Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G review: 2020’s best Samsung smartphone?

Samsung did a great job with its S20 lineup of Android smartphones, all of them featuring top-notch hardware, beautiful design, excellent cameras, and good software. However, most of the S20 devices have premium prices, including the Galaxy S20, S20+, and Note20. To get the price down but keep what users want, Samsung created the Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) 5G. For a more affordable sum of money, this smartphone offers flagship specs, stellar cameras, a large battery, resistance to water and dust, wireless charging, and more. Are you curious to see exactly what you get from it and whether it’s a good choice for you? Read this review and find out:

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Who is it good for?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is an excellent fit for:

• Those who want a powerful Android smartphone with excellent hardware
• People who want a Samsung Galaxy S20 phone at a more reasonable price
• Those who are looking for a smartphone with top-notch cameras

Pros and cons

There are a lot of good things to say about the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G:

• Great cameras for a reasonable price
• Powerful hardware and top-notch performance
• Super AMOLED display, with a high refresh rate
• IP68 rating for dust and water resistance
• Excellent battery life
• Support for DeX (Desktop Experience)
• Fast wireless charging support
• It comes with Android 10 and will get Android upgrades for three years (Android 11 is already available)

Here’s what you could hold against the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G:

• The plastic back looks OK, but doesn’t make the phone stand out of the crowd
• You don’t get any earphones in the package, and the bundled charger is a travel model, not a fast charger
• You can’t replace the default Samsung Daily news feed with Google Discover

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is one of the best Android smartphones you can buy today. It’s a high-end Android device that offers a lot of performance, top-notch cameras, and excellent battery life. Its hardware allows it to easily manage any kind of workload, from productivity to gaming. In our opinion, it also looks good, and the build quality is what you would expect for a smartphone in its price-range. The only thing that doesn’t feel “high-end” is the plastic back, but if you’re going to use a protection cover, you’re not going to see it anyway. In the end, we warmly recommend the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G to all our readers.

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is a high-end smartphone, with simple, yet good-looking packaging. You get a white box that features only the smartphone’s name on the front and sides. However, the back of the box has a sticker on it with more details about the exact model you bought. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G package Inside the box, you find the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G smartphone, a travel adapter, a USB data cable, an ejection pin for taking the SIM tray out, the quick start guide, and the warranty documents. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: What's inside the box Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is a satisfying experience. However, you should know that Samsung doesn’t bundle any earphones or a cover for this smartphone, like it does for the other Samsung Galaxy S20 models.

Design and build quality

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is a fairly large Android smartphone. With a screen size of 6.5 inches in diagonal, it measures 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm (6.29 x 2.93 x 0.33 inches) and weighs 190 g (6.70 oz). It’s a bit shorter, heavier, and also thicker than most other Galaxy S20 phones, except for the Note20 Ultra 5G. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is available in six different color variations: Cloud Navy, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Red, Cloud Mint, Cloud White, and Cloud Orange. The one we had for testing was the Cloud Orange one. It has a matte orange plastic back that looks nice and helps hide the inevitable fingerprints and smudges. Because the back is made of plastic rather than glass, Samsung manages to keep the phone’s price a bit lower than its S20 flagships. Color options for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Seen from the front, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G looks great. It has a large screen that covers its front side almost entirely. Although its bezels are not as thin as those of the other Samsung Galaxy S20s, they are still pretty slim. On the same note, a thing that we like and is standard for Samsung are the rounded edges and corners of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s back looks simple, except for the camera system that draws your eye. The three back cameras, their sensors, and flash are all found inside a rectangular sector on the smartphone’s top-left corner. As we’re dealing with some advanced optics, the triple-camera section is slightly protruding. That makes the smartphone wobble when standing on a plane surface, but only if you don’t use a protective case. The camera system on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Looking at its front side again, at the top of the screen, you’re going to notice a small circular hole: that’s where the selfie camera is found. The selfie camera on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G When we saw the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G for the first time, it didn’t appear to have an ear speaker. We thought that, maybe, it produces sounds by vibrating its top area of the screen, like the Huawei P40 Pro. However, after a closer inspection, we found the missing ear speaker behind a very thin opening between the screen and the phone’s top bezel. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G perspective from the top edge When playing media, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G can use both its ear speaker and the loudspeaker found on its bottom edge. Thus, it delivers stereo sound. Speaking of which, besides the loudspeaker, you’re also going to find the USB-C port and a microphone on the bottom edge of the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G perspective from the bottom edge The power button and the volume rocker are found in their usual location on the smartphone’s upper-right edge. These physical buttons are easy to reach and press, unless you have short fingers. They only slightly protrude out of the body, but that’s enough to easily identify what’s what without having to look at them intentionally. The physical buttons found on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G On the top edge of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, there’s a secondary microphone and the SIM and memory card tray. The smartphone’s left edge is clean and clear: no buttons, no trays, no nothing. 🙂 Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G holds an IP68 certification. IP comes from Ingress Protection and classifies electronic devices according to how well protected they are against dust, water, and other accidents that can do damage. The digit 6 from the IP68 grade held by the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G means complete protection against dust. At the same time, the number 8 tells us that it can survive unharmed even if it is immersed in water as deep as 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G looks beautiful and feels robust. We like its design, especially the thin bezels around its display and the fact that the selfie camera cutout is small. Furthermore, we really appreciate the IP68 certification for dust and water resistance. Some might not like the plastic material on the phone’s back. Still, as most people use protective cases on their phones, it shouldn’t be an important shortcoming.

Hardware specifications

Although some people might be tempted to think that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is a stripped-down Galaxy 20, the truth is that it packs powerful hardware. The phone features a Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 system on a chip (SoC), which is, in our opinion, a better choice than any Exynos variant bundled on the non 5G variant of the same smartphone. The CPU has eight Kryo 585 cores, out of which one can run at up to 2.84 GHz, three at 2.42 GHz, and the other four at up to 1.8 GHz. The graphics chip used on the Qualcomm SM8250 SoC is a fast Adreno 650 that supports Vulkan 1.0 and 1.1, OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 Full, OpenGL, and Direct3D 12. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Processor details Regarding storage options, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is available in various configurations: 128 GB storage space and 6 GB RAM, 128 GB or 256 GB storage and 8 GB RAM. Additionally, you can also insert a microSDXC card for even more storage. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G bundles an outstanding camera system. On the back, you get a triple-camera system:

• 12 MP, f/1.8 aperture, 26 mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
• 8 MP, f/2.4 aperture, 76 mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
• 12 MP, f/2.2 aperture, 123˚, 13mm (ultrawide)

The front camera is designed to attract younger audiences. It has 32 megapixels, an f/2.2 aperture, 26 mm (wide), and HDR support. The triple-camera system on the rear of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G The cameras have excellent specs for video recording also. The main camera system allows you to shoot videos in 4K resolution at 30 or 60fps, as well as in 1080p at 30 or 60fps, both modes supporting gyro-EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization). The selfie camera has the same capabilities. The only difference between this smartphone and the pricier Galaxy S20 is that the latter can record videos in 8K. However, considering that not many people own 8K TVs right now, we don’t consider this a shortcoming. The screen is also impressive: it’s a 6.5 inch Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio, leading to a 407 pixels per inch (ppi) density. It also offers a high refresh rate of 120 Hz and support for HDR10+. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Display specs The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G supports 5G mobile networks and Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6). It also has a Bluetooth 5.0 chip, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C 3.2 port. In terms of sensors, you get a fast fingerprint reader (optical, under the display), an accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and compass. The audio aspect is well covered, too: the loudspeaker is made of two stereo speakers, and the smartphone supports 32-bit audio playback at up to 384 kHz. Unfortunately, just like on most smartphones launched these days, there’s no audio jack. However, the USB-C port can be used for plugging in earphones. The smartphone’s autonomy is delivered by a non-removable 4500 mAh Li-Po battery. It supports fast charging at 25 Watts, as well as fast wireless charging at 15 Watts. Battery usage for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G If you want more details about all the features and hardware specs, visit this page: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Specs. Next, read the second page of this review to find out more about the smartphone experience offered by the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, its cameras, operating system and bundled apps, and its performance in benchmarks.

The smartphone experience on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G

I had the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G since December 2020, so that’s about a month of testing. In all this time, I used it daily as my primary Android smartphone to see whether it’s worth buying one or not. First of all, I’d like to say that the OneUI user interface and the Android operating system run flawlessly. I have never seen this smartphone lag or slow down - its hardware is powerful and more than enough to run any app fluently and without hiccups. Call quality is also top-notch. That’s probably thanks to a good ear speaker, but also because of excellent network reception and audio codecs. My mobile plan supports 5G networks, but the network coverage is relatively poor in the town where I live. Although present, it doesn’t give me higher internet connection speeds than 4G. On the other hand, I’ve never experienced call drops, not when this smartphone used VoLTE, nor when it used VoWiFi while connected to my home WiFi network. Phone calls and mobile network options on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Also, in terms of audio quality, I found the loudspeaker to offer a satisfying experience. It delivers clear sound and without “artifacts.” The maximum volume is enough, in my experience. However, like on any other phone out there, if you want real audio quality, you have to use a pair of earphones. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn’t bundle any earphones in the package, so you’ll have to buy them yourself. The battery inside the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G usually lasted for a day and a half of moderate usage. For me, that means browsing the internet a lot, reading news and email, taking photos, and watching a movie or two in the evening. However, if you add gaming to your daily routine, you might have to charge the phone before the end of the day, as the battery surely gets drained faster. Speaking of watching movies, I must say that I was positively impressed by the display on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. Although its resolution is lower than what you get on the other Galaxy S20 smartphones, you can’t really tell. The screen has excellent brightness, contrast, and color reproduction. Watching Netflix on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Using the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G smartphone is very satisfying. It’s fast both when running apps and when browsing the internet, audio and video playing is a pleasant experience, call quality is top-notch, and the battery life is excellent.

The camera experience on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G

Although the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is similar to the Samsung Galaxy S20, the camera systems are a bit different. On its back, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G has three cameras, not four, and on its front side, the selfie camera uses a larger sensor than what you get on an S20 or S20+. For starters, let’s review the main cameras of the S20 FE 5G:

• 12 MP, f/1.8 aperture, 26 mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
• 8 MP, f/2.4 aperture, 76 mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
• 12 MP, f/2.2 aperture, 123˚, 13mm (ultrawide)

On the front side, in a round cutout of the display, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G comes with:

• A 32 megapixels selfie camera, with an aperture of f/2.2, 26 mm focal length (wide), and HDR support.

The Camera app offered by Samsung is well designed and should be easy to use. The standard photo and video modes can be enabled from the bottom of the screen or by swiping left and right on the screen. Switching between wide, ultra-wide, or zoom capture modes is done by tapping on the small icons that resemble two trees (main camera, wide), three trees (ultra wide), or one tree (zooming - telephoto mode). The Camera app on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G The quality of the photos that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G shoots is excellent in most situations. If the lighting conditions are good or at least acceptable, like in daylight or under artificial light, the photos are superb. The colors are rich and vibrant, and the details are great. Night photos are of good quality, too, but, in this case, we’re under the impression that Samsung’s algorithms are a bit aggressive with brightening, which can lead to loss of detail and possibly a bit too much contrast. If you are curious to see the photos we have taken with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G and check their quality on your own, browse through the gallery below. We’ve shot photos outdoors, in good lighting conditions, as well as inside, under artificial lighting. We also included a few selfies, animal portraits, and some closeups. The smartphone can record videos in up to 4K resolution at 3840 x 2160 pixels and up to 60 frames per second, both using its rear cameras and the selfie camera. Furthermore, the videos are stabilized using gyro-EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization), which helps smooth recordings when your hand is shaking or when you’re moving. To get an idea of the video quality, here is a sample shot in 4K at 60 fps: Also, here’s another sample video with more movement, recorded using the same 4K resolution at 60 fps: If you like slow-motion videos, here’s what a Super Slow-Motion video looks like: The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G has some of the best cameras that you can get from an Android smartphone. The photos and videos it can shoot are exceptional in good lighting conditions. Night photos are great also, but the smartphone tends to brighten them a bit too much.

Android 10 upgradeable to Android 11, and bundled apps

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G comes with Android 10 and OneUI 2.5 by default. However, a few days after we received it in testing, Samsung also pushed the update to Android 11 on our sample, as well as OneUI 3.0. The good news is that the Galaxy S20 FE 5G will get software upgrades from Samsung for three years, so when they’re out, you should also receive Android 12 and Android 13. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Software information Samsung’s One UI 3.0 enhances the default stock Android experience and comes with quite a few additional features and optimizations. If you’re switching from another Samsung smartphone, the transition to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is straightforward. However, if you’ve previously used an Android phone from another manufacturer, it might take a few hours for you to accommodate to Samsung’s OneUI and the way it does things. Some things, like the modified Settings app, are easy to understand. Others, like the impossibility to change the default Samsung Daily news feed with Google’s, not so much. Unfortunately, this is an issue that doesn’t make us happy at all. Although you can disable Samsung Daily, the only option to get Google’s news feed instead is to use a third-party launcher, which defeats the purpose of having access to the other features of Samsung’s OneUI software. Samsung Daily on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G One of the things that we like about the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is its ability to run Samsung’s DeX. This feature lets you use your Android more like a desktop computer. Samsung DeX gives you a desktop like in Windows, a taskbar and a system tray, apps that launch in their own windows, and mouse and keyboard support. As for the bundled apps, Samsung does come with some, but not as many as we’ve seen on other smartphones from other companies. Although Samsung recommends plenty of apps when you configure your smartphone, you can choose which ones you want and which you don’t. Recommended apps from Samsung If you don’t install any of the recommended apps, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G limits its list to the essential Google apps (Google, Chrome, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Drive, and Photos), and a series of other additional apps from Samsung (My Files, Bixby, AR Zone, OneDrive, Play Store, Galaxy Store, Netflix, Phone, Messages, Camera, Gallery, Clock, Contacts, Settings, Calendar, YT Music, Tips, Game Launcher, and Live Transcribe). Default apps on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G When we published this review, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G used One UI 3.0 and Android 11. As the smartphone is on the list of Samsung devices that are getting 3-years worth of upgrades, it should also get Android 12 and 13. On the whole, we like Samsung’s OneUI interface and appreciate the availability of Samsung DeX and the fact that the smartphone doesn’t bundle too many apps. The only complaint we have is related to the inability to change Samsung Daily with the Google Discover feed.

Performance in benchmarks

To see how powerful the processor on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is, we first ran Geekbench. It got 856 points in the Single-Core tests and 2758 in the Multi-Core test. Both scores are close to those of an OnePlus 8 and better than a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra! Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G - Geekbench results We then used PCMark for Android to measure how well Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G fares in productivity tasks. It got 12056 points, which is again a similar result to what you get from an OnePlus 8 Pro or other smartphones from the Samsung Galaxy S20 family. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G - PCMark results As gaming is important for many of our readers, we also used the 3DMark benchmark app to test this smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G got 7074 points in Sling Shot Extreme - OpenGL ES 3.1 and 5163 points in Sling Shot Extreme - Vulkan. These are excellent results, close to those of a Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G or an OnePlus 8. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G - 3DMark results To evaluate the autonomy offered by Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, we used PCMark's Work 2.0 battery life test with the display brightness set to auto. The battery lasted 9 hours and 54 minutes. It’s a good result that confirms the fact that this smartphone can last for a whole day or even more in moderate usage. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G - Battery life test results Finally, because Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 network standard, we checked how fast it could be when connected to such a network. We used the SpeedTest app, and we got a maximum of 755 Mbps for the download speed, while the upload speed was 532 Mbps. The upload could’ve been even faster, but our internet plan is capped at 500 Mbps. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G - WiFi 6 benchmark results The benchmarks tell the same story that we’ve guessed while using this smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is one of the best Android smartphones on the market these days. It offers excellent performance both in productivity and multimedia, and it doesn’t disappoint in gaming scenarios either.

Do you like the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Android smartphone?

Now you know that we have come to like the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G a lot and that we consider it one of the best Android smartphones you can buy today. Do you agree with us, or do you have a different opinion? Let us know in the comments section.