Flagship smartphone prices have been rising in recent years, and it’s not unusual for companies to charge $1000 or more for a state-of-the-art phone that you’ll probably replace within 2-3 years.
But not everyone wants to spend that kind of money, which is why mid-range phones actually tend to outsell flagships.
So half a year after launching the Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphone for $1000 and up, Samsung is introducing a new version with a starting price of $700. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE cuts a few corners, but it’s still a phone with a Snapdragon 865 processor, 5G support, a 120 Hz display, triple cameras, wireless charging, and other premium features.
The phone features a 6.5 inch, 2400 x 1080 pixel display, which is a step down from the 3200 x 1440 pixel screens in its pricier siblings. But it’s still a display with a high screen refresh rate and for better or worse, there’s still an Infinity-O design (there’s a hole in the screen for the 32MP front-facing camera).
While higher-priced Galaxy S20 series phones are available with as much as 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, the Galaxy S20 FE comes in three configurations:
- 6GB/128GB
- 8GB/128GB
- 8GB/256GB
Samsung also opted for a polycarbonate body for the Galaxy S20. The phone will be available in red, orange, lavender, mint green, navy blue, and white color options.
Overall, it’s basically a more affordable flagship… while still packing flagship-like features.
The Galaxy S20 FE supports fast wired and wireless charging, NFC, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, and sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G. There’s an in-screen fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers with AKG audio, and a 4,500 mAH battery keeps the phone running. There’s also a microSD card reader for cards up to 1TB.
On the back of the phone, there are three cameras:
- 12MP ultra-wide (123 degrees)
- 12MP wide-angle (79 degrees) with optical image stabilization
- 8MP telephoto (3X) with OIS
Samsung says you can use its “Super Resolution Zoom” to take decent shots that are zoomed in as much as 30X.
It’s interesting that Samsung has decided to brand its cheaper flagship with an FE or “Fan Edition” name rather than the traditional “Lite.” The implication is that you’re not settling for less when you buy this phone… even though, you know, it comes with less memory, storage, and pixel density.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is up for pre-order now and it should be widely available starting October 2, 2020.
Just want to mention it also appears to support Samsung Dex.
It’s even better. There’s no stupid curve in the screen which means you can use a decent protective case.