Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review: Easy way to save $350

A new Samsung smartphone is out on the market and fans can’t believe it’s being sold so much cheaper than an almost identical model.

REVIEW

Samsung has just launched a new phone into the market, which is shocking Samsung fans and Android smartphone users.

Its latest release, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, is eerily similar to the previously launched Samsung Galaxy S20. Which begs the question what on earth does tacking ‘FE’ onto the S20 smartphone mean for consumers?

First of all ‘FE’ stands for Fan Edition, which is meant to imply that this phone will ‘make Samsung fans happy’. Why? Samsung says the phone includes users’ favourite features found in the Samsung Galaxy S devices but with a bonus of being about $350 cheaper than its flagship Samsung Galaxy S20.

RELATED: Cheap phone competes with $200 rivals

Elly Awesome reviews the new Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.

Starting at the bottom and working our way up, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE comes in a range of colour options – red, white, navy, lavender, mint and orange. The back of the phone is made out of polycarbonate (plastic) and the front has a gorilla glass flat-screen display. These two features are often seen as calling cards for ‘cheaper’ phones and yet they’re features I absolutely love because they increase the phone’s durability. When a phone has a polycarbonate back it doesn’t smash like glass premium smartphones do when you drop them. Whereas the, comparable, Samsung Galaxy S20 only comes in grey, blue and pink and being more premium has a gorilla glass back and even a curved-edge display. Even though curved displays look fancy and are commonly found on more expensive phones, those curvy edges sometimes crack more easily.

RELATED: ‘Big catch’ with cult headphones

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a durable polycarbonate back.

The S20 and S20 FE have very similar cameras. On the back of the FE you get three cameras, a 12MP wide angle, a 12MP ultra wide and an 8MP telephoto lens and on the front you get a 32MP selfie camera. Compared to the S20, you get the exact same except for a surprisingly much lower quality 10MP selfie camera, conversely, a better telephoto lens that is a whopping 64MP. The main difference here is you’re only able to shoot 4K footage on the FE and the regular S20 can shoot 8K video.

The FE has stereo speakers, it’s capable of 25 watt fast charging (note it only comes with a slower 15 watt charger), it can be charged wirelessly and does reverse wireless charging where you can charge other wireless devices through your phone. The device has an in-screen fingerprint scanner and it’s water and dust resistant (IP68) and these are all features found on the more expensive Samsung Galaxy S20 too.

Believe it or not the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE even has a bigger battery – 4500 mAh vs. 4000 mAh, which will give you a full day’s worth of use. Also, the real kicker that everyone is geeking out about is the powerful Exynos chipset that the FE has, which is also seen in the other S20 devices. The 5G version of FE even has the snappy Snapdragon 865 processor! I’m sorry, how and why is this phone being sold cheaper, again?

RELATED: ‘Ridiculous’ new toy every gamer needs

There are three cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.

In my opinion, the main features you are missing out on with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is the fact that this device has half the ram of the flagship S20 and only a full HD+ screen (the S20’s screen quality is a little better). Ram keeps your devices snappy and smooth but with the newer processor also in the FE you’ll barely notice the difference.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is Samsung’s attempt at bringing a quality mid-priced phone to the market with prices starting at $999 compared to the Samsung Galaxy S20 which starts at $1349. Although I personally think $999 is in no way a ‘budget smartphone’ for its price point, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is incredible value for money and a win for consumers.

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawwesome | YouTube