Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Review: A Well-Rounded Low-Cost Flagship

Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE (LTE), which launched final 12 months, has up to now been a stable contender within the low-cost flagship section. Whereas it carried out nicely in most of our assessments, there have been some drawbacks. It did get a bit heat below stress, and its battery life was simply common; each issues that the OnePlus 8T (Review) dealt with higher on the identical worth stage.

In 2021, Samsung selected launching the 5G model of the Galaxy S20 FE (Review) in India, and it is known as the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. It’s principally the identical telephone, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor (and X55 5G modem) as a substitute of the Exynos 990. Does the change to a Qualcomm processor handle the shortcomings we skilled with the LTE variant? Extra importantly, does investing in a smartphone with a year-old processor at this worth stage make sense in 2021? Let’s discover out!

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G worth in India

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is priced at Rs. 47,999 in India. Not like the 4G mannequin, it’s obtainable in a single 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. Consumers can select between Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, and Cloud Lavender finishes. With a aggressive worth, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G takes on the OnePlus 9 (Review), ASUS ROG Phone 5 (First Impressions), and Vivo X60 Pro (Review), all of that are priced beginning at round Rs. 49,999.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G design

There are not any beauty modifications between the 4G and the 5G fashions of the Galaxy S20 FE. The telephone seems to be an identical to the 4G mannequin and has the identical button placement, with the facility and quantity buttons on the appropriate. The first speaker is positioned on the backside, subsequent to the USB Kind-C port and the mic. The earpiece speaker is hidden in a tiny slit on the high finish of the show, and doubles up because the second speaker to supply stereo sound which is loud and clear.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s general design is clear and minimalist

The general design seems to be clear and minimalist, with a colour-matched digital camera module that hardly protrudes from the rear panel. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G has a steel body that is sandwiched between a sheet of show glass on the entrance and a plastic panel on the again. The rear panel is curved to satisfy the body on all 4 sides and has a clean matte end that feels premium. The glass protecting the show is flat, which could have appeared like an odd alternative final 12 months, however feels at residence subsequent to the premium Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ (Review) smartphones which even have flat shows in 2021.

My overview unit got here within the Cloud Mint end, and it showcases a light yellow gradient when seen at an angle. The matte texture is non-slippery and is nice at rejecting fingerprints, however picks up mud fairly simply.

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G, identical to the 4G mannequin, can be rated IP68 for mud and water resistance, which is an enormous deal on condition that a number of competing smartphones (which might be priced a bit larger) don’t supply this.

Samsung Galaxy S20 specs and software program

In comparison with different telephones obtainable at this worth stage at this time, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s processor is principally a 12 months outdated. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor was introduced in 2019 and began exhibiting up in smartphones within the first half of 2020. It was the flagship processor utilized by almost all smartphone producers who had been seeking to push out the primary wave of 5G smartphones in India.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G encompasses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC

Whereas a year-old SoC is not an enormous deal for the informal consumer, the bounce from the Snapdragon 865 processor to the Snapdragon 888 is sort of massive when it comes to efficiency, and different producers supply the latter for less than an extra Rs. 2,000.

Nonetheless, Samsung can justify its pricing as a result of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G provides options that different smartphones on this worth section don’t. The IP68 score will allow you to take your smartphone for a dip in a pool, and 15W wi-fi charging is sort of handy. You’ll be able to even reverse cost different smartphones or equipment at 4.5W. Whereas these options won’t rely as requirements for many customers, they do enhance the premium smartphone expertise.

One UI 3.0 contains a number of Samsung-branded apps

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G runs Samsung’s One UI 3.1, which relies on Android 11. Mixed with the 120Hz refresh charge show, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G felt fairly fluid in every day use. I felt no hiccups in any way when working native apps, third-party apps or switching between the 2. There are many preinstalled Samsung apps. The telephone additionally comes with a number of third-party apps from Microsoft and Fb, however these together with a number of Samsung apps (like Samsung Store, Samsung Members, Samsung World Targets, Notes, Web and so on.) may be uninstalled if not wanted. In the course of the overview interval, I used to be not bombarded with advertisements or promotional notifications. I did obtain the occasional notification from the Galaxy App Retailer, however these may be turned off within the system settings.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G efficiency and battery life

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 could also be a 12 months outdated, nevertheless it’s no slouch and provides dependable flagship-grade efficiency in the case of common duties and gaming. The telephone carried out rather a lot higher than the Exynos 990-powered Galaxy S20 FE in our assessments (though some scores won’t be straight comparable as a consequence of benchmark updates).

AnTuTu reported a rating of 6,41,038, whereas Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core outcomes had been 560 and three,136 respectively. These are larger than what the Exynos-based mannequin managed (4,62,330 in AnTuTu; 517 and a pair of,573 in Geekbench) however are decrease than the efficiency figures we have seen from Snapdragon 888-powered smartphones in the identical worth section.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE within the Cloud Mint end

Asphalt 9: Legends ran easily, with the graphics set to Excessive High quality and 60fps mode enabled. The telephone warmed up a bit throughout gameplay however didn’t get scorching.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 can be fairly able to dealing with a recreation like Name of Obligation: Cellular when it comes to graphics. The sport ran at Very Excessive graphics and body charge with out a hiccup. Nevertheless, I observed some contact sensitivity points and that dampens the expertise in video games that require a excessive diploma of accuracy. There was noticeable lag when enjoying Name of Obligation: Cellular and it seems that the 120Hz show (with a 180Hz contact sampling charge) couldn’t sustain with my fingers. With this incapability to precisely intention at a goal, I ended up shedding a lot of the matches that I performed in the course of the testing course of.

The 6.5-inch Tremendous AMOLED show showcases oversaturated colors when utilizing the default Vivid display mode. Change it to Pure and the colors look fairly boring however I discovered this rather a lot higher. I want there was a preset between the 2 modes which might have delivered colors that had been a bit extra restrained, particularly for watching motion pictures or exhibits.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G encompasses a hole-punch show

The FHD+ decision delivers a crisp 407ppi, which meant that every part from textual content to pictures and movies seemed fairly sharp. Whereas the brightness was ample indoors, the show was barely legible open air below the afternoon solar. Samsung doesn’t point out HDR in its spec sheet, nevertheless it appears to be supported.

Within the show settings, one can regulate the display’s refresh charge, however it will possibly solely be set to 60Hz (for longer battery life) or 120Hz (for a smoother expertise). In the course of the overview interval, I often stored the show working at 120Hz.

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G clocked 18 hours and 22 minutes in our HD video loop battery check, which is sort of good for a premium smartphone. The Exynos mannequin, with the identical 4500mAh battery capability, ran the identical video loop check for 12 hours and 44 minutes, which is a bit low. In extraordinary use, which included working social media apps, checking emails, an hour of calls and an hour or two of gaming with the show set to 120Hz, I often ended the day with about 20-30 p.c left, which is sort of spectacular.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G provides higher battery life than the Exynos-based Galaxy S20 FE

In 2021, it’s a bit shocking to discover a premium Android smartphone with solely a 15W charger within the field. Nonetheless, charging instances weren’t too dangerous, with the battery charging as much as 33 p.c in half-hour, 51 p.c in an hour, and one hundred pc in 1 hour and 38 minutes. The smartphone does help 25W charging, however you’ll have to buy your individual charger.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G cameras

Whereas the digital camera setup stays the identical as on the LTE mannequin, the processor swap from an Exynos 990 to a Snapdragon 865, might result in minor variations in photograph processing and due to this fact the top consequence. So, I made a decision to place the Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s cameras by means of their paces. As anticipated, the outcomes weren’t too totally different from what we noticed in our overview of the 4G mannequin.

The rear module consists of a 12-megapixel f/1.8 wide-angle digital camera, an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto digital camera (3X optical zoom) and a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide digital camera. Selfies are dealt with by a 32-megapixel f/2.2 digital camera that shoots 8-megapixel binned pictures.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s digital camera setup stays the identical as on the LTE mannequin

The digital camera interface stays the identical as on every other premium Samsung telephone working One UI 3.1. There are simply accessible controls that allow you to regulate the side ratio, timer, and flash, and change between cameras. The listing of default modes is customisable and the slots may be swapped and personalised as per a consumer’s necessities.

The video mode helps you to change the video decision with simply two faucets, which is sort of handy. The again panel close to the digital camera module does get a bit scorching when protecting the viewfinder on for about 10 minutes, however cools down shortly when you exit the digital camera app.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G daytime photograph samples. High to backside: Extremely-wide, commonplace, 3X zoom (faucet to see full measurement)

Photographs shot in daylight got here out vibrant, vibrant, and fairly saturated. Whether or not you’re capturing flowers, fruits, and even surroundings, the colors pop fairly a bit, which is typical of most Samsung smartphones. The dynamic vary is sort of good, however HDR processing does go overboard at instances, leading to a dreamy impact. The sharpness and particulars in photographs are fairly spectacular for a smartphone on this worth section. Picture high quality and white steadiness stay constant even when switching between cameras.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G daytime photograph samples. High: 1X zoom, backside: 3X zoom (faucet to see full measurement)

The smartphone encompasses a telephoto digital camera with 3X optical zoom, which shoots crisp pictures in daylight. The identical digital camera additionally doubles up as a macro shooter because it helps you to get nearer to the item in comparison with the first digital camera. That is essential, as there is not any devoted macro digital camera.

Portrait photographs come out fairly clear with good edge detection, however the Galaxy S20 FE 5G falters at instances (with a noticeable halo), when the topic shouldn’t be nonetheless.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Evening Mode digital camera samples. High: Extensive (1X), backside: Extremely-wide (0.5X) (faucet to see full measurement)

Submit sundown, photographs got here out a bit murky with barely lowered dynamic vary within the shadows, however they nonetheless seemed fairly good. The Evening mode takes care of those minor shortcomings and retains streetlights and vibrant spots from getting overexposed, whereas bumping up the brightness and particulars. The telephone shot crisp photographs in low-light scenes when Evening mode was used with the first wide-angle digital camera, however delivered solely satisfactory photographs when used on the ultra-wide-angle digital camera.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G selfie samples. High: Auto mode, backside: Evening mode (faucet to see full measurement)

Selfies in the usual and portrait modes got here out fairly sharp and clear with good edge detection in daylight, however turned out murky and lacked depth in low-light capturing situations. The night time mode can be obtainable on the entrance digital camera and did a superb job of sustaining element and giving a way of depth to the selfies.

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G guarantees rather a lot when it comes to video, and surprisingly delivers when it comes to high quality as nicely. Movies shot at 1080p and 4K (30 and 60fps) with the first rear digital camera got here out crisp and full of element, and had been additionally nicely stabilised when strolling. My solely gripe was with the ultra-wide-angle digital camera, because it tended to overexpose scenes. The selfie digital camera additionally managed movies fairly nicely and provides 1080p and 4K recording choices. 4K video shot with the selfie digital camera lacked stabilisation and seemed fairly jerky. In low-light situations, movies shot at any decision got here out blurry and a bit noisy, however stabilisation was respectable.

Verdict

To the informal consumer, Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE 5G won’t seem like a lot of an improve on condition that it solely provides 5G help to the spec sheet. This might have been high-quality if this telephone had been launched alongside the 4G mannequin in India in 2020, prefer it did in different elements of the world.

We now have reviewed the 4G mannequin and it is easy to inform that the Snapdragon 865 silicon makes fairly a distinction when it comes to efficiency, and likewise would not warmth up as a lot as Samsung’s personal Exynos SoC.

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G could be essentially the most full low-cost flagship providing when it comes to options in the mean time, on condition that it provides optical zoom, wi-fi charging, and an IP68 score. These options, together with its vibrant OLED show, nice cameras, good battery life and stable on a regular basis efficiency make it a compelling choice. Nevertheless, it is laborious to suggest to a gamer given its contact sensitivity points.

If you’re on the lookout for efficiency, there are smartphones just like the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro (Review) and the iQoo 7 Legend that get you the Snapdragon 888 processor and sooner charging from Rs. 39,990. In case you can stretch your finances by Rs. 2,000, there’s the OnePlus 9 (Review), which provides the Snapdragon 888 processor, a superb show that may deal with vibrant daylight, sooner charging, and no contact sensitivity points when gaming.