The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, full Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, is the latest addition to the S20 line. This smartphone, which is mainly aimed at the consumer market, is also the cheapest in the line. This low price in combination with its good all-round performance makes the Galaxy S20 FE perhaps the most interesting variant of the Samsung Galaxy S20 for business use. In this review Techzine tells you all about it.
It is the first time that Samsung has launched a more affordable high-end smartphone. Samsung has cut the price of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition by saving on a number of non-essential parts. For example, the materialization is less luxurious and the screen resolution a bit lower. On the other hand, the basic specifications are the same and the extensive functions that we know from the S20 line are still present. That makes this smartphone very interesting for companies that want a solid, reliable, complete and fast smartphone for their employees. In many cases, the fact that something is lost in luxury will not make much difference.
As with its other high-end smartphones, Samsung offers a 4G and 5G version of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. The device that we are discussing here is the 5G variant, which is also the most interesting in our opinion. Apart from the support for 5G networks, Samsung also uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC in this device, which is a bit faster and, above all, more efficient. Those two factors together are well worth the additional cost of around 70 euros.
Important specifications
| Screen | 6.5 ″ AMOLED, 1080 × 2400 pixels. 120Hz refresh rate |
| Network support | 4G of 5G |
| Processor | Samsung Exynos 990 (2,73GHz octacore; 4G-versie) of Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (2,84GHz octacore; 5G-versie) |
| Memory | 6GB / 8GB RAM, 128GB / 256GB storage space |
| Accu | 4500mAh, 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging |
| Software | Android 10 met OneUI 2.5 |
| Camera | 12 megapixel main camera, 8 megapixel 3x zoom camera, 12 megapixel ultra wide camera. 32 megapixel front camera |
Design: solidity over luxury
To save money on the design of a high-end smartphone, two options are possible: cut functionality or opt for less luxury. Samsung has done the latter with the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition and that actually works out very well. The glass back and sublime finish of the Galaxy S20 has been exchanged for a plastic back and slightly rougher design without curved screen edges. Less beautiful, but it even has its advantages. The chance that you will end up with a broken back is minimal. The screen is easier to protect and because the device is stiffer, it is easier to hold. The frame of the device is still made of aluminum for extra strength and still a little feeling of luxury.
More importantly, many important parts of the design have been preserved. The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, for example, is still fully IP68 water resistant, has stereo speakers and is equipped with a pretty good fingerprint scanner in the display. The screen edges are small and the same goes for the punch hole notch at the top of the screen. The latter does have a disadvantage, by the way: Samsung has one, just like with the Galaxy A51 placed a small shiny border around it. This is certainly a distraction from the content that is displayed on the screen in direct sunlight.
Overall, the design of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is very neat. It’s not as luxurious as many other high-end smartphones, but it is sturdy and complete. In addition, Samsung offers the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition in many colors, so there is something for everyone.
Large and fast screen
The display of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is somewhat larger than that of the regular S20: 6.5 inches compared to 6.2 inches. At the same time, the resolution has gone down from Quad HD + to Full HD +. You can see that difference, especially since the amoled screen uses a PenTile pixel format. We are used to that somewhat lower resolution in this class, and it is not really disturbing.
More importantly, the Galaxy S20 FE still has a very nice screen. The refresh rate is very high at 120Hz; the display has a high brightness and infinite contrast, and the color reproduction is fine. Samsung has chosen to adjust the panel quite cold, so that colors appear even more splashy. That looks flashy, but is at the same time a bit less realistic.
Performance: Better than the S20
Funnily enough, the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is even better than that of its more expensive brothers. This has to do with the chipset: Samsung traditionally uses its own Exynos chipset in Europe in its top smartphones. However, in the case of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition 5G, the manufacturer has also opted for a Snapdragon 865 chipset in Europe. That is still the fastest Android chip at the moment, and it slightly outperforms the Exynos 990 chip in the 4G variant of this smartphone and the rest of the S20 line. The only downside in terms of performance is that the basic version of the S20 FE only has 6GB of RAM. During our test period, that did not cause any problems, but it is on the tight side for those who perform many heavy tasks on their smartphone.
The Snapdragon chipset is not only a bit faster, it is also more efficient. You will notice that: with the 4500mAh battery you can easily get through the day. With a little effort, we even managed to do two days on one battery charge, which is exceptional for a high-end Samsung device. We have no experience with the 4G variant of the Galaxy S20 FE. We expect its battery performance to be slightly below the 5G version, but still well above that of the regular Galaxy S20 due to the lower screen resolution and larger battery.
The 25W fast charging function of the phone is relatively slow for the price range, but given the long battery life of the device, that’s not a big problem. Wireless charging is possible up to 15W and the Galaxy S20FE can also reverse wireless charging to power your earbuds or watch, for example.
Well-known software
There is little new under the sun on the software side. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition still runs on Android 10 with Samsung’s OneUI software over it. That is a fairly highly adapted shell, but one with many advantages. Functionally, Samsung has added a lot and graphically the OneUI looks nice.
Business wise, the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition also scores well in terms of software. Samsung’s Knox platform gives IT administrators comprehensive tools to manage and secure devices within the company. In terms of hardware, this is linked to a secure storage chip where sensitive data is stored. With Samsung DeX, the entire smartphone can be accessed via the computer and even partially used, including all files and folders. Files and text can simply be dragged or copied from the computer to the phone and vice versa.
Finally, Samsung’s update policy is very good these days. Samsung promised this summer to keep all its devices in the S and Note series up to date for at least three years, which means that with the Galaxy S20 FE you will at least receive Android 13. Few Android manufacturers make that promise.
Three good cameras
On the back of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition are three cameras: a 12-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel camera with a 3x zoom lens and a 12-megapixel camera with a wide-angle lens. No nonsensical depth sensors or macro cameras that deliver hardly usable photos, but just three cameras that are useful.
The good news is that all three sensors also deliver good photos. In good light, the main camera can capture significantly more details than the other two cameras. That makes sense, because it is the best sensor. However, the overall look of the photos, including the colors and the dynamic range, is similar for all cameras and that’s neat.
As soon as it gets dark, that image changes, the wide-angle and zoom camera clearly lag behind. There, this S20 Fan Edition stands out from the best camera phones, but that is to be expected for this money. The main camera also takes beautiful and detailed photos in low light thanks to a good night mode, which makes the camera system of the smartphone suitable for all-round use. Strong work from Samsung, so.
At the front is a 32-megapixel camera that also has a night mode, but does not benefit much from it. In the dark, the photos you take with it are acceptable, but not particularly good. In good lighting conditions, the front camera scores well, and the camera is also more than sufficient for video meetings.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition has received some significant downgrades from the rest of the S20 line. The luxurious design of glass and aluminum has been replaced by a more sober design with a plastic back, the screen resolution has been reduced to full HD + and the working memory with 6GB is not particularly spacious for a high-end smartphone. The savings on the basis of the suggested retail price are substantial: around 250 euros. In practice, the difference is still a few tens and the price is therefore not an important argument.
Still, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is certainly a good choice. Despite its lower price, the smartphone even scores better than the regular Galaxy S20 due to the excellent battery and improved performance. Important features of the S20 line such as the waterproof housing, the beautiful screen, the excellent camera and 3 year update warranty are still present on the Fan Edition. The smartphone does not have any real disadvantages, although we would have liked the notch to be surrounded by a shiny edge. The RAM of only 6GB in the basic version is on the tight side, but will not cause any real problems for most users. In short, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is an excellent all-round smartphone. Despite the confusing name of the device, that judgment also applies to the business user.
9
- Beautiful screen
- Extensive feature set
- 3 year update guarantee
- Great battery
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- Shiny border around selfie camera
- 6GB of RAM in basic version
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