Samsung’s Fan Edition(FE) range is designed to give you a near-flagship experience at a discounted price. Last year’s Galaxy S25 FE won plaudits as one of thebest cheap phones, shaving off the superfluous and coming in at $650. Samsung upgraded the processor in the Galaxy S26 FE, but little else has changed, and the price has climbed to $700.
With a polished look, a lovely big display, a versatile triple-camera system, and decent battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is a perfectly good phone in isolation. The trouble is, it doesn’t look as tempting when you factor in the price and competition. And Samsung has quietly downgraded the USB port.
Refined Design
You could easily mistake the S26 FE for one ofSamsung’s flagship phones. It has the same glass back with the triple-lens camera island at the top left, the same aluminum frame, and the same flat all-screen frontage broken only by the punch-hole selfie camera. The colors are slightly different. I got a tasteful pale green Pistachio review unit, but it also comes in dark gray Graphite and indigo Blueberry.
