Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
Samsung is the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. The Galaxy S series is not just the company's flagship family, it is the flagship series of Android in general. When the company launched the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, some might think it was just making a fun phone for its fans based on at least the name ("FE" stands for "Fan Edition").
Also read: Our original Samsung Galaxy S20 FE test
However, it's likely that Samsung had more nefarious goals in mind for the Galaxy S20 FE. The phone's features, design and price put it in direct competition with the latest in affordable flagship phones - particularly those from OnePlus. While OnePlus has been around for about seven years, this is the first time Samsung has attempted so aggressively to attract customers directly from the usual OnePlus market.
As a longtime OnePlus fan, I wanted to try the so-called "OnePlus killer" myself. I've been using the Galaxy S20 FE for about three days to get a feel for it.
In our original review of the Galaxy S20 FE, we largely compared it to its $ 1,000 namesake. I think if you look at it from a different angle, it might get a bit clearer about how good this phone is - and why Samsung is still very busy when it is about to steal all of the OnePlus customers.
The gang is (almost) all here
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
As I said earlier, our Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review mainly compared the device to the vanilla Galaxy S20. The Galaxy S20 is by far the better phone of the two. It has better specs, better build, better cameras - the phone is simple better.
While recent sales have brought the phone down, it still has an MSRP of $ 1,000 for most of the time. At $ 300 less with no discounts, the Galaxy S20 FE isn't really in the same stadium. The Galaxy S20 is a real flagship, while the S20 FE is a premium mid-ranger. In this sense, a comparison with the Galaxy S20 is not really fair.
Connected: Samsung Galaxy S Series - A Story of the Biggest Name in Android
Let's look at the Galaxy S20 FE alone. For $ 700, the Snapdragon 865 includes a first-class 5G flagship processor, a high refresh rate display and the typical trifecta of the rear view camera (wide, ultra-wide and tele). You also get IP68 protection, wireless and reverse wireless charging, and a microSD card slot. Let's face it: that's almost everything a mid-range premium buyer wants and more.
Additionally, some aspects of the phone that Samsung sees as cost-cutting measures ultimately benefited from it. Switching to a flat screen is a welcome step for many. Switching to an optical fingerprint sensor in the display didn't hurt either. Even the plastic back (don't even think of calling it a "glass table") is preferable to the glass sandwich design so popular these days.
The only place the Galaxy S20 FE really falls short is in the included RAM. With 6 GB it is way behind the competition in this area. Even the Google Pixel 5 has 8 GB of RAM.
The point, however, is that the Galaxy S20 FE is the premium mid-ranger to beat in 2020. While it's not as good as the Galaxy S20, it shouldn't be.
OnePlus would call this a "Pro" phone
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
If you look at the spec sheets for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, you can quickly see the things that differentiate the two. The wireless charging of the OnePlus 8 Pro, the IP rating, the refresh rate of 120 Hz, the telephoto camera and the 1440p display are the big ones. These upgrades give OnePlus the leeway it deems necessary to charge $ 899 for the entry-level OnePlus 8 Pro.
Isn't it interesting that the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has almost all of these features for $ 200 less? By these standards, the Galaxy S20 FE is a pro-level device. However, it costs the same as the vanilla OnePlus 8 and is $ 50 less than the OnePlus 8T that was just launched.
See also: The best Samsung Galaxy S20 FE cases you can buy
This is where the Galaxy S20 FE gets interesting. We only briefly addressed this in our full Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review. If you compare the Fan Edition to the latest generation of OnePlus phones, you can see that Samsung has a lot more to offer at a comparatively cheaper price.
Now we could argue all day whether this is Samsung being incredibly aggressive, OnePlus resting on its laurels, or both. Regardless, the Galaxy S20 FE puts every premium mid-ranger OnePlus out this year to shame when it comes to total value.
As a OnePlus fan, I have to give it to Samsung
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
who reads Android Authority I know regularly that I've been a OnePlus fan for a long time. To test the Galaxy S20 FE, I had to put aside my OnePlus 7 Pro, which is my favorite Android phone I've ever made.
I usually miss the OnePlus 7 Pro within a few hours when testing new phones. Interestingly, that didn't happen with the Galaxy S20 FE. I say this is interesting because I also own a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra that is above both phones by several standards. However, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is so big and heavy that I don't like using it every day, no matter how powerful it may be.
I like the Galaxy S20 FE a lot more than any OnePlus phone launched this year.
However, the Galaxy S20 FE felt great. It was ergonomically pleasing, powerful, sleek and had great battery life. The fact that it came in my favorite color (red) didn't hurt either.
Even my biggest pet annoyance, the clipping of the selfie camera, stopped wearing me after about a day. In particular, I can't say the same about my time with the OnePlus 8T, which has a similar display cutout. I think the fact that the cutout is centered on the Galaxy S20 FE - and thus far from my notification icons - makes all the difference.
I certainly haven't used every phone that was launched in 2020, but the Galaxy S20 FE quickly became my second favorite of the year (my number one is the Asus ROG Phone 3, even if it's too big to use it daily).
Nice Samsung.
There is still much to be done, however
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
As great as the Galaxy S20 FE is, my time with it made me wish that some things were different. Samsung deserves all the praise in the world for packing so much phone at such a low price, but there is definitely room for improvement.
The biggest problem with the phone is the camera. While the configuration is absolutely the gold standard (wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto), the quality I saw just wasn't what I expect from Samsung. The camera is fine under ideal conditions. However, once you pose a challenge, it crumbles. I understand that the Galaxy S20 FE, by definition, can't have the same camera system as the Galaxy S20, but it should be better. Check out our original review of the phone to see some camera samples.
Connected: The best Android camera phones you can get
Second, the display isn't up to date either. The 120Hz refresh rate is lovely and the 1080p resolution is perfectly fine for a phone in this price range. The color balance seemed shaky, however, and there are some very obvious problems with the touchscreen. Samsung tried to fix the latter problem but as far as I can tell it still happens.
After all, One UI is still a bloated mess. I realize that this is entirely subjective. So feel free to go to the comments and tell me how wrong I am. However, I point this out because Samsung is obviously trying to steal OnePlus customers and they love Oxygen OS in general. Since One UI is the opposite of Oxygen OS, Samsung has to do a lot of work to make the One UI smoother and easier to navigate if one is to really love OnePlus.
As evidence of this, the latest versions of Oxygen OS are more like a user interface than any other previous version - and OnePlus fans won't be pleased with that. If Samsung wants to put OnePlus fans on its side, the One UI will take a lot of work.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE evaluation Second opinion: More FE phones, please
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is proof that the company can create phones that are unique to OnePlus but still affordable. This phone may not be the "OnePlus killer" Samsung was hoping for, but it's damn close.
Connected: Google Pixel 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: Which is Better?
Honestly, this phone should be celebrated by both Samsung fans and OnePlus fans. For Samsung fans, the success of this phone could help the company get its Galaxy S series ambitions under control and better balance its value propositions. For OnePlus fans, this phone could start a fire under the company to improve its game in the premium mid-ranger space. For me, OnePlus has a lot to prove in 2021 if it wants to hold on to its users.
I'm really looking forward to the next iteration of the Fan Edition series. I hope Samsung can improve the hardware quality a bit - especially when it comes to the camera. I also hope One UI 3.0 continues Samsung's trend of making its Android skin less messy. Who knows: if OnePlus continues to deliver disappointing devices in 2021, my next phone could be a Samsung Galaxy S30 FE.
