Samsung Galaxy S20 FE on sale from October 9 starting at $999

If you thought Samsung was done with smartphones for the year, you were wrong. The manufacturer today took the wraps of the Galaxy S20 FE, a semi-premium device designed to serve as a new entry point to the S20 series. The Galaxy S20 FE (short for Fan Edition) retains a lot of the high-end features found in the S20 family while making a few trade-offs to keep the price a little lower.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, the Galaxy S20 FE will be available from October 2 with pre-orders starting on September 25. The Galaxy S20 FE will set you back $999 outright, while a 5G variant is a little pricier at $1,149. If you're keen to get it on a plan, you'll be able grab it from the usual suspects: Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and Woolworths Mobile. Everyone who pre-orders will get a bonus pair of Galaxy Buds Live. 

The Galaxy S20 FE is perhaps best described by how it compares to the standard Galaxy S20, which retails for $1,349 (although many retailers - including Samsung itself - have discounted the 5G model to as low as $1,099 outright).

The Galaxy S20 FE and the Galaxy S20 both have 120Hz displays, but the S20 FE screen maxes out at 1080p in terms of resolution, rather than Quad HD. The S20 FE screen is larger however, measuring in at 6.5-inches - the same as the Galaxy S20+. And lastly, the S20 FE display is flat (and has a little more bezel) while the remainder of the S20 family have curved displays.

You'll find similar trade-offs when it comes to design. While the majority of the Galaxy S20 family use Gorilla Glass 6 for protection on the front and back, the Galaxy S20 FE has a Gorilla Glass 3 front and a plastic.

As with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+, the Galaxy S20 FE has a 12MP primary camera and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. The S20's 64MP telephoto lens has been downgraded to a more modest 8MP shooter with 3x optical zoom. Of course, we'll need to wait until we go hands on to see how the phones compare.

The Galaxy S20 FE will be available in both a 4G only model, as well as a variant with 5G connectivity. While there's normally parity between devices Samsung has a 4G and 5G variant of, that's not quite the case this time. The 4G version is powered by a Samsung Exynos 990 processor, while the 5G version is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor. It won't make much of a difference in terms of day-to-day performance, but we could see this impact battery life.

Typically only US-bound Samsung smartphones ship with Snapdragon 865 processors, and there's been a bit of disparity between US reviews for devices such as the Note 20 Ultra and local reviews. While international reviewers didn't have issues with the Note 20 Ultra, local publications - including us - found that the Note 20 Ultra's battery life left a little to be desired - especially with 5G switched on. We can't say for certain that the difference in processor is the main reason for different battery usage (US 5G networks could be deployed in a way that doesn't impact battery as much) but it will certainly be interesting to see how the Galaxy S20 FE performs.

Here's a complete rundown of how the Galaxy S20 FE compares to the standard Galaxy S20:

Locally, you'll be able to grab the Galaxy S20 FE in a choice of Cloud Red, Cloud Orange, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud White, or Cloud Navy. 

The return to FE or Fan Edition branding is rather peculiar, given the ill-fated Note 7 is the only other instance where Samsung has used the moniker. After discontinuing the Note 7 due to its tendency to catch fire, Samsung relaunched it almost a full year later as the Galaxy Note FE. The device was for all intents and purposes a Note 7 with a smaller, less explodey battery. The Note FE was only ever available in South Korea.

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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