Hayato Huseman is from the central region of the world.
There has been a stigma about using plastic in high-end phones. Consumers have come to expect more luxurious materials like metal and glass, which are more fragile than plastic, and have a more premium feel.
I shy away from devices with the word polycarbonate on their spec sheets. I was hesitant to try the Note 20 because of that. My concerns about creakiness and a cheap in-hand feel were gone once my review unit came in. Since the days when plastic flagships were commonplace, build quality has vastly improved, and the Note 20 felt just as solid as any other phone I'd tested in recent memory.
The story is similar to the S20 FE. This phone is the latest in the crusade to dominate every pricing tier with a well-rounded device that makes the appropriate sacrifice while maintaining the company's standards for quality and performance. It's like any other phone in the S20 lineup, save for a plastic back and a flat display, and it's much cheaper.
For the rest of us, it's great news that it means trouble for other affordable flagship manufacturers. The S20 FE is one of the best phones we recommend to anyone because of its unbeatable value. The S21 FE could replace it in January.
The S20 FE has everything you'd expect from a more expensive model, with high-end specifications and impressive cameras. The back of the phone is made of sturdy plastic and the screen is flat, which means less accidental touches.
Flat 120Hz display is great.
All day battery life.
Three years of software updates.
The cameras have 3x optical zoom.
Sturdy design with fun colors.
Not every option is available.
The camera can be slow to load.
Hayato Huseman is from the central region of the world.
The single configuration of the S20 FE in the U.S. is 128 gigabytes of storage and 6 gigabytes of RAM for $699.99. Since its launch, it has been on sale many times, reaching as low as $600. You can get up to $275 off of the phone's total cost if you trade in your existing device.
There are six different colors to choose from: Cloud Navy, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Orange, Cloud Red and Cloud White. As we get closer to the S21 FE launch, it's harder to find specific colors like Cloud Red, but you'll always find some stock if you aren't picky about colors.
What I like about the S20.
Hayato Huseman is from the central region of the world.
The S20 FE will feel right at home for anyone who's used an S20 series device before. It's slightly larger than the baseline S20, but it's still a reasonable size with the same footprint as the S20+ and a nearly identical design language. The main difference is the plastic backing, which comes in a variety of vibrant, almost pastel colors.
The plastic on the S5 was flimsy. The S20 FE feels just as solid as the rest of the S20 lineup, thanks in no small part to the aluminum frame, and likely won't crack if dropped. It's easy to forget that the S20 series was glossy, but this is a very welcome change.
The color options on the S20 FE are really nice. Instead of having a physical briefing, I was sent one of every color for photo purposes, which gave me a chance to really appreciate each shade without relying on heavily touched-up photos. The Cloud Mint is my favorite and it matches my guitar, but they're all gorgeous, muted colors that add a fun element to the phone.
The curved glass on the front of the S20 FE was replaced by a flat display that is a massive improvement over the old one. In exchange, you'll experience zero accidental touches, but the screen will be slightly larger. The 120Hz refresh rate on the FE makes every action on the screen feel smooth.
The category is called
The S20 is a FE.
The operating system is used.
OneUI 3.1 is the oneUI.
There is a display.
The Super AMOLED has a 20:9 aspect ratio.
A processor.
It was the same as the one from the previous year, the one from the previous decade, the one from the previous decade, the one from the previous decade, the one from the previous decade, the one from the previous decade, the one from the previous decade, the one from the
There is memory.
There is 6GB of RAM.
There is storage.
128 gigabytes.
Storage that can be expanded.
Yes, up to 1TB.
There is a rear camera.
12MP, /1.8, 1.8m.
12MP, /2.2, 1.12m.
8MP, /2.4, 1.0m.
The front camera has something on it.
32MP, /2.2, 0.8m.
There is security.
The sensor has optical fingerprints.
There is a battery.
5000mAh.
Water resistance.
Ip68
There are dimensions.
159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4mm
The weight.
190g.
There are colors.
Cloud Navy, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Orange, Cloud Red, and Cloud White.
There is only one configuration of the S20 FE in the US, with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM, and it's also the only one that's consumer-friendly. I think 128GB is fine for most people, especially since you can expand it with microSD, and the 6GB of RAM is a step down from the 8GB and up on the rest of the S20 series.
It's amazing how much the Fan Edition was able to fit in with the rest of the S20 lineup, despite the starting price being $300 below the retail value of its peers. The same gorgeous Super AMOLED display tech, the same gorgeous OneUI 3.1 experience, and the same gorgeous Snapdragon
I've spent a lot of time with the devices this year, and this one is no different from the rest; performance is top-notch, and there are plenty of software perks like Edge Panels and Wireless DeX, which were first introduced on the Note 20 and Note.
The S20 FE had great battery life. The phone was able to last through each day without a problem after 10 days of testing. It averaged between 5 and 7 hours of screen-on time. The S20 FE supports 25W Fast Charging, but only the 15W brick is included in the box.
Hayato Huseman is from the central region of the world.
The S20 FE has three rear cameras in a standard grouping. The main sensor on the S20 is the same one found on the standard S20, and it has all of the typical qualities you'd expect from a standard S20. A strong tendency to lift shadows, and a preference for warm tones are some of the qualities of deeply saturated colors.
It's great for most of the time, and the majority of users will love the photos it takes. If you're a pickier photographer, you can take control of the haloing effect in bright outdoor lighting or the strong HDR effect that flattens daytime shots by changing to a manual shooting mode.
The S20 FE has an accurate 3X sensor that can reach up to 30X through Space zoom, which is a combination of optical and digital zoom.
I've still been very happy with the main sensor, even though it isn't as sharp as the telephoto one. Digital zoom on the primary sensor helps fill out the 2X gap between cameras, and it's great for snapping a closer shot without a second thought.
The ultra-wide seems to be almost the same as every other high-end phone that has been released this year, which isn't a bad thing. The S20 FE does a good job of minimalizing barrel distortion, but haloing is worse on the ultra-wide.
What I don't like is the S20 FE.
Hayato Huseman is from the central region of the world.
The S20 FE feels like any other S20 model, but it isn't without its flaws. When you're running multiple heavy apps in split-screen view, the reduced 6GB of RAM can hang up at times. I've found that the S20 FE is slow to launch and lag for the first couple of seconds. It takes a second to miss a shot.
It's odd that the S20 FE only has a 15W charge in the box. Even the maximum supported 25W is a bit slim by today's standards, but I'm not sure if there was a massive cost savings in reducing the in-box charging speeds.
If you're a fan of glass backs and curved screens, the S20 FE will feel like a downgrade from the baseline S20. The build quality of the S20 FE is good. I switched over to the S20 FE from the other devices, and I never once wished the S20 FE had used different materials.
The competition is between the S20 and the FE.
Hayato Huseman is from the central region of the world.
The flat Full HD display and similar design of theGalaxy S21 is very similar to that of theGalaxy S20 FE, which costs just $100 more. The S21 and S20 FE are pretty much the same, but the S20 FE is cheaper since it has a microSD slot. It has a bigger display and battery. The S21 has a more powerful processor, 2 extra gigabytes of RAM, and one more planned OS update. The S20 FE is a good alternative because the S21 tends to sell out more frequently.
The S20 FE is in direct competition with devices like the OnePlus 9 and the Pixel 6. The S20 FE has a distinct advantage over the OnePlus 9 in terms of pricing and carrier incentives, with its better cameras, faster updates, and wider availability in the U.S.
The S20 FE's most deadly competitor could be the Pixel 6 which costs $100 less at launch. The new chip gives the Pixel 6 snazzy tools, powerful camera processing, and more. In terms of raw performance, the S20 FE's Snapdragon and the Pixel 6 Tensor are pretty much the same. The S20 FE has a larger and brighter display than the Pixel 6.
The toughest competitors to the S20 FE haven't come out yet. We expect the S21 FE to arrive in January 2022, followed by the S22 in January 2020. The S21 FE is rumored to have a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 64MP camera sensor, and between 6 and 12GB of RAM. The S22 will have an upgraded processor but a smaller 6.06-inch display.
Hayato Huseman is from the central region of the world.
You do not need fancy build materials.
If you're looking for a phone with a curved glass design, you won't find it here. The S20 FE uses an aluminum frame for its back panel, but uses a different material for it.
You want the S20 experience for less than four figures.
The S20 FE was designed for a slightly tighter budget. You'll still get all of the great features you'd expect on an S20, including great cameras, 5G support, and a gorgeous 120Hz display, without having to spend an arm and a leg to get there.
You want a long battery life.
The S20 FE comes with a battery that is more than enough to provide all-day longevity, even with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled. The 15W brick included in the box will keep you topped up without a problem, even if you need to provide your own charger to reach the full 25W charging speeds.
If you buy this, you should not.
You want the best.
The S20 FE is almost half the price of the Note 20 Ultra and S21 Ultra, but it still lacks some premium features like S Pen support, foldable display tech, and massive new cameras.
The same level of quality and performance you'd expect from a modern device is offered by theGalaxy S20 FE. The S20 FE is a better value than the other flagship devices, and it has a bigger screen for less.
The six colors give you some vibrant style, which you can take even further with the bestGalaxy S20 FE cases for a unique experience that's bold and unique, inside and out. The S20 FE is one of the better deals from the company.
The more expensive S20 variant offers almost everything you'd find on the more affordable S20 FE, with a plastic design. It has three great cameras, excellent battery life, and years of guaranteed software updates.
The article was published in October 2020. The following changes were made in June 2021.
Links to reflect retailer availability have been updated.
The competition section has been updated to include the new phones.
The mentions of OneUI 2.5 to OneUI 3.1 have been deleted.
The following changes were made in November 2021.
Links to reflect retailer availability have been updated.
The competition section has been updated to include the new phones.
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