Samsung introduced the first Galaxy S series ‘Fan Edition' in 2020. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. Later, the tech giant launched the 5G variant of the smartphone. Until 2021, I had been using Galaxy A and Galaxy J series phones daily. In 2021, I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G because it promised a near-flagship experience at a much lower price. The handset was nearly perfect for the time, at least for a fresher just starting as a business journalist. After using the Galaxy S20 FE 5G for a few years, I passed it to my grandmother, who still uses it. To my surprise, the phone still doesn't throw any tantrums, at least in her hands.

Over five years have passed since I bought the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. Recently, the tech giant launched the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE. Technology has evolved a lot, and with that, so has the latest Galaxy S ‘Fan Edition' model. The recent RAM crisis has pushed up the prices of all smartphones, and with that, the new ‘Fan Edition' phone costs nearly Rs. 80,000, which is a huge jump over its predecessors. With this price hike, is the new Galaxy S26 FE still worth calling ‘Fan Edition' while sporting a year-old Exynos chipset?

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Design, Display: Barely Any Changes

Dimensions and weight - 161.6x76.9x7.4mm; 193g
Durability - IP68-rated for dust and water resistance
Colours - Pistachio, Blueberry, Graphite
Display - 6.7-inch Full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display; up to a 120Hz refresh rate

The new Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy S26, with ever so slight deviations from the design of the Galaxy S25 FE. This year's Fan Edition takes a step further in looking like a flagship Galaxy S series phone, which didn't surprise me. It is good that Samsung has stuck to the ‘Fan Edition' philosophy of offering a near-flagship experience.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE gets a redesigned rear camera module

It continues to sport a flat rear panel, with a glass cover. The redesigned rear camera module, with the raised glass plateau, looks decent. However, only avid tech readers or people who have held the Galaxy S25 FE and Galaxy S26 FE side-by-side will notice. The two phones are also identical in dimensions, measuring 7.4mm in thickness. However, this year's version weighs slightly more, tipping the scales at 193g, about 3g heavier. This difference is barely noticeable, too.

Despite its large size, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is comfortable to hold in one hand for long hours. The power button and volume controls are where you expect them to be and don't require much thumb extension to press. However, the under-screen fingerprint scanner is placed slightly lower than I prefer.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE offers great in-hand feel

The metal frame, glass covers on the front and back, and the new camera island all come together well to offer a premium in-hand feel. Yes, you'll have to do some arm gymnastics to reach the top corners of the phone, but you will get used to it in a few days. The bottom firing has also been placed thoughtfully. Your palm won't cover it when you hold the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE horizontally while playing games or watching videos.

Offered in Blueberry, Graphite, and Pistachio, the new shades of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE look great. I tested the Pistachio shade, which would be the best choice for people who prefer subtle, cooler tones. The Graphite option is the obvious choice for users who love black, while Blueberry reminds you of the Galaxy S26's Cobalt Violet option.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE's lightweight design makes it easy to hold the phone for long hours

It gets the same IP68-rated build as its predecessor, which is fine. IP68 protection is enough for most people. Samsung has also kept the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE display unchanged, with the same 6.7-inch Full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel that refreshes up to 120Hz as its predecessor. Briefly, the phone is great for watching all kinds of content, short-form or long-form.

You won't be disappointed with the panel quality. Watching movies, shows, videos, Reels, and YouTube Shorts is a delight. The colours seem fairly accurate. Owing to its AMOLED panel, the deep blacks really enhance the viewing experience. The punchy, vibrant colours also elevate the visuals. I watched season 2 of Nobody Wants This on Netflix and the first season of Rookie. HDR support means you can get the most out of your hours of watching on different streaming platforms.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE sports the same display as its predecessor

While the changes are subtle, the overall user experience of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE remains true to what Samsung's Fan Edition models stand for.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Performance, Software: The Only “Upgrade”

Chipset - Exynos 2500
RAM and storage - 8GB + 256GB
Software - Android 17-based One UI 9

Performance is the only area where the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE offers a real upgrade, at least on paper. The smartphone features Samsung's in-house Exynos 2500 SoC, built on a 3nm process. The chipset powers the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+. Although it is a year-old processor, the Exynos 2500 still offers plenty of power for most use cases in 2026.

In my extended use, I never noticed any stuttering or lag. The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE boots quickly and has minimal thermal issues, even after hours of navigation, gaming, video watching, or photo-taking. However, I did notice slight warming around the camera module during long video recordings. Otherwise, the phone remains snappy.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE can get slightly warm around the camera module

For its price, you can get the iQOO 16, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, another flagship chip that's notably faster than its Exynos counterpart. I ran the device through our usual set of synthetic benchmark tests, and here are the results.

Benchmark	Samsung Galaxy S26 FE	iQOO 15	OnePlus 15
Display Resolution	Full-HD+	2K	1.5K
Chipset	Exynos 2500 (3nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm)
AnTuTu v10/11	25,24,772	38,44,437	36,35,346
PCMark Work Performance 3.0	17,131	16,038	15,527
Geekbench 6 CPU Single Core	2,270	3,647	3,622
Geekbench 6 CPU Multi Core	7,795	10,206	10,712
Geekbench AI CPU (Quantized)	3,821	FTR	NA
Geekbench AI GPU (Quantized)	1,946	2,941	NA
3DM Wild Life	Maxed Out!	Maxed Out!	Maxed Out!
3DM Wild Life Unlimited	15,974	25,279	27,327
3DM Steel Nomad Light	2,095	2,842	NA

For gaming, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE has enough power. I ran a few arcade games, like Temple Run 2 and Subway Surfers, and as expected, it ran both titles without any hiccups. Moving on to more demanding games like Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and Asphalt Legends, the phone handled both without any trouble. It did get slightly warm after 1 hour and 30 minutes of non-stop gaming. But that is nothing to worry about.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE ships with the latest Android 17-based One UI 9

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is one of the first phones from the company to ship with the latest Android 17-based One UI 9. It offers the same flagship OS experience as its higher-end siblings. The UI is smooth and snappy. Most features, including a few AI-powered tools, are worth exploring. I personally like the Bubbles functionality, which is best for multitasking, and the handset handles everything with ease.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Cameras: Don't Fix It If It Is Not Broken

Rear camera - 50-megapixel main + 12-megapixel ultrawide + 8-megapixel telephoto
Selfie camera - 12-megapixel

Samsung didn't bother with any camera upgrades. The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, like its predecessor, gets the same triple rear camera unit: a 50-megapixel primary shooter, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and an 8-megapixel telephoto. Even the front-facing camera remains the same 12-megapixel selfie shooter. The only silver lining is that it is similar to its higher-end siblings, the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE daytime camera performance

Like the Galaxy S25 FE, the Galaxy S26 FE's main 50-megapixel shooter is a very capable sensor. It captures most scenes, in daylight and low-light conditions, with great detail. The shots are almost always Instagram-ready. It also offers decent dynamic range. It also takes good portrait photos, with decent depth that easily separates the subject from the background. However, it tends to brighten skin tones slightly in post-processing.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE's performance in portrait mode

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE pictures are easy to identify by their signature Samsung image processing. The colours seem vibrant. But the telephoto images do become slightly noisy, limited by the sensor's capabilities. Some Vivo and Oppo phones in this price range do offer better camera configurations.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE low-light camera performance

In low light, especially with portrait mode enabled, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE smooths skin textures a lot. The smoothing is slightly less pronounced during the day. However, if you want the most natural-looking shots from this phone, you will be slightly disappointed.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE selfie camera performance

The 12-megapixel selfie camera is decent, too. It delivers good, social media-ready photos. Camera performance stays consistent in different lighting conditions.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Battery: No Surprises Here

Capacity - 4,900mAh
Fast charging - 45W (wired), 15W (wireless)
Charging Adapter - Not included

The similarities with the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE don't stop with the camera setup. The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE also gets a 4,900mAh battery, like its predecessor. It continues to offer “all-day battery life”, and then some for the next day. I managed to squeeze out about six hours of on-screen time, which is decent for its capacity. Still, compared with other OEMs, the Galaxy S26 FE looks pale.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE offers decent battery life

In the PC Mark battery test, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE lasted 15 hours and 2 minutes, which was in line with my expectations. The phone supports 45W wired and 15W wireless fast charging, the same as last year. It charged 32 percent in 30 minutes and 66 percent in an hour, while taking over 1 hour 37 minutes to fully charge. These numbers are slightly disappointing, but manageable.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is priced at Rs. 79,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant only. This is a massive price jump, even considering the ongoing RAM crisis. The ‘Fan Edition' models were meant to offer the near-flagship experience at an affordable price. While the near-flagship quotient remains intact, the affordability has gone out the window.

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If you have a Galaxy S24 FE or newer, you can skip the latest model. Also, if you can get your hands on the Galaxy S25 FE, it's a better deal right now. For other alternatives, I can recommend the OnePlus 15 (review), which is a much better overall package, though it costs slightly more. You can also get the iQOO 15 (review), which is priced even lower.