Angela Lang/CNET
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra may be packed to the hilt with the most recent, best tech, however additionally they include sky-high costs to match. That makes them a difficult promote at a time when purse strings are tightening and rivals like Google and OnePlus are making nice telephones at extra inexpensive costs. But the Galaxy S20 FE, which stands for “fan edition,” packs most of the nice options of its flagship siblings, together with a stable triple digicam, a strong processor, IP68 waterproofing and 5G connectivity, all for a way more inexpensive value.
LikeGreat performance5G-enabledRealistic value
Don’t LikeCamera white stability may be hit or miss
At $700 within the US, it is a hell of lots cheaper than the Note 20 Ultra, which retails for $1,300 (£1,179, AU$1,849). In the UK and Australia, a 4G model of the S20 FE is accessible for £599 or AU$999, with the 5G model going for £699 or AU$1,149. Even higher, the road value for an unlocked mannequin within the US is at present hovering round $600 at main retailers like Amazon and Best Buy — no activation required, no strings connected. Trade-ins and different activation choices out there at Samsung and elsewhere would possibly get that value right down to a good decrease degree.Read extra: The greatest telephone to purchase for 2020Even if you happen to’re paying $700, that is the identical US value because the lately introduced Google Pixel 5 (which is a bit cheaper within the UK and Australia). But the S20 FE does supply advantages over the Pixel within the type of a further telephoto lens, expandable storage and a stronger processor. We’ll have to attend to get the Pixel in our palms to work out precisely how these two stack up.
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The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is the midrange telephone to beat
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But general, the Galaxy S20 FE is just not a revolution in cellular expertise, however it’s not designed to be. What it’s is a stable all-round telephone at a extra inexpensive value. While it is nonetheless costlier than telephones just like the iPhone SE and the OnePlus Nord, its higher spec listing makes it the telephone to go for if you happen to’ve received your coronary heart set on a flagship, however simply cannot fairly abdomen emptying your complete checking account to get one.
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An incredible display and highly effective processor There’s a 6.5-inch, 2,400×1,080-pixel tremendous AMOLED show which is vivid, vibrant and pin-sharp. Is it as excessive definition because the Note 20 Ultra? No. Will you discover the distinction? I actually could not. It has a 120Hz refresh charge too that simply makes swiping across the Android interface really feel that bit smoother. It stretches all the best way to the sides, with solely a small punch gap for the front-facing digicam. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra efficiency chart
Legend:
Geekbench 5 (Single core)
Geekbench 5 (Multicore)
3D Mark Slingshot
Note:
Longer bars equals higher efficiency
Inside is a lightning-fast Snapdragon 865 processor (for the 5G fashions, an Exynos 990 chip within the 4G fashions — the identical one discovered within the Note 20 Ultra and S20 Ultra), which carried out very effectively on our benchmark exams (take a look at the comparability chart above). Photo enhancing in Snapseed was a breeze and demanding racing video games Asphalt 9 and Grid Autosport performed completely effectively.
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A potent triple digicam The digicam is among the important areas that is seen some compromises to maintain the price down. The rear digicam setup features a 12-megapixel customary zoom digicam, a 12-megapixel 3x optical zoom and an 8-megapixel ultrawide-angle digicam. Those are decrease resolutions than you may discover on extra premium Galaxy telephones. The FE additionally lacks options such because the 100x “Space zoom” and 8K video recording that you will get from the S20 Ultra. While I actually do not suppose you may miss 8K video or the 100x zoom (the standard at that zoom degree is so poor you’d by no means wish to do something with these photos) I actually loved utilizing the 5x and 10x zoom choices on the S20 Ultra, and liked the inventive capturing choices it offered. Would I spend a whole bunch extra to have it although? Absolutely not. Shots from the S20 FE are punchy with publicity stability between vivid skies and darkish foregrounds, helped by the auto HDR mode. It’s in no way the most effective digicam round — I discover the white stability could be a bit hit or miss at instances — however for drool-worthy photographs of espresso and cake to make your Instagram followers jealous, it will go well with simply nice. With the usual zoom lens, the telephone has achieved job balancing the very vivid sky with the extra shadowy floor beneath.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Using the 3x optical zoom, I’ve been in a position to get nearer up on the buildings, reaching a extra fascinating composition. Again, publicity is nice, with good vibrant colours, too.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Activating the super-wide lens let me seize an enormous quantity of the scene in entrance of me. The publicity is nice, however the colours are a contact drab.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The colours are something however drab on this super-wide shot of certainly one of Edinburgh’s artwork galleries. It’s vibrant, punchy and would look nice on Instagram.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
I like how shut up I’ve been in a position to concentrate on this flower, however the white stability is barely shifted to the magenta aspect, giving it a cooler, purplish tint general that I do not love.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The 3x zoom has come in useful once more to let me focus extra on this lovely clock tower.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
You can digitally zoom all the best way as much as 30x, however as you may see right here, the standard takes a critical hit.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The entrance digicam has a 32-megapixel decision which produces crisp photographs which are greater than ok for Instagram — relying on the face you pull, that’s. Classy design Samsung provides the S20 FE in a variety of vibrant hues, however I believe the deep navy blue of my evaluate mannequin is far more “classy” than it’s “cool” — it is a good sport coat as an alternative of a neon parka; a steak and glass of chianti as an alternative of a burger from a van; an HBO drama as an alternative of WWE highlights. It’s far more enticing than the sinfully uninteresting grey of the S20 Ultra, however then absolutely anything is. Its rear panel is produced from plastic, however its frosted end makes it feel and look extra like glass to me (Samsung even calls it “glasstic”). There’s toughened Gorilla Glass 5 on the entrance and aluminum on its edges. It feels sturdy and cozy to carry and the matte texture of the again means fingerprints aren’t a lot of an issue. There’s no headphone jack, so hopefully you’ve got invested in some bluetooth headphones by now (you will not get any headphones within the field) however the telephone does have IP68 waterproofing, which can hold it secure from spilled drinks or heavy rain.
Angela Lang/CNET
A beefy battery Samsung has stuffed a 4,500-mAh battery contained in the S20 FE, which is 500 mAh greater than the battery it put within the common S20. It’s no shock that it has a variety of energy to supply. I have never but been in a position to do our full suite of battery-drain exams on the telephone, however after an hour of YouTube streaming at full brightness, the telephone had solely dropped by 7%, which is superb. Anecdotally, I discovered that it had effectively over half its battery left after a day of photographing, enjoying movies and doing bits of gaming. I’ve little doubt that it will comfortably get you thru a full day of blended use and doubtless effectively into the subsequent. It additionally helps wi-fi charging in addition to 25-watt quick charging to offer it a fast juice up if you happen to’re about to go out. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE specs comparability chart
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
OnePlus 8 Pro
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
Display dimension, decision
6.5-inch tremendous AMOLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels
6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X
6.78-inch AMOLED; 1,440×3,168 pixels
4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334×750 pixels
Pixel density
405ppi
511ppi
513ppi
326ppi
Dimensions (inches)
TBA
2.99 by 6.57 by 0.35 in.
6.51 by 2.93 by 0.35 in.
5.45 by 2.65 by 0.29 in.
Dimensions (millimeters)
159.8 by 75.5 by 8.4mm
76.0 by 166.9 by 8.8mm
165 by 74.4 by 8.5mm
138.4 by 67.3 by 7.3 mm
Weight (ounces, grams)
190g
7.76 oz.; 220g
199g
5.22 oz.; 148g
Mobile software program
Android 10
Android 10
Android 10
iOS 13
Camera
12-megapixel (customary), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 8-megapixel (3x telephoto)
108-megapixel (wide-angle), 48-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), time-of-flight digicam
48-megapixel important, 8-megapixel telephoto, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 5-megapixel “color filter”
12-megapixel
Front-facing digicam
32-megapixel
40-megapixel
16-megapixel
7-megapixel
Video seize
4K
8K
4K
4K
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (5G) Samsung Exynos 990 (4G)
64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5GHz + 2GHz)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Apple A13 Bionic
Storage
128GB
128GB, 512GB
128GB, 256B
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
RAM
6GB
12GB, 16GB
8GB, 12GB
Not disclosed
Expandable storage
1TB
Up to 1TB
None
No
Battery
4,500 mAh
5,000 mAh
4,300 mAh
Not disclosed, however Apple claims it has the identical battery life as iPhone 8
Fingerprint sensor
In-screen
In-screen
In-screen
Home button
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Lightning
Headphone jack
No
No
No
No
Special options
120Hz display refresh charge, help for 30W quick charging and 15W quick wi-fi charging
5G enabled; 120Hz refresh charge; 100X zoom; water-resistant (IP68)
5G enabled, Fast-charging, quick wi-fi charging, 120Hz show
Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wi-fi charging
Price off-contract (USD)
$699
$1,399 (128GB), $1,599 (512GB)
$899
$399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB)
Price (GBP)
£599 (4G), £699 (5G)
£1,199 (128GB), £1,399 (512GB)
£799
£419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB)
Price (AUD)
AU$999 (4G), AU$1,149 (5G)
AU$1,999 (128GB), AU$2,249 (512GB)
AU$1,435 transformed
AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB)
First printed Oct. 4