Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G - Bright OLED Display

This one is dedicated to the fans! Or for chemical students who are fascinated by iron alloys?

To say the least, it isn't light. 

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G is the device in question (or Fan Edition). 

The newest member of the S20 family has a few spec tweaks to meet a lower price point, but it still has enough critical features to earn the S-series label.

One of them is the high-end chipset, and it's worth noting that not all FEs are created equal - there's a 5G capable version and an LTE capable version. 

The 4G only model follows the normal regional variations, with some regions receiving the Exynos 990 and others receiving the Snapdragon 865 in their FEs.

The 5G model, on the other hand, is Snapdragon-only this time, regardless of location. 

This is the model we'll be looking at, though we may stop using the term '5G' for the rest of the evaluation.

The Fan Edition has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display, which falls between the S20 and S20+ in terms of screen size. 

Even though it isn't HDR10+ certified and has a FullHD resolution compared to its QHD counterparts, Samsung has kept the 120Hz refresh rate.

1- Specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.8x74.5x8.4mm, 190g, (Glass front, plastic back, aluminum frame), IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.5" Super AMOLED, 1080x2400px resolution.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+): Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz & 3x2.42 GHz & 4x1.8 GHz (Kryo 585)).
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 10, One UI 2.5.
• Rear camera: 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.76", Wide (main)  .
• Telephoto: 8 MP, f/2.4, 73mm, 1/4.5", 1.0µm, 3x optical zoom; 
• (Ultra wide-angle): 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 13mm, 1/3.0", 1.12µm; LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama.
• Front camera: 32 MP, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", HDR.
• Video capture:  (4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS) Rear camera; (4K, 1080p) Front camera.
• Battery: 4500mAh, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W, USB Power Delivery 3.0.

2- Unboxing:

The S20 FE's box is also Fan Edition; unlike the actual flagships, it's not black. 

The thick cardboard is still there, only now it's white, and the S20 name is emblazoned on the front, just like the non-FEs. 

There are a lot of emoji-like impressions, which aren't on the ordinary S20 or Note20 packaging.

On the inside, there's special care as well, but it's not the good sort. 

Apart from the phone, you'll only get an adapter and a cable in the accessories bundle. Even worse, it's the lame Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 compatible Adaptive Fast Charging unit - 15W max, USB-A out.

Non-fans are given a 25W converter and earphones, but the budget for this one didn't allow for such extravagance.

3- Design:

The central punch hole in the display and the camera configuration on the back give the Galaxy S20 FE a signature Samsung design. 

Despite its evident brand affiliation, the Fan Edition falls short of giving off an S-series atmosphere, instead of giving off an 'A' vibe.

The Fan Edition, for example, has bigger bezels all around, and we all know that nothing shouts "luxury" like minimal bezels. 

The black frame around the display isn't particularly thick. It's just that it's not up to the same 'flagship-grade' standards as the other S20s.

A curved screen is another sign of a high-end phone, particularly in Samsung's universe. 

The S20 phones still feature a millimeter of a slanted edge on the sides, even though the impact has been reduced in previous versions. 

The FE, on the other hand, is completely flat.

The Galaxy S20 FE is 2mm shorter than the S20+ at 159.8x74.5x8.4mm, but 0.8mm broader and 0.6mm thicker. 

While the height difference is barely visible, the increased thickness, a minor increase in width, and flat front all combine to give the phone a boxier in-hand feel when compared to the S20+ - although the S20+ has a larger display.

- 6.5-inch AMOLED isn't Dynamic, still 120Hz:

The Galaxy S20 FE has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display, however, it lacks the 'Dynamic' branding that the other S20s and Note20 Ultra have. 

So it's similar to the vanilla Note20, but better: it offers a 120Hz refresh rate, unlike the plain Note.

FullHD (1080x2400px in a 20:9 aspect ratio for a pixel density of 393ppi) is the resolution. 

You might argue that it's a degradation compared to the 1440p panels on the other S20s, but you could also argue that it's the same - after all, the non-FEs' display resolution is equally locked at 1080p when operated at 120Hz.

Color reproduction is handled in a Samsung-like fashion.

Natural and Vivid are the two options available. 

Natural is optimized for sRGB content, and our set of sRGB test swatches had an average dE2000 of 2.4, which is very accurate, but others have done much better. 

This model has a distinct lack of 'pop,' which is to be expected.

4- battery life:

The Galaxy S20 FE has a 4,500mAh battery, which is the same as the S20+ and Note20 Ultra. 

To be clear, we're testing the 5G version of the Fan Edition, which means it has the Snapdragon 865 CPU instead of the Exynos chipset used in most Galaxy review units. 

We tested the S20 FE in both 120Hz and 60Hz modes, with the lack of sophisticated adaptive refresh rate switching making our lives easier.

Topics may interest you:

• Best Ways To Make Money Online
• HP Spectre x360 - Beautiful Design
• Best Skills To Make Money Online In 2022
• Dell XPS 8940 - Excellent Performance

- Battery charging:

With Samsung's USB PowerDelivery with PPS adaptor, the Galaxy S20 FE allows fast wired charging up to 25W. 

The catch here is that the phone comes with an obsolete Qualcomm QC2.0-compliant 15W adaptor - even the S10 Lite came with the necessary 25W charger!

Anyway, we obtained a full charge from the flat in 1:35h with only 37% in the battery indicator at the half-hour point using the included adaptor. 

If you buy Samsung's 25W charger separately, or if you have a PPS-capable third-party charger that goes to 25W or above, you may expect a much better 57 percent in 30 minutes and an acceptable 1:10h to a full charge.

5- OneUI 2.5 and Android 10, three OS updates:

The S20 FE runs on the same OneUI 2.5 that was first introduced on the Note20 and eventually rolled out to the S20s and last year's flagships. 

It isn't significantly different from the 2.1 version or the simple 2.0 version. In any event, Android 10 is running beneath the in-house overlay, and the FE is one of the phones that will receive three major OS updates - thus Android 13 is the final version.

With a pair of shortcuts in the lower corners and notification icons beneath a clock, the lock screen is a familiar picture. 

Of course, the always-on display is available, and it may be turned on at any time, according to a daily schedule, or when called up with a tap.

The fingerprint icon can be made visible on the AoD, but even if it isn't, the phone is on alert and will unlock if your finger is placed in the correct area. 

The sensor is lower on the FE than it is on the other S20s, but that's not a major concern because you're unlikely to convert from an S20 to an S20 FE.

- Triple camera is kinda different, but doesn't disappoint:

The camera setup on the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition differs from that on the S20 and S20+. 

That is, two of the three modules are distinct, while the main unit remains the same. 

Behind an f/1.8 aperture lens is a 12MP sensor with large 1.8m pixels. Dual pixel autofocus and image stabilization are also included in the list of features.

The extreme wide-angle cam has a little bigger field of view than the other S20s, albeit at 123 degrees vs. 120 degrees, and with the software correction included, the difference isn't significant. 

The aperture on this one is f/2.2 as on the other models, and exactly like them, it has no autofocus. 

The resolution is also the same: 12MP. 

The biggest difference here is pixel and sensor size: the FE has lesser pixels at 1.12m on a smaller 1/3" sensor, compared to the S20 and S20+ spec sheet's 1.4m and 1/2.55" values.

Then it's on to the telephoto.

The FE has an 8MP telephoto camera with a 76mm equivalent focal length. 

That's around 2.9x zoom, which can pass for 3x in our book, measured from the main camera's 26mm focal length. 

This camera has a modest 1.0m pixel size and an f/2.4 aperture lens.

Compare that to the S20 'tele' 1.07x optical zoom and 64MP resolution, which uses software to zoom.

6- The competition:

Context is extremely crucial with the Galaxy S20 FE, even more so than with most other phones. 

It has a flagship chipset inside, a 120Hz Super AMOLED display with excellent battery life for the combination, and a powerful camera system, all housed in an IP68-rated chassis. 

Okay, that's not a big deal; some phones fit into that category.

The important thing is that they're either much more expensive or have a regional appeal. 

What is the S20 FE? That is available worldwide for a fraction of the cost of a true flagship.

7- Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• IP68 dust and water resistance, as well as several color options
• Super AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate.
• Excellent battery life.
• In Europe, getting the 5G variant gets you a Snapdragon-powered Galaxy.
• The ultra-wide and tele cameras aren't as bad as they appear when compared to the other S20s; in fact, the triple camera system as a whole is mostly excellent.

Cons:

• Comes with a 15W slow charger.
• While the plastic back appears to be fine, it is the polar opposite of 'luxury.'
• No autofocus for selfies, and the front camera's portrait mode is inconsistent.
• Video recording in4K resolution is uninteresting.

Conclusion:

With optical zoom, wireless charging, and an IP68 rating, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G may be the most complete low-cost flagship offering at the moment in terms of features.

These features, as well as its bright OLED display, excellent cameras, long battery life, and reliable everyday performance, make it an appealing choice.

Thank you for spending some time reading my content. We hope it helped you...