Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Galaxy S20: Which should you buy?

The Galaxy S20 FE, or Fan Edition, is Samsung’s attempt at taking on the affordable flagship segment. With smartphone prices shooting up with every successive generation, the category dominated by OnePlus and Xiaomi has become increasingly important. But does the phone make the right compromises compared to the full-featured Galaxy S20? Heading towards 2022, which phone is the right choice for you? Let’s find out in our Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Galaxy S20 comparison!

Specs

Design

The Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 FE are very different beasts, yet there’s a distinct uniformity in design despite the obvious gulf in prices.

The button layout remains more or less the same, and unfortunately, so does the lack of a headphone jack across the two phones.

Switching over to the display, things get a bit more interesting. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is directly aimed at the affordable flagship market where larger screen sizes are the norm. Compared to the 6.20-inch panel on the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 FE has a larger 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display, but there’s a catch.

To cut costs, the Galaxy S20 FE uses a Full HD+ panel compared to the QHD screen on the S20. Additionally, you’ll find Gorilla Glass 3 for protection instead of the Gorilla Glass 6 on the S20.

Read more: Gorilla Glass vs Dragontail Glass vs tempered glass and beyond

Both phones, however, make use of a 120Hz display which should ensure a slick user experience. Further, both phones are IP68 rated, include stereo speakers, and sport in-display fingerprint scanners.

In fact, buyers might prefer the generally quicker and more reliable optical fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S20 FE over the ultrasonic fingerprint reader in the regular Galaxy S20.

Features

The Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20 FE are both powered by either a Snapdragon 865 chipset or the Exynos 990 depending on the region you are in. Elsewhere, the Galaxy S20 ships with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard.

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, on the other hand, can be configured with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and can come with as much as 256GB of storage, which makes it a bit more versatile for those who need additional storage. Both phones sport microSD card slots for storage expansion too.

All in all, the user experience should be very similar if not identical across the two phones. Samsung has done a great job with One UI over the last few years, delivering excellent optimization for the hardware.

This time around, the company is even promising three years of Android updates which should help allay any fears regarding support.

There are a few differences on the imaging side of things, but here too, there’s more in common than not. The primary shooter is the same 12MP sensor on both phones. Meanwhile, the ultrawide camera is once again the same 12MP sensor as well.

While the Galaxy S20 opts for a 64MP sensor to deliver 3x hybrid zoom, the Galaxy S20 FE sports an 8MP sensor combined with 3x optical zoom. On paper, this might just deliver sharper results at the telephoto end, but we’ll have to test that in our full review.

On the video side of things, the Galaxy S20 FE drops support for 8K video capture, but that shouldn’t be a major concern for most buyers.

Finally, there are differences in Samsung’s approach towards the battery on the two phones. The Galaxy S20 ships with a 4,000mAh cell that netted us about six hours of screen on time. We expect the Galaxy S20 FE to last a bit longer on account of its larger 4,500mAh battery and lower-resolution display.

However, when it comes to charging, the Galaxy S20 takes the lead with its faster 25W charging support. The Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, manages just 15W which isn’t particularly great. Wireless charging on both phones tops off at 15W.

Price

The Samsung Galaxy S20 was initially priced at $999 in the United States. Over in the UK, the phone also got a slightly more affordable 4G version that was priced at £799/€899, a full £100/€100 cheaper than the 5G variant.

However, the phone is no longer available directly from Samsung.com. While it might be possible to find deals or refurbished units from online retailers, the fresher Samsung Galaxy S21 is available for the same $799 making it a far better value for most buyers. 

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is priced starting at $699 in the United States, while in the United Kingdom, you will be able to opt for a 4G-only or a 5G version of the phone. While the 5G model costs £699, the 4G-only model is priced at £599. Similarly, in Europe, the 4G-only Galaxy S20 FE starts at €659, while the 5G version costs €759.

Interestingly, Samsung started fielding the Snapdragon 865 equipped variant in India as the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. The phone commands a premium over the regular Galaxy S20 FE, and is priced at Rs. 47,999. The phone presents itself as an interesting in-between model between the two other phones.  

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Samsung Galaxy S20: Which should you buy?

Samsung has done a stellar job at creating a ‘greatest hits’ version of the Galaxy S20 with the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. The latter brings all the key features of the flagship to a much more affordable starting price. Of course, compromises have been made to hit the price point. This includes a lower resolution display, slower charging, and the lack of 8K recording support.

These are, however, minor niggles in an otherwise stellar package. Your decision between the two phones is mostly dependent on cost savings. Now that the Galaxy S20 is heavily discounted in the US, the Fan Edition might not be nearly as appealing to some users. Buyers should also keep an eye out for the Samsung Galaxy S21 that retails for $799. 

In markets like India though, the Galaxy S20 still commands a steep Rs. 70499 which makes the Fan Edition an appealing option for anyone looking to buy a new high-end smartphone. And if you need an in-between option, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G variant is yet another option to consider. 

However, now in late 2021, you might also consider waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE which is expected to bring the best of the S21 to a whole new price point. 

Which phone do you think comes out on top in the Galaxy S20 FE vs Galaxy S20 battle? Let us know in the comments!