Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Assessment

Samsung’s yr of cellphone releases doesn’t appear to be slowing down, with the South Korean model lastly unveiling the a lot leaked Galaxy S20 FE.

The ‘FE’ moniker right here stands for ‘Fan Version’ and it’s very a lot a less expensive, mid-year replace for the model’s flagship Galaxy S20 – with a little bit of the Word 20’s DNA thrown in for good measure.

The largest shock is that this can be a improbable cellphone, arguably simpler to suggest than every other Samsung cell this yr. Particularly should you’re within the UK and need a Samsung Galaxy cellphone with the Snapdragon 865.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Version) is on the market now for £599 (4G, Exynos 990) and £699 for the 5G Snapdragon mannequin. The 4G model gained’t be coming to the States.

This pricing places it immediately in competitors with the OnePlus 8 (and sure OnePlus 8T), Moto Edge and LG Velvet. It’s additionally the same value to the iPhone 11, which can seemingly get replaced by an iPhone 12 very quickly.

Associated: Greatest telephones

Display screen – Flat, with 120Hz refresh and the same old OLED high quality

Samsung has saved a high-quality 120Hz panel for the S20 FE, supplying you with super-smooth scrolling. It has a 240Hz sampling price too, for very responsive gaming. Why Samsung didn’t add this characteristic to the Word 20 feels weird to me.

Associated: Greatest mid-range cellphone 

The FE retains an OLED panel with a small cutout on the high for the entrance digital camera, nonetheless it tops out at FHD+ slightly than WQHD+ like on the Galaxy S20. As you couldn’t mix 120hz and the higher-res anyway, this transformation appears fantastic to me. 

The display screen isn’t fairly as color correct as of that on the S20 and it lacks HDR 10 help in apps like Netflix, nonetheless except you place each telephones subsequent to one another it may be arduous to identify. That is nonetheless a very nice panel, with sufficient brightness to fight a harshly sunny day.

There’s an in-display fingerprint scanner right here, slightly than a bodily button such as you’ll discover on the Pixel 5. It’s barely totally different to the sensors Samsung normally makes use of, because it’s optical versus ultrasonic and consequently wants mild to perform. You’ll discover a brilliant mild round your finger once you press in and it may be a bit annoying should you’re unlocking late at evening in a darkish room. Nonetheless, it’s quick and responsive and there’s face unlock should you’d desire.

At 6.5-inches, the FE sits between the smaller S20 and the bigger S20 Plus. For me, it seems like the right dimension and I actually admire the flat show which is much superior for gaming than a curved panel.

Design – A large number of colors and plastic again

Just like the Galaxy Word 20, the S20 FE ditches the glass again for a tricky plastic one. I don’t thoughts the plastic really feel, particularly on a extra reasonably priced cellphone like this and I actually just like the frosted end which isn’t as liable to selecting up fingerprints as glass – at all times a pleasant contact. The entrance stays Gorilla Glass and the edges are constructed from aluminium for a inflexible body.

What’s extra essential to me is that the cellphone stays IP68 rated for water resistance and nonetheless packs Qi wi-fi charging. Two options greater than usually ditched at this value. What’s lacking is a 3.5mm headphone jack, so that you’ll be utilizing the USB-C connector or wi-fi Bluetooth for audio.

It is available in a variety of good colors too, together with a really on-trend navy blue and a placing crimson. These are much more fascinating hues than you’ll find the S20 in, and Samsung stated all of them be accessible from numerous networks with out the same old exclusivity.

Efficiency – A Snapdragon 865 makes the Galaxy S20 FE tempting for the UK

One of many true highlights of the Galaxy S20 FE is that the UK 5G model comes with the Snapdragon 865 platform, slightly than the same old Exynos chipset you’ll discover within the high-end Word 20 collection and Galaxy S20. 

Many have complained concerning the decreased efficiency and battery abilities of the Exynos model vs the Qualcomm so it’s nice to see Samsung deciding to provide a wider launch to the arguably superior mannequin.

Now, should you do go for the cheaper 4G model then you’ll get the Samsung Exynos 990. This variation gained’t be accessible within the States. Paired with that chipset you’ve acquired 6GB of quick RAM, and 128GB of expandable storage.

The Snapdragon 865 performs higher in benchmark exams than the Exynos variation, however the true wins include the improved battery life – one thing you may learn extra on beneath. As you’d count on from the flagship chipset, efficiency is top-drawer. Whether or not you’re gaming on the gadget, streaming Xbox titles by way of GamePass or pushing the cellphone in every other methods it’ll deal with all the things with out getting scorching or slowing down.

Audio from the audio system is sweet, if barely simply blocked for the underside speaker, and name high quality is typical Samsung customary.

Out-of-the-box the S20 comes with Android 10 and the most recent model of One UI. Samsung’s interface has improved immeasurably over the previous few years and whereas it’s very a lot totally different from Google’s personal imaginative and prescient of Android, I nonetheless like the way it appears to be like and works. Samsung has additionally indicated you’ll get three years of system updates, beginning with Android 11, which is at all times excellent news.

Battery life – Higher than the Galaxy S20, at the least within the UK

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a 4500mAh battery, matching the Galaxy S20 Plus and outperforming all the opposite S20 fashions in my exams. That is nearly actually all the way down to the Snapdragon 865 chip, which appears to be much more environment friendly than its Exynos counterpart.

Whereas I usually struggled to make it by means of do with the S20 and S20 Plus, doing so with the S20 FE is simple and I can simply obtain greater than six hours of display screen on time – usually greater than an hour extra.

In terms of charging there may be help for 25w, nonetheless within the field there’s a 15w brick – one thing of a disgrace. Nonetheless, a full cost takes simply over 90 minutes so it’s too unhealthy. There’s wi-fi charging too, and reverse wi-fi charging.

Digicam – Numerous inspiration from the S20 and Word 20

On the again of the S20 FE you’ll discover three cameras: the identical fundamental 12MP twin pixel sensor from the S20, which has an f/1.8 aperture and OIS, together with a 12MP extremely huge and 8MP 3x tele digital camera with OIS. There’s additionally a 32MP digital camera across the entrance.

The primary 12MP sensor takes some actually nice snaps, which shouldn’t come as a shock because it’s a digital camera we’ve seen a number of instances earlier than and been impressed with on every event. Samsung stays the king in terms of colour-rich, deeply saturated and barely oversharpened pictures and people traits are clear to see right here. These photographs are primed for social media and I can utterly perceive why they’re so fashionable.

Are the photographs higher than the Pixel 4a? For me, no. However that’s subjective and also you actually do get crispier particulars and brighter colors right here. The Pixel 4a nonetheless pips it for dynamic vary, pure bokeh and, importantly, evening mode.

Low mild efficiency is okay and you may get good pictures with out nice mild both within the default mode or the extra particular Night time possibility. I discover Samsung’s Night time mode a bit behind a few of the rivals, tending to over-brighten and blow out highlights. Nonetheless, it’s there should you’re in a really darkish scenario.

Flipping between focal lengths is simple and the S20 FE takes good snaps at each extremely huge and 3x zoom. Neither of those are of the identical high quality as the primary sensor and the outcomes might be smooth, particularly when zooming, however they provide a pleasant little bit of versatility. It’s additionally good to see Samsung not cramming in one other sensor for the sake of it, another manufacturers providing cheaper Android telephones ought to take word…

The 32MP entrance digital camera is sweet for these selfies and it has some software program abilities to push out a bit and cram extra faces in. Video is robust too, even when it doesn’t possess the 8K abilities of the common S20.

See beneath for some digital camera samples:

You’ll get severely brilliant colors even from the huge angle digital camera

There’s loads of element and the focusing works even up shut

3x zoom: This isn’t a zoom king, but it surely’ll get the job completed

Must you purchase the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE?

I can’t say sufficient good issues concerning the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and if you would like a cellphone that feels very very similar to a flagship with out spending over £699 then that is one of the best that’s at present on provide.

It’s acquired top-end internals, good cameras, 120Hz display screen and a pleasant construct. What extra might you ask for, Utilizing the S20 FE has me asking the identical query once more: Who wants a flagship anymore? 

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Deputy and cell editor

Max Parker is the Deputy Editor for Trusted Evaluations and Recombu. He additionally immediately manages Trusted Evaluations’ cell, wearables and pill sections. Max joined Trusted Evaluations as a options author in 201…

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