Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review

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Introduction

It's time for Samsung's annual "Fan Edition", even though nobody really calls it that anymore. It is just the "FE" now.

Regardless of what the abbreviation stands for, the "FE" has traditionally been positioned as the "value" offer for Samsung enthusiasts. It has proven in the past to be able to deliver pretty much the full current flagship experience, or at least like 90% of it, while keeping a more reasonable price point and only cutting strategic corners in the process, whether that means a slightly less-impressive camera sensor or two, a not-exactly-bleeding-edge display panel and a slightly cut-down chipset. A modern-day "flagship killer", if you will, by the very same company that makes the flagships everyone is looking up to.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE specs at a glance:

• Body: 161.6x76.9x7.4mm, 193g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame; IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.70" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1900 nits (HBM), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 385ppi.
• Chipset: Exynos 2500 (3 nm).
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
• OS/Software: Android 17, up to 7 major OS updates, One UI 9.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.57", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 8 MP, f/2.4, 75mm, 1/4.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123-degree.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+.
• Battery: 4900mAh; 45W wired, PD, QC2, 69% in 30 min, 15W wireless, Qi2 compatible, Reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi region; BT 5.4; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support).

All that is great and all, but we have to reckon with the unfortunate reality of the 2026 tech space. Everything is more expensive and harder to obtain. Memory is the most obviously affected bit, but far from the only one.

As an unfortunate consequence, the S26 FE is mostly unchanged from the S25 FE and yet it comes out with a more expensive launch price. This is far from an isolated trend and is in fact quickly becoming the norm for this current crop of smartphones.

With that unfortunate reality check out of the way, we will do what we usually do - go through the S26 FE with a fine comb and give you all the important details - what has changed, what has not and so forth. The price reality seems inevitable for now anyway.

Unboxing

The Galaxy S26 FE comes in a pretty standard Samsung box. It's a thin two-piece affair, but still quite sturdy. Definitely enough to keep the phone safe. The box is gray with monochrome printing. Nothing fancy. As frankly it should be. Gone are the days of making a statement through extravagant boxes. Well, mostly at least.

You basically get no accessories in the box, besides the basic 3A-rated USB-C cable.