Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G review: Future-ready premium phone
After launching the 4G-LTE variant Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (FE) with Exynos chipset in late 2020, Samsung recently introduced the 5G version with a superior Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 series silicon in India.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G comes in 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration for Rs 55,999. But, it can be bought for less on Amazon, Samsung and other authorised stores through partner bank card offers and also there are lucrative exchange deals as well. It can be bought for as low as Rs 42,299.
I have reviewed the 4G-LTE model and it was a pretty good premium phone and now, this 5G variant is touted to be better in terms of performance. Everything else such as design, photography hardware, and battery capacity is the same. Here're my thoughts on the Galaxy S20 FE 5G.
Design, build quality and display
Like the 4G model, Samsung's Galaxy S20 FE 5G borrows several design traits of the ultra-premium S20 series.
It flaunts a large curved rectangular camera module at the top left corner. The protrusion is negligible compared to the expensive models, and slip into the pant pockets with ease.
Samsung has done a fabulous job of crafting translucent polycarbonate material on the back a frosty glass finish. Our Cloud Navy colour review unit looks premium and lovely to the eyes. The rear shell blends beautifully with the sturdy aluminium frame.
Furthermore, the back panel sweaty fingerprint smudges and saves us the time of cleaning it constantly.
Besides the Cloud Navy, Samsung also offers the device in five more colours--Cloud Red, Cloud Orange, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, and Cloud White. All of them are really gorgeous to look at.
On the front, Samsung has equipped top-notch quality displays into Galaxy S20 FE 5G. It features a 6.5-inch full HD+ (2400 × 1080p) super AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 407ppi (pixels per inch) and supports a 120Hz display refresh rate. I had a great time reading the news, watching documentaries and playing Asphalt 9 series.
As far as durability is concerned, it comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield on the front panel. Also, it comes with an IP68 rating, meaning S20 FE 5G can sustain up to 1.5 meters (around five feet) underwater for close to 30 minutes.
Performance
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G is powered by Qualcomm's 7nm class Snapdragon 865 octa-core (1 x 2.84GHz Kryo 585 + 3 x 2.42 GHz Kryo 585 + 4 x1.8 GHz Kryo 585) processor with Adreno 650 graphics engine, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.
Whatever you do, be it operating camera, browsing web, playing games, it does the job without any fuzz. In short, it works smoothly and did not face any over-heating issues under normal usage.
On Geekbench 5.0 benchmarking app, it scored a respectable 899 and 3,163 on single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.
It currently runs Android 11-based One UI and the interface is clean. The only qualm I have with this phone is the ads on the notification bar. They get flooded through the day and I used to ignore them and just delete them with a single tap on the clear button at the bottom.
On the bright side, there are reports that Samsung may release a software update to put an end to ads, which get released through pre-installed apps in the phones.
Also, the Galaxy S20 FE is eligible to get a new Android 12 in the coming months and also is guaranteed to receive Android 13 (or whatever Google likes to call it) in 2022.
With support for 5G, this Samsung phone is future-ready. It comes with a Qualcomm X55 modem with support for Sub-6 bands in 9 different frequencies.
Whenever the infrastructure gets ready in India, consumers will be able to experience super-fast internet and enjoy buffer-free high-quality (4K or more) content on the go.
It houses a 4,500mAh battery and consistently offered a full day's battery life with more than 30 per cent juice before I could retire to the bed.
It supports up to 25W fast charging, fast wireless charging 15W, and reverse wireless charging 4.5W
The phone comes with Power Delivery 3.0 USB port and it takes a little over two hours to fully charge from zero to 100 per cent.
Photography
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G comes with a triple camera module--main 12MP (with f/1.8 aperture, PDAF: Phase detection Auto Focus, 1.12μm Pixel Size, 79-degree FOV: Field-Of-View, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation), backed by 8MP Telephoto lens (with 32-degree FoV, f/2.4 aperture, Dual Pixel AF, 1.8μm Pixel Size, PDAF, OIS) and a 12MP 123-degree ultra-wide sensor (with 1.0μm Pixel Size, f/2.2 aperture) with Tracking AF, 3X Optical Zoom, up to 30x Super-Resolution Zoom and LED flash.
It takes beautiful shots in the natural sunlight and even in low-lit environments.
In the night mode, it manages to reproduce the natural colour of objects such as coconut tree leaves and other objects at the neighbouring rooftops.
Even with digital zoom mode, it takes praiseworthy pictures up to 10X, beyond that noise begins to accumulate in the frame. But having said that the images do retain the distinction of an object, which is enough for the user to understand what has been captured in a photo. This is exactly the kind of tech I like to see in the premium phones and the Galaxy S20 FE 5G aces it. However, I do have one piece of advice for consumers. Use this zoom feature to explore the wildlife and not for prying on neighbours.
For instance, in the sample photos below, we initially don't see any clear structure atop the hill, but as we zoom in, we can see the temple with a gold-hued gopura and a yellow water tank.
On the front, it features a 32MP camera with an 80-degree wide-angle lens and f/2.0 aperture. It takes pretty good selfies and offers various fun editing tools, which can truly liven up the sombre photography sessions.
Final thoughts:
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is a pretty solid flagship phone. It has a powerful processor, premium build quality and is one of the best displays on a phone in the industry. The camera too is also praise-worthy.
Furthermore, it comes with more advantages such as four years of security software support (to thwart cyber threats) and is assured to get three major Android OS updates. This is on par with Google's premium Pixel phones, which by the way are not available in India.
If you manage to keep the Galaxy S20 FE away from any physical damage, it will serve you well for at least three years. Also, with the support for 5G, this device is a reliable future-ready phone.
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