Samsung Galaxy S26 FE: a phone that won’t break the bank
Unpacking the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE. Image by Gabrielius Jauniškis
- Samsung positions the Galaxy S26 FE between its cheaper A series and premium S series phones.
- The phone has a 4,900 mAh battery, integrated triple camera, and a bright screen.
- It runs smoothly but heated up during setup, multitasking, and longer use.
- Call screening, Circle to Search, MyFanCam, and Audio Eraser add practical safety and editing tools.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
I switched to the latest Samsung Galaxy S26 FE for a day to see what it brings in terms of design, specifications, and features.
Samsung has released another fan edition (FE) smartphone that’s supposed to be the golden middle between its budget-friendly A series and flagship S series devices.
The fan edition is a product line that includes the main features of high-end flagship devices but is sold at a more affordable price.
I’ve already tried the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold8. Now, I’m entering what’s marketed as a more affordable segment of Samsung's lineup.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE first impressions
The smartphone is just a tad heavier and larger than its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 FE, weighing 193 grams and measuring 161.6 x 76.9 x 7.4mm. The Galaxy S25 FE weighs 190 grams and measures 161.3 x 76.6 x 7.4mm.
The new device also comes in three colors: light green, deep blue, and dark grey.
Not a fan of camera bumps? You’ll appreciate the phone’s three-camera system, which is integrated into the device rather than protruding.
The smartphone comes equipped with a 4,900 mAh battery, which is supposed to last a full day of use.
What I’ve noticed while setting up the phone and using multiple apps at once is that the device tends to heat up, which reminded me of the same issue when testing thinner smartphones, such as the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8.
The newer FE model comes with Samsung’s Exynos 2500 (3nm) processor, which improves efficiency and performance compared to the S25 FE's Exynos 2400 (4nm) processor.
The smartphone's display features a 1,900-nit panel, enabling comfortable use even in direct sunlight.
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Samsung Galaxy S26 FE features not to miss
Since the FE model is part of the Galaxy S26 lineup, I was curious whether it also comes with the controversial privacy display available on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
However, the new smartphone doesn’t include the feature that replaces an anti-glare privacy screen.
The new smartphone comes with some well-known features, such as Now Nudge, which serves as an assistant that responds to information in texts or the calendar to provide reminders, and Circle to Search for a quick search of any item online.
Among other features, I noticed that the Galaxy S26 FE comes with a useful feature first introduced with the Galaxy S26 lineup: call screening. This feature automatically answers calls from unknown callers, thereby helping to avoid scam calls.
When enabling this feature, I noticed you can also select a language for it. However, it didn’t include all languages, sticking to the most common ones: English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Japanese.
As someone whose first language isn’t English, I was wondering how useful the feature is for users who don’t know these languages.
What’s new in the Galaxy S26 FE camera department?
The smartphone’s camera consists of a three-camera system: a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP wide camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 12MP front camera.
The phone’s camera also features AI-powered tools that make it easier to edit your content.
The phone comes with the MyFanCam feature, which allows you to edit video in a way that puts focus on a certain object, a feature the company introduced last month.
For those who have a hard time editing audio, the new smartphone has an Audio eraser that reduces unwanted background noise and focuses on the main track.
If you’re all about convenience, the S26 FE model also comes with familiar features such as voice commands, which let you take photos by saying “smile,” “cheese,” or “capture” instead of having to press that button. For selfie lovers, it also lets you take selfies by raising your palm.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE: Is it worth it?
The latest addition to the Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup, the FE variant, is as thin and light as its predecessors, especially if you’re like me and switch from the iPhone 16 Pro.
The phone comes equipped with a 4,9000 mAh battery, which is supposed to last the whole day of use, and while that might be true if you occasionally scroll or reply to some messages, I do believe that if you’re extensively working on your phone, multitasking, chatting, making content, and basically replacing your laptop with your phone, you might want to have a charger with you.
While the phone works quickly and smoothly, I also noticed that when I use it for longer, it tends to heat up.
The smartphone also comes with some useful features, such as call screening and Circle to Search. It also makes it easier to edit content with tools like MyFanCam and Audio eraser.
It seems that the new addition to the Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup does stand somewhere between the more affordable A series and the flagship S series, with a starting price of $700.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE pros and cons
