Samsung Galaxy S20 FE honest review after 6 months of use: Feels like money well spent
At the moment, around a dozen of phone makers are making there full of efforts to win the race of the flagship smartphone market. While some brands are promoting their product as a flagship killer, which features high-end capabilities at comparatively affordable pricing.
Talking about the smartphone market, various OEMs including Samsung launched their high-profile handsets this year, while the Cupertino-based company already did it last year. Moving on, the Korean tech giant introduced its iconic and camera-focused Galaxy S21 series starting this year, which consists of three models with slightly different functionalities.
So, the question is which brand’s product deserves to be called a pure flagship smartphone, which meets the demand of consumers who are going to purchase it for around $1000? But, wait, wait…, I think I’ve gone too away as of today’s talk started for the high-profile handset of Samsung after 6 months of use, so… come back to the matter.
The Galaxy S20 FE
Ah, the Galaxy S20 FE! Last September, Samsung pulled yet another rabbit out of its hat by launching a massive flagship smartphone, which has a suffix – Fan Edition, got it? Yes, I’m talking about the Galaxy S20 FE. Just to remind, when I purchased this handset, gave my opinion – Why the Galaxy S20 FE is a lot better choice than any other Android smartphone?.
And today, I’m here to share my experience with this pleasant handset after around a half year of use. Let’s start with the most important and unexpected thing that came with the Galaxy S20 FE – “the touchscreen issues”.
The irritating “Ghost Touches”
Following its launch, a limited number of Galaxy S20 FE buyers reported that they are facing different types of problems with the performance of its touchscreen. However, the company has not yet officially said on this matter but chosen the back door to counter this severe issue by sending touchscreen firmware updates.
It’s worth mentioning that my S20 FE has not shown any of the reported errors that other users are facing to date. Besides, I’ve also received a number of new s/w updates that included improvements for the performance of the touchscreen. Though, Samsung has impressively managed to fix these unexpected errors by just sending OTAs that helped it to maintain the market reputation as well as the hope of die-hard “Sammy Fans”.
So, I’ve shared my view on the S20 FE’s touchscreen issues in a summarized manner. The touchscreen issues are the only negative thing with the Galaxy S20 FE while it is a true flagship killer in my opinion!
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, six months later
From the first day, when it arrived at my door till now, this $699 smartphone still has an eye-catching design even compared to the latest ones to date. Although the Galaxy S21 trio is the latest flagship from Samsung, the Galaxy S20 FE is not behind when it comes to delivering an actual high-profile smartphone experience.
However, the Galaxy S20 FE arrived around six months ago, and things have quite changed since then. Despite this, Samsung has recently launched the Galaxy S21 series and the vanilla model comes at just $100 up from the Galaxy S20 FE while the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A72 are also official with many flagship-grade features at a competitive price.
As mentioned in the title of this article, I’m here to share the honest review after using the Galaxy S20 FE for six months and yes, it is still a marvelous phone!
Galaxy S20 FE Design
Samsung decided to bring polycarbonate back instead of glass with the Galaxy S20 FE. However, it equips the back design elements of the Galaxy S20 lineup but it’s certainly and obviously looks less premium than the parent models. In addition, the S20 FE offers the same camera bump, the same squared-off corners, and the same port and buttons system.
Galaxy S20 FE: Exynos vs Snapdragon – Who is the winner after all?
Following its tradition, the South Korean phone maker shipped the Galaxy S20 FE with Snapdragon 865 processor in the US, South Korea, and China while in the rest of all regions (Europe, India) it is available with Samsung’s own Exynos 990 chipset.
As we have heard that the Exynos 990 powered Galaxy S20 FE offers great performance while the Snapdragon 865 variant brings excellent efficiency. And it comes with a massive 120Hz refresh rate panel but there’s a minus point in that it lacks the adaptive refresh rate tech, which is available in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy S21 trio.
Performance!
Talking about battery life, my Exynos 990-powered Galaxy S20 FE LTE lasts up to a full day even when using it with 120Hz refresh rate thanks to its 4500mAh long-lasting battery. In addition, I’ve heard that the Exynos version inches behind the Snapdragon variant because of efficiency concerns.
Galaxy S20 FE Camera
In terms of camera, the Galaxy S20 FE has a powerful camera installation, which is still incredibly excellent so far. Just like its parent model – Galaxy S20, the S20 FE also comes with the most advanced Hybrid Optic Zoom that lets you zoom up to 3x without losing image quality.
At the same time, the Super Resolution Zoom of the Galaxy S20 FE allows you to carry on zooming all the way to 30x Space Zoom. It lets you zoom to the front of the stage in no time even when you are at the back of the crowd at a music festival.
S21 like camera features [Pros/Cons]
Aside from the 8K recording and Director’s View, Samsung has already delivered all the advanced camera features from the latest Galaxy S21 flagships to the S20 FE via back-to-back software updates, which have impressively enhanced the overall image capturing and video shooting experience.
Software updates!
Samsung committed to taking care of the Galaxy S20 FE buyers for three years when it comes to Android OS upgrades. Launched with Android 10-based One UI 2.5, the company delivered the very first major s/w update in the form of Android 11-based One UI 3.0 and One UI 3.1 over the air. At the same time, this handset is currently getting new security patches every month and will get a total of four years of new security patches (quarterly/biannual).
Immersive entertainment and protection “together”
To offer a true flagship smartphone-like feel, Samsung installed stereo speakers in the Galaxy S20 FE, which delivers an immersive and loud sound as well as full-on entertainment within your hands. This handset also comes with an IP rating that ensures its dust and water resistance.
Stereo speakers along with an IP rating give it another plus point to make it worth buying! Also, you can make payments over both NFC terminals and traditional magnetic card readers as well as full-fledged support for Samsung Pay.
Is the Galaxy S20 FE still worth buying today?
After all, I’m still impressed with the Galaxy S20 FE and will continue to enjoy it for more time. But, as a customer, we’ve to discuss the current situation as the question is – “Is the Galaxy S20 FE still worth buying today?”
So, if you’re planning to purchase a high-profile phone from Samsung at an affordable price, today you’ve various options like the Galaxy S20 FE, the Galaxy A52 5G, the Galaxy A72, or the latest Galaxy S21, which is just $100 up from the S20 FE. At the same time, you can wait for some months as the company is reportedly going to launch the Galaxy S21 FE in near future, which could feature the powerful Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100 processors.
Still wanna purchase the Galaxy S20 FE? Then I suggest you wait for a while as we heard that Samsung is going to launch a new variant of the S20 FE, which is powered by Snapdragon 865+ chipset and runs the latest Android 11-based One UI 3.1 out of the box. If this rumor comes true, then it will be a great deal to purchase the Galaxy S20 FE today!
That’s all folks 🙂 and I think this piece of information would be enough to get an idea about this handset. If you want to know something more about Samsung Galaxy S20 FE that’s not mentioned in this review, then you can ask me in the comments section.
STAY CONNECTED WITH US:
- Join SammyFans on Telegram
- Like SammyFans.com on Facebook
- Follow SammyFans on Twitter
- Get the latest insights through Google News
- Send us tips at – [email protected]
Reviews
Samsung One UI 4.1 enables Android 12 Dynamic Theming for Google Play Store, Chrome
With the Android 12-based One UI 4.0, Samsung introduced the Colour Palette feature, inspired by Google’s Dynamic Theming. The company has further improved the usability of Dynamic Theming with the One UI 4.1 as it now supports, even more, Google apps such as Play Store, and Chrome.
The new Android 12-based One UI 4.1 version debuted with the Samsung’s Galaxy S22 flagship lineup. Later on, the company announced the arrival of this new One UI version for older Galaxies, while, it’s now available on every eligible Samsung flagship.
Join SammyFans on Telegram
The One UI 4.1 comes with many new features such as customizable RAM Plus, enhanced Colour Palette, more new Camera features, and better system optimization for an efficient battery. When it comes to user interface & experience, the One UI 4.1 takes Dynamic Theming capability to the next level.
Dynamic Theming comes to Google apps
Note: Dynamic Theming (AKA Colour Palette is available on various Google, Samsung apps)
Google Play Store
First of all, here comes our Google Play Store, one of the most used applications by every consumer. On Samsung phones, the One UI 4.1 applies the Dynamic Theming function to the Google Play Store, which can be seen at the top header bar that let users search for their stuff.
Besides the header, you can see the applied color (taken from home screen wallpaper) on the available tabs like For you, Top charts and so on. The marking of the tab titles matches with the UI elements, while the underline further expands the appearance of the dominant color, and the same applies to the bottom bar.
Google Chrome
Samsung Internet browser app is unquestionably awesome, still, some consumers like to use Chrome, created by Google. For those consumers, Samsung adopted the Dynamic Theming support for the Google Chrome Browser. You can see the effects right on the search bar, more options menu as well as the tabs bar.
Google Chrome Search Bar
Google Chrome URL Field
Google Chrome More Options Menu
Google Chrome Tabs Menu
Reviews
I’m planning to use Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra for 5 years
Indeed, the Galaxy S22 Ultra features the best performance ever compared to any other Samsung phone released to date. From its overall design and hardware capabilities to Camera abilities and software features, everything is mind-blowing here!
Continuing the phablet legacy of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Samsung’s all-new Galaxy S22 Ultra introduces powerful Camera capabilities. This major change in design makes it a “noteworthy” creation in the Korean tech giant’s smartphone division.
When it comes to Samsung, Ultra means Ultra as you can see the Galaxy S22 Ultra as its most creative and recent example. Apart from the Samsung.com-exclusive colors, the Burgundy shade is eye-catching, which is quite similar to the Mystic Bronze Galaxy Note 20 Ultra!
Not that all, there are a lot of reasons why I’m planning to use the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra for 5 years. There, I’ll be sharing my thoughts that may draw your attention to the reasons for upgrading your current Galaxy to the next-gen Galaxy S + Note phone.
S22 Ultra — The Note is officially BACK!
Unlike the last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, the new S22 Ultra comes pre-loaded with S Pen. You have no need of purchasing a case cover and S Pen separately, thanks to the company’s decision of the Galaxy S + Note merger and making a powerful yet noteworthy Galaxy.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra brings the S Pen stylus out of the box, bringing the pen-like writing experience to the consumers. Well, the company has made significant upgrades including the reduced latency of the stylus compared to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and S21 Ultra’s S Pen.
- Less latency feels closer to writing on paper.
Design, that is loved by Note lovers!
While Samsung officially killed the Galaxy Note series of smartphones, the Galaxy S22 Ultra continues the Note legacy with its pure Note-inspired look and feel. From its sharp corners to the rectangular form factor, everything fools viewers when it comes to identification.
Last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra came with the same body design as the previous S series phones with rounded corners, well, the latest Galaxy S22 Ultra features a boxy shape with sharp corners, meanwhile they are slightly lesser than the Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung not only worked on a better design of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, but it features pro-grade elements such as the Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the display as well as new Armor Aluminum metal on the back, offering SammyFans a super-premium look and feel.
- Such futuristic design & features likely to feel brand-new for the next few years.
Camera, that DxOMark can’t truly evaluate
Everyone knows, there’s an abundance of Chinese handsets on the Camera evaluation platform – DxOMark best performers. Not only the striving iPhone Pro Max (s), but the undoubtedly capable Samsung phones are too behind here compared to the Mi 11 Ultra and the Huawei’s P50 Pro.
Putting the DxOMark’s Camera evaluation aside, I’m sure, Samsung fans can perfectly speculate about the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s photography abilities even without using it. Continuing the installations inside the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the new S22 Ultra also features the same camera lenses, which are as follows:
- Primary: 108 MP 1/1.33″ sensor, 0.8μm pixels, 85-degree field of view, f/1.8-aperture lens, OIS, PDAF
- Ultra-wide: 12MP 1/2.55″ sensor, 1.4μm pixels, 120-degree field of view, f/2.2-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF
- Tele 1: 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12μm pixels, 11-degree field of view, f/4.9-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, 10x optical zoom
- Tele 2: 10MP 1/3.52″ sensor, 1.12μm pixels, 36-degree field of view, f/2.4-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, 3x optical zoom
Display, that others can’t match
The S22 Ultra is equipped with a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with QHD+ resolution and second-generation LTPO technology. This high-profile display is made by Samsung, exclusively for the Galaxy S22 Ultra alongside major upgrades in peak brightness.
According to Samsung, the Galaxy S22 Ultra features the most-brightest smartphone screen ever made that can reach a peak brightness level of 1750 nits, 400 nits higher, compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra. This capability lets users seamlessly use the phone even in daylight.
So, above you see the top 4 reasons for upgrading to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Well, the fifth one will absolutely force you to purchase the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra — 5 Years of Software Updates.
“Uncomparable” Software support
Beating Google in its own game, Samsung announced the expansion of its software updates policy during the launch event of the Galaxy S22 series. The new policy ensures Four major Android OS & One UI upgrade for the Galaxy S22 series, at the same time, five years of regular security patches.
It means, the Galaxy S22 series launched pre-loaded with Android 12-based One UI 4.1 will be getting upgrades up to Android 16 in the next three years. Moreover, there will be an additional year of security patches for the S22 line, after receiving a total of four OS upgrades.
So above are the top 5 reasons why I’m planning to use Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra for 5 years! Have you also upgraded your current Galaxy to the Galaxy S22 Ultra or younger cousins, or wondering to purchase shortly? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Reviews
How Samsung protects your smartphone from cyberattacks
Samsung Galaxy smartphones have become the center of our work, life and play. For many, turning to our laptops, wallets and even home locks has become the only item we carry out of the house.
Today we are becoming more and more aware of the threats posed by hackers to our laptops and computers in general, and we should also recognize that smartphones are also vulnerable to cyber talks.
Hackers go where people are and now it is on mobile devices. That is why being safe is not so important and we are constantly innovating to protect you and your data from emerging threats. Billions of smartphones worldwide are loaded with sensitive personal and business data, offering hackers endless opportunities to steal and sell personal information.
In fact, cybersecurity firm IronNet reported a 168% increase in cyber attacks between May 2020 and May 2021, with attacks on smartphones becoming one of the largest cybersecurity threats in the Asia Pacific region.
Samsung is committed to keeping users safe and secure, with Samsung Knox providing complete protection throughout the life cycle of your device.
In this article, we will explore five potential cyber-attack scenarios that can occur when the security of your device is compromised – and explain how Samsung Knox protects you from these threats with everything in line with our ethos of placing security at the heart of every decision we make.
What are the five potential cyber-attack scenarios that occur
- Unauthorized backdoor access
- Compromised, weak, or re-used passwords
- Free Wi-Fi may not be so free after all
- Phishing attacks compromise sensitive data
- Zero-day vulnerability
1. Unauthorized backdoor access
Outside of Samsung, developers create software ‘backdoors’ for apps and mobile OSes so that they can easily access them for troubleshooting purposes. However, hackers can detect these backdoors, which usually bypasses any or all cyber security measures on the device.
To prevent unauthorized access from the backdoor, do not download unofficial or unauthorized apps. Downloading software other than the software originally installed by the manufacturer to gain full access to the device’s operating system may also introduce malware or spyware that could lead to unauthorized backdoor access.
How Samsung Protects You From This Threat
At Samsung, the design, manufacture and certify every computer chip, every wiring and every hardware component before using it to build your smart devices in the most secure factories around the world.
This chip-up approach gives us control over design, manufacture and assembly, ensuring a secure supply chain that prevents unauthorized backdoor access to our devices – resulting in a complete product that our customers can fully trust.
2. Compromised, weak or reused passwords
As consumers continue to create new accounts for digital services, from telehealth services to new ride-hailing and e-commerce platforms, they offer more opportunities for hackers to exploit.
An August 2021 survey by IBM found that 86% of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region agree that they can reuse the same credentials in multiple online accounts. This is a bad data privacy habit – hackers can infect the entire Internet footprint of just one attack user.
How Samsung Protects You From This Threat
Samsung devices feature advanced biometric authentication technology, such as ultrasonic fingerprinting, to protect access to your data even if your device is stolen or stolen. This biometric authentication tool, called Samsung Pass, allows users to easily access log-in credentials without having to memorize countless usernames and passwords!
To take data security to the next level, we have also equipped our devices with Knox Vault, a secure processor that works regardless of the core CPU. Knox Vault securely separates your biometric data from the rest of your phone so that no one can access your data.
3. Free Wi-Fi may not be so free after all
Free Wi-Fi hotspot is a boon for everyone who needs internet on their mobile devices for work or play. However, public Wi-Fi services allow hackers to steal data because the data you send over the web – such as credit card information for online purchases – might first pass through the hands of a hacker via a public Wi-Fi network.
How Samsung Protects You From This Threat
For daily browsing, Secure Wi-Fi encrypts outgoing Internet traffic and disables tracking apps and websites. This allows you to safely browse the Internet over a public wireless connection without fear of security breaches.
4. Phishing attacks compromising sensitive data
Phishing is a type of attack in which cybercriminals trick people into providing sensitive information on their devices or installing them as malware, links, attachments, or legitimate apps.
Once hackers have access to your sensitive information, they can use it to demand ransom from you, steal your personal information, commit other misdeeds, or make purchases with your credit card information.
How Samsung Protects You From This Threat?
Device Care in Samsung DeviceCare constantly scans your device for malware or suspicious activity and alerts you by detection through McAfee Protection when you accidentally install malicious apps. Additionally, Samsung Secure folder protects data and separates problematic apps in folders to keep apps away from users’ personal information.
At the same time, when you make purchases with Samsung Pay on your mobile device, your card information is encrypted and completely isolated to keep it secure at all times.
5. Zero-day vulnerability
Because hackers and cyber-attackers are constantly trying to hack devices, they are always on the lookout for zero-day vulnerabilities. The zero-day vulnerability is found on a system or device but has not yet been patched. This is very dangerous because cybercriminals can target flaws in the system before developers or the public know about its existence.
How Samsung Protects You From This Threat?
Samsung Knox provides real-time protection, always actively protecting your device from data attacks or malware. This means that unauthorized attempts to access or modify your phone core will be blocked in real-time.
When users reboot their Samsung smartphone, a secure boot is activated to detect any unauthorized software and to prevent attempts to compromise the device through multi-layered, defense-grade protection. If the smartphone boots in a rejected state, Samsung Knox will automatically lock apps that contain sensitive data such as Samsung Pay, Samsung Pass, Secure Folder, or Samsung Health.
Looking for a more secure future
Samsung smartphones have become an important part of our digital life, whether at home, in the classroom or even in the office. As new cyber-threat vectors continue to put us at risk, we need to be vigilant and play an active role in keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe in this digital world.
Security does not stop at Samsung smartphones, as Knox protection extends to smart devices in the Samsung portfolio, for added security. Whether you are mirroring the video you are watching on your Galaxy device with the SmartView app on your Family Hub screen or mirroring the AI function in your AI EcoBubble Washing, it means that your Samsung smart devices are safe and secure.
As a Samsung user, you can be assured that you have a digital partner who is committed to world-class security and privacy standards – keeping you safe while you work, study and play.
Get notified –
Aside from SammyFans’ official Twitter and Facebook page, you can also join our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified of every latest development in Samsung and One UI ecosystem. Also, you can follow us on Google News for regular updates.