The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Still A Solid Contender, But Is It Worth It In 2021?
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE (LTE) made quite the splash last year, proving itself as a solid contender in the competitive low-cost flagship segment. While it impressed in many areas, there were a few drawbacks, like its tendency to heat up under stress and its merely average battery life. These issues were particularly noticeable when compared to the OnePlus 8T, which offered similar performance at a comparable price point.
This year, Samsung decided to launch the Galaxy S20 FE 5G in India, a 5G-enabled version of its popular model. The biggest difference? A Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor (equipped with the X55 5G modem) has replaced the Exynos 990 found in the LTE variant. But does this shift to Qualcomm address the issues we encountered in the LTE model? And more importantly, does investing in a smartphone with a slightly older flagship processor at this price level make sense in 2021 with newer, more powerful chipsets available? Let’s dive into the details and find out!
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Price and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is priced at Rs. 47,999 in India. This 5G variant, unlike its 4G counterpart, is only available in a single configuration: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage. Buyers can choose from three attractive color options: Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, and Cloud Lavender. At this price, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G finds itself competing directly with formidable players like the OnePlus 9, the ASUS ROG Phone 5, and the Vivo X60 Pro, all of which start at around Rs. 49,999.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Design and Build
In terms of aesthetics, the 5G version of the Galaxy S20 FE is practically indistinguishable from its LTE sibling. The phone maintains the same design language and button placement, with the power and volume buttons comfortably situated on the right side. The primary speaker takes its position at the bottom, flanked by the USB Type-C port and a microphone. The earpiece speaker cleverly conceals itself in a small slit at the top of the display, doubling as the secondary speaker to provide loud and clear stereo sound.
The overall design exudes a sense of clean minimalism, with a color-matched camera module that blends seamlessly with the rear panel and barely protrudes. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G boasts a metal frame sandwiched between a sheet of display glass on the front and a plastic panel on the back. The rear panel, with its smooth matte finish, curves gracefully to meet the frame on all four sides, creating a premium feel. The display itself features flat glass, a design choice that might have seemed unconventional last year but now fits comfortably alongside the premium Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ smartphones, both of which have embraced flat displays in 2021.
My review unit arrived in the lovely Cloud Mint finish, showcasing a subtle yellow gradient when viewed from different angles. The matte texture is adept at preventing slippage and repelling fingerprints, but it does tend to attract dust.
Just like its LTE counterpart, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance, a significant advantage considering many competing smartphones, even those pricier, lack this valuable feature.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Specifications and Software
Despite the current availability of newer, faster processors, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G utilizes a processor that is technically a year old. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor was unveiled in 2019 and found its way into smartphones in the first half of 2020, powering the initial wave of 5G devices in India.
While a year-old SoC might not seem like a dealbreaker for casual users, the leap from the Snapdragon 865 to the Snapdragon 888 is a substantial one in terms of performance. Other manufacturers are offering devices equipped with the Snapdragon 888 for only a Rs. 2,000 premium.
However, Samsung is able to justify its pricing thanks to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s unique feature set that surpasses the offerings of other phones in this price range. The IP68 rating offers peace of mind for those who enjoy taking their smartphone for a dip in the pool, and 15W wireless charging provides a convenient charging option. The device also supports reverse wireless charging at 4.5W, allowing you to charge other smartphones or accessories. While these features might not be considered essential by everyone, they undoubtedly enhance the overall premium smartphone experience.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G runs Samsung’s One UI 3.1, built on top of Android 11. Paired with the 120Hz refresh rate display, the phone delivers a smooth and seamless user experience. Navigation felt effortless, with no lag whatsoever when browsing native or third-party apps or switching between them. Samsung’s predilection for pre-installed apps is evident, with a plethora of Samsung-branded apps available. Additionally, the phone includes a few third-party apps from Microsoft and Facebook, but these, along with several Samsung apps, can be uninstalled if desired. During my review period, I wasn’t bombarded with intrusive ads or promotional notifications. I received occasional notifications from the Galaxy App Store, which can be disabled in the system settings.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Performance and Battery Life
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, while a year older, is far from a slouch and delivers dependable flagship-grade performance in everyday tasks and gaming. In our tests, the phone demonstrated a significant improvement over the Exynos 990-powered Galaxy S20 FE (although direct score comparisons may be slightly skewed due to benchmark updates).
AnTuTu recorded a score of 6,41,038, while Geekbench reported single-core and multi-core scores of 560 and 3,136 respectively. These scores outperformed the Exynos-based model’s results (4,62,330 in AnTuTu; 517 and 2,573 in Geekbench) but lagged behind the performance figures achieved by Snapdragon 888-powered smartphones in the same price segment.
- Gaming Performance:
- Asphalt 9: Legends ran flawlessly with graphics set to High Quality and 60fps mode enabled. The phone did experience a slight warm-up during gameplay but never became uncomfortably hot.
- Call of Duty: Mobile was also handled well in terms of graphics, running smoothly at Very High graphics and frame rate. However, I encountered touch sensitivity issues that hampered the gaming experience. The 120Hz display, with its 180Hz touch sampling rate, seemed unable to keep up with my finger movements, leading to noticeable lag during gameplay, particularly in Call of Duty: Mobile. This issue made accurate aiming a challenge, ultimately influencing the outcome of most matches I played during testing.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Display
The 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display boasts vibrant, oversaturated colors in the default Vivid screen mode. Switching to the Natural mode results in noticeably duller colors; while less eye-catching, I found this setting far more pleasant. Ideally, there would be a middle ground between the two modes, offering a more restrained color palette, especially for movie and show viewing.
The FHD+ resolution delivers a sharp and clear viewing experience, with a pixel density of 407ppi. Text, images, and videos all appeared crisp and well-defined. While indoor brightness was sufficient, the display struggled to maintain readability under direct sunlight in the afternoon. Samsung doesn’t specifically mention HDR support in the spec sheet, but it appears to be supported
The display settings allow users to adjust the screen’s refresh rate, offering two options: 60Hz (for extended battery life) and 120Hz (for a smoother experience). Throughout my review period, I opted for the smoother 120Hz setting.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Battery Life and Charging
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G achieved a respectable score of 18 hours and 22 minutes in our HD video loop battery test, a strong result for a premium smartphone. The Exynos model, equipped with the same 4,500mAh battery capacity, managed a less impressive 12 hours and 44 minutes in the same test.
In daily usage, which included extensive social media app use, email checking, an hour of calling, and one to two hours of gaming with the display set to 120Hz, I consistently finished the day with 20-30 percent battery remaining, a very impressive feat.
One unexpected feature in 2021 is the inclusion of a mere 15W charger in the box. Despite this, charging times weren’t particularly problematic. The battery reached 33 percent in 30 minutes, 51 percent in an hour, and reached a full 100 percent in 1 hour and 38 minutes. The smartphone does support 25W charging, but you’ll need to purchase a compatible charger separately.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Cameras
While the camera setup remains identical to the LTE model, the swap from an Exynos 990 to a Snapdragon 865 processor could result in minor variations in photo processing and ultimately affect the final output. I thoroughly tested the Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s cameras to see if there were any noticeable differences. As expected, the results largely mirrored what we observed in our review of the 4G model.
The rear camera module includes a 12-megapixel f/1.8 wide-angle camera, an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto camera (3X optical zoom), and a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera. Selfies are handled by a 32-megapixel f/2.2 camera, which captures 8-megapixel binned images.
The camera interface is familiar to anyone who has used a premium Samsung phone running One UI 3.1. Easily accessible controls allow users to adjust the aspect ratio, set a timer, activate the flash, and switch between cameras. The list of default modes is customizable, and the slots can be rearranged and personalized to meet individual preferences.
The video mode is incredibly user-friendly, allowing you to switch video resolution with just two taps. The back panel near the camera module tends to warm up slightly when the viewfinder is kept active for about 10 minutes, but cools down quickly once the camera app is closed.
Daytime Photography: Photos captured in daylight conditions emerged bright, vibrant, and quite saturated. Whether capturing flowers, fruit, or landscapes, the colors consistently popped, a characteristic of many Samsung smartphones. The dynamic range is commendable, but HDR processing sometimes goes overboard, creating an overly dreamy effect. The sharpness and details in photos are quite impressive for a smartphone at this price point. Image quality and white balance remain consistent even when switching between cameras.
Telephoto Camera: The smartphone features a telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, which produces sharp images in daylight. This camera also doubles as a macro shooter, allowing users to get closer to their subjects than the primary camera can. This is beneficial, as there isn’t a dedicated macro camera.
Portrait Mode: Portrait photos come out clean with excellent edge detection, but the Galaxy S20 FE 5G occasionally struggles (with noticeable halos) when the subject is moving.
Low-Light Photography: After sunset, photos tend to be a bit murky with slightly reduced dynamic range in the shadows, but they still look quite good. Night mode addresses these minor shortcomings, preventing streetlights and bright spots from becoming overexposed while boosting brightness and detail. The phone captured crisp photos in low-light scenes when Night mode was used with the primary wide-angle camera but produced passable photos when using it on the ultra-wide-angle camera.
Selfies: Selfies captured in standard and portrait modes emerged sharp and clean with good edge detection in daylight but turned out murky and lacked depth in low-light scenarios. Night mode is also available on the front camera and performed admirably, preserving detail and adding a sense of depth to the selfies.
- Video Recording: The Galaxy S20 FE 5G boasts impressive video capabilities, particularly in terms of quality. Videos shot at 1080p and 4K (30 and 60fps) using the primary rear camera were crisp, packed with detail, and well-stabilized even while walking. The only drawback was the ultra-wide-angle camera, which had a tendency to overexpose scenes. The selfie camera also performed well in video recording, offering 1080p and 4K recording options. 4K video shot with the selfie camera lacked stabilization and looked jerky. In low-light scenarios, videos recorded at any resolution were blurry and noisy, but stabilization remained decent.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G: Verdict
For casual users, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G might not seem like a significant upgrade, as it essentially only adds 5G support to the spec sheet. This wouldn’t be an issue if the phone had launched alongside the 4G model in India in 2020, as it did in other global markets.
Having reviewed the 4G model, it’s easy to see that the Snapdragon 865 processor makes a notable difference, improving performance and significantly reducing heat compared to Samsung’s own Exynos SoC.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G stands out as the most complete low-cost flagship offering in terms of features, offering optical zoom, wireless charging, and an IP68 rating. These features, along with the phone’s vibrant OLED display, exceptional cameras, good battery life, and solid everyday performance, make it a compelling option. However, its touch sensitivity issues may discourage gamers.
If you prioritize performance, there are other smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro and the iQoo 7 Legend, priced from Rs. 39,990, which offer the Snapdragon 888 processor and faster charging. If you’re willing to stretch your budget by Rs. 2,000, the OnePlus 9 is a strong contender, boasting the Snapdragon 888 processor, an excellent display that handles bright sunlight well, faster charging, and no touch sensitivity issues during gaming.
