Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE (LTE), which launched final 12 months, has to date been a strong contender within the low-cost flagship section. Whereas it carried out nicely in most of our checks, there have been some drawbacks. It did get a bit heat beneath stress, and its battery life was simply common; each issues that the OnePlus 8T (Review) dealt with higher on the identical value 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 mainly the identical cellphone, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor (and X55 5G modem) as an alternative of the Exynos 990. Does the change to a Qualcomm processor maintain the shortcomings we skilled with the LTE variant? Extra importantly, does investing in a smartphone with a year-old processor at this value stage make sense in 2021? Let’s discover out!
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G value in India
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is priced at Rs. 47,999 in India. Not like the 4G mannequin, it’s out there in a single 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. Consumers can select between Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, and Cloud Lavender finishes. With a aggressive value, 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 adjustments between the 4G and the 5G fashions of the Galaxy S20 FE. The cellphone seems equivalent to the 4G mannequin and has the identical button placement, with the ability and quantity buttons on the proper. 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 prime 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 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 masking the show is flat, which could have appeared like an odd alternative final 12 months, however feels at dwelling subsequent to the premium Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ (Review) smartphones which even have flat shows in 2021.
My evaluation 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 a giant deal on condition that a number of competing smartphones (which might be priced a bit greater) don’t provide this.
Samsung Galaxy S20 specs and software program
In comparison with different telephones out there at this value stage at this time, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s processor is mainly a 12 months previous. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor was introduced in 2019 and began displaying up in smartphones within the first half of 2020. It was the flagship processor utilized by almost all smartphone producers who had been trying to push out the primary wave of 5G smartphones in India.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC
Whereas a year-old SoC is not a giant deal for the informal consumer, the leap from the Snapdragon 865 processor to the Snapdragon 888 is kind of huge when it comes to efficiency, and different producers provide the latter for under an extra Rs. 2,000.
Nonetheless, Samsung can justify its pricing as a result of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G affords options that different smartphones on this value 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 kind of handy. You possibly can 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 is predicated on Android 11. Mixed with the 120Hz refresh fee show, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G felt fairly fluid in each day use. I felt no hiccups by any means when operating native apps, third-party apps or switching between the 2. There are many preinstalled Samsung apps. The cellphone additionally comes with just a few third-party apps from Microsoft and Fb, however these together with a number of Samsung apps (like Samsung Store, Samsung Members, Samsung International Objectives, Notes, Web and so forth.) may be uninstalled if not wanted. Throughout the evaluation 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 previous, nevertheless it’s no slouch and affords dependable flagship-grade efficiency in relation to common duties and gaming. The cellphone carried out lots higher than the Exynos 990-powered Galaxy S20 FE in our checks (though some scores won’t be straight comparable attributable to 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 greater 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 value 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 cellphone warmed up a bit throughout gameplay however didn’t get sizzling.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 can be fairly able to dealing with a sport like Name of Obligation: Cellular when it comes to graphics. The sport ran at Very Excessive graphics and body fee with no hiccup. Nonetheless, 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 taking part in Name of Obligation: Cellular and it seems that the 120Hz show (with a 180Hz contact sampling fee) couldn’t sustain with my fingers. With this incapacity to precisely purpose at a goal, I ended up dropping a lot of the matches that I performed through the testing course of.
The 6.5-inch Tremendous AMOLED show showcases oversaturated colors when utilizing the default Vivid display screen mode. Change it to Pure and the colors look fairly boring however I discovered this lots 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 films or exhibits.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G includes a hole-punch show
The FHD+ decision delivers a crisp 407ppi, which meant that the whole lot from textual content to pictures and movies seemed fairly sharp. Whereas the brightness was adequate indoors, the show was barely legible outside beneath 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 modify the display screen’s refresh fee, however it could solely be set to 60Hz (for longer battery life) or 120Hz (for a smoother expertise). Throughout the evaluation interval, I often stored the show operating at 120Hz.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G clocked 18 hours and 22 minutes in our HD video loop battery take a look at, which is kind of good for a premium smartphone. The Exynos mannequin, with the identical 4500mAh battery capability, ran the identical video loop take a look at for 12 hours and 44 minutes, which is a bit low. In atypical use, which included operating 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 % left, which is kind of spectacular.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G affords 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 % in half-hour, 51 % in an hour, and 100% 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 subsequently the top outcome. So, I made a decision to place the Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s cameras via their paces. As anticipated, the outcomes weren’t too totally different from what we noticed in our evaluation 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 photos.
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 some other premium Samsung cellphone operating One UI 3.1. There are simply accessible controls that allow you to modify the facet ratio, timer, and flash, and change between cameras. The checklist 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 kind of handy. The again panel close to the digital camera module does get a bit sizzling when maintaining 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, customary, 3X zoom (faucet to see full dimension)
Pictures shot in daylight got here out brilliant, vibrant, and fairly saturated. Whether or not you might be capturing flowers, fruits, and even surroundings, the colors pop fairly a bit, which is typical of most Samsung smartphones. The dynamic vary is kind of good, however HDR processing does go overboard at instances, leading to a dreamy impact. The sharpness and particulars in images are fairly spectacular for a smartphone on this value section. Picture high quality and white stability 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 dimension)
The smartphone includes a telephoto digital camera with 3X optical zoom, which shoots crisp photos 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 necessary, as there is no devoted macro digital camera.
Portrait images 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 Night time Mode digital camera samples. High: Vast (1X), backside: Extremely-wide (0.5X) (faucet to see full dimension)
Put up sundown, images got here out a bit murky with barely diminished dynamic vary within the shadows, however they nonetheless seemed fairly good. The Night time mode takes care of those minor shortcomings and retains streetlights and brilliant spots from getting overexposed, whereas bumping up the brightness and particulars. The cellphone shot crisp images in low-light scenes when Night time mode was used with the first wide-angle digital camera, however delivered solely satisfactory images when used on the ultra-wide-angle digital camera.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G selfie samples. High: Auto mode, backside: Night time mode (faucet to see full dimension)
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 eventualities. The night time mode can be out there on the entrance digital camera and did a very good job of sustaining element and giving a way of depth to the selfies.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G guarantees lots 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 filled with 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 affords 1080p and 4K recording choices. 4K video shot with the selfie digital camera lacked stabilisation and seemed fairly jerky. In low-light eventualities, movies shot at any decision got here out blurry and a bit noisy, however stabilisation was first rate.
Verdict
To the informal consumer, Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE 5G won’t look like a lot of an improve on condition that it solely provides 5G help to the spec sheet. This may have been effective if this cellphone had been launched alongside the 4G mannequin in India in 2020, prefer it did in different components of the world.
We now have reviewed the 4G mannequin and it is simple to inform that the Snapdragon 865 silicon makes fairly a distinction when it comes to efficiency, and in addition would not warmth up as a lot as Samsung’s personal Exynos SoC.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G is perhaps essentially the most full low-cost flagship providing when it comes to options in the mean time, on condition that it affords optical zoom, wi-fi charging, and an IP68 score. These options, together with its vibrant OLED show, nice cameras, good battery life and strong on a regular basis efficiency make it a compelling choice. Nonetheless, it is onerous to advocate to a gamer given its contact sensitivity points.
If you’re in search of 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. For those who can stretch your finances by Rs. 2,000, there’s the OnePlus 9 (Review), which affords the Snapdragon 888 processor, a superb show that may deal with brilliant daylight, sooner charging, and no contact sensitivity points when gaming.