Seven months after launching the Galaxy S20, Samsung today took the wraps off of a more affordable version of its flagship smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G (the “FE” stands for “Fan Edition”) is now official and it’ll be available for pre-order from T-Mobile starting on September 25 ahead of its October 2 launch. The phone will also be available from Metro by T-Mobile, hitting select stores on October 2.
T-Mobile’s pricing for the Galaxy S20 FE 5G will be set at $0 down and $29.17 per month for 24 months on EIP or for $0 down and $31 per month for 18 months with a JUMP! On Demand lease. It’ll also be available for $699.99 full retail price.
T-Mo will have a couple of deals to help you get the Galaxy S20 FE 5G for less. You can score one free with 24 monthly bill credits when you add a new line of service or switch to T-Mobile. If you don’t need a new line, you can get $500 off the Galaxy S20 FE 5G when you trade in an eligible device. That discount will be given to you in 24 monthly bill credits.
Here are the devices that are eligible for trade-in with that deal, which is also open to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy S20 and S10 phones, and the Note 20 and Note 10 models.
- Apple: iPhone 11, XS, XS Max, X, XR, 8, 8 Plus, 7, 7 Plus
- Samsung: Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy Note10 series, Galaxy S9 series, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S8 series, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S7 series
- Google: Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL
- OnePlus: 8, 8 Pro, 7T Pro McLaren, 7T, 7, 7 Pro, 6, 6T
- LG: V60 ThinQ, V50 ThinQ, V40 ThinQ, G8 ThinQ, G7 ThinQ
Now on to the phone itself. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G features a flat 6.5-inch 2400×1080 Super AMOLED display. That screen features an in-display fingerprint sensor and 120Hz refresh rate support, just like its flagship S20 siblings.
There’s a 32MP hole-punch selfie camera at the top of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G display and three more cameras on the back of the device. They include a 12MP main camera with dual pixel autofocus and optical image stabilization, a 12MP ultra-wide cam with 123-degree field of view, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and up to 30x Super Resolution Zoom.
While the Galaxy S20 FE 5G may be a more affordable version of the Galaxy S20, that doesn’t mean that it skimps on specs. The S20 FE 5G has the same Snapdragon 865 processor as the S20, plus 128GB of built-in storage and a bigger 4500mAh battery. There’s wired and wireless fast charging support, too, plus Wireless PowerShare so you can recharge other devices with the S20 FE 5G.
The body of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is IP68 water and dust resistant, as you can see in the unboxing video from T-Mobile’s Des Smith below. There’s 6GB of RAM inside that body, a microSD card slot to add more storage, NFC and MST support for Samsung Pay, and a USB-C port for charging. On the software side, the S20 FE 5G runs Android 10 below Samsung’s custom One UI user interface.
T-Mobile has confirmed that the Galaxy S20 FE 5G will support its 600MHz and 2.5GHz flavors of 5G.
T-Mo will be selling the Galaxy S20 FE 5G in three color options: Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, and Cloud Lavender. Metro will offer the Cloud Navy version. Samsung will have three additional colors available for the Galaxy S20 FE 5G when it begins taking pre-orders for the unlocked model later today, and those are Cloud Red, Cloud Orange, and Cloud White.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G looks like a solid addition to Samsung’s lineup. It comes in a full $300 cheaper than the flagship Galaxy S20 but offers many of the same specs, making it a worth a look for anyone who was considering one of the S20 phones or any of the “affordable flagship” phones on the market.
What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G?
Sources: Samsung, T-Mobile (1), (2)