Pixel 5. Android Authority readers agreed that Google’s phone features a better camera. It also comes with more RAM. However, the Galaxy S20 FE has it beat with a much faster processor. It also has a better display and useful hardware extras like expandable storage.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 isn’t available in the US. It’s a worthy competitor in the markets you can get the phone in, though. It hits all the Galaxy S20 FE highlights, like a solid camera setup and excellent battery life, and with a 2021 flagship processor. You also get useful extras like fast wireless charging and display with a 120Hz refresh rate, but no water resistance. 

Where to buy the phone

David Imel / Android Authority

US

In the United States, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE costs $699 and comes exclusively in a 5G model. You can get it unlocked from Samsung and other retailers, or head to your carrier’s store to grab one. In the case of Verizon, it carries an exclusive variant of the phone called the Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW (seriously).

If you are keen to spend a bit more, you can now get a 256GB version of the phone for $770.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
All the best features of the Galaxy S20 series at a lower price

If you don't mind cutting a few corners, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (which stands for "Fan Edition") might be the phone you are looking for. It offers most of the flagship specs and features of the Galaxy S20 family but trims things down to keep the price low.

$700

$700

$700

$700

$700

UK

In the United Kingdom, there is a 5G variant and a 4G-only variant. The 5G model costs £699 (~$890) while the 4G-only model costs £599. Similarly, in Europe, the 4G-only Galaxy S20 FE starts at €659 (~$770), while the 5G version costs €759. Keep in mind that while the 5G model comes with the Snapdragon 865, you’ll get the Exynos 990 chipset with the 4G-only version.

India

Samsung also launched the Galaxy S20 FE in India. While the Exynos 990 processor powers the Indian iteration of the phone, you get the added benefit of 8GB of RAM and a version with 256GB of storage. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is priced starting at 40,990 rupees (~$560).

Top Samsung Galaxy S20 FE questions and answers

David Imel / Android Authority

Q: Does the Galaxy S20 FE support 5G?
A: Yes, and no. There are only 5G models in the US. They support both mmWave and sub-6GHz connections (except for the Verizon model, which only supports mmWave). There are 5G models and 4G-only models in the UK, so be sure you’re buying the correct version! Only the 4G iteration is available in India.

Q: Does the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition have a headphone jack?
A: No. As with all the phones in the main Galaxy S20 line, there isn’t a 3.5mm port on the Fan Edition.

Q: Does the S20 FE support wireless charging?
A: Yes. It will charge at a rate of 15W. It also supports reverse wireless charging, which allows you to charge your smartwatch or earbuds with your phone.

Q: Does the S20 FE have a microSD card slot?
A: Yes, it can support a card with up to 1TB of storage.

Q: Does the device have stereo speakers?
A: Yes, and they are tuned by AKG and support Dolby Atmos.

Q: What colors are available?
A: There are a lot of colors. You can get the phone in Cloud Navy (blue), Cloud Red, Cloud Lavender (purple), Cloud Mint (green), Cloud White, and Cloud Orange.

Q: What’s in the box with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE?
A: You’ll find the Galaxy S20 FE, a 15W power supply, a USB-C cable, a SIM tool, and the usual paperwork. The Galaxy S20 FE will also support 25W wired charging. You’ll need to buy an additional adapter to experience those speeds.

More Samsung Galaxy S20 FE coverage

• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE second opinion review
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs iPhone 12 camera shootout
• Google Pixel 5 vs Galaxy S20 FE: Which is better?
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Galaxy S20: Which should you buy?
• The best Samsung Galaxy S20 FE cases

Help other readers out

That’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. We’ll keep this post updated with any new info as soon as we have it.

FeaturesSamsung, Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S20
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