In a recent virtual event, Samsung took the wraps off the long-rumoured Fan Edition of its 2020 flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S20.
The new addition to the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, shortened as FE, does not bring anything new to the table that we haven’t already seen from the Korean device maker.
Instead, it seeks to resonate well with the times by offering more of the same features that users have access to through Samsung’s top smartphones in the Galaxy S and Note series but at a price that is lower. That, in the end, informs a lot of the choices made with regards with what features to include, which ones to omit and which ones to scale down considerably.
As such, for instance, while the triple camera setup that can be found on the Samsung Galaxy S20, the base model of the Galaxy S20 series is maintained, the cameras have lower resolutions and are devoid of the higher-end features like 100x zoom and 8K video recording, features that have dominated the Ultra offerings from Samsung.
In what Samsung says is the result of listening to consumer feedback and acting on it, it also launches with one of the most diverse colour options we have seen on a top Samsung Galaxy smartphone in a while. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE comes in 6 colours: Navy, Red, Lavender, Mint, White and Orange.
In addition to the obvious inclusions, like the Exynos 990 chipset that non-5G variants of the device, like the one coming to Kenya, will pack, the single 32-megapixel selfie camera and the triple lenses at the back (12MP wide, 8MP telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide) and Android 10 in all its OneUI glory, the device also gets the under-display fingerprint found on the Galaxy S20. The difference? This one is optical unlike the ultrasonic sensor on the S20.
Other features include 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage (expandable up to a terabyte), 4,500mAh (with 30W fast-charging), a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and an IP68 rating that ensures that it is water and dust resistant.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE marks a return for the FE since its first outing 3 years ago as Samsung sought to undo the damage done by its exploding phone, the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7 with the Samsung Galaxy Note FE. Back then, however, there was no emphasis on the “fans” aspect of it with commentators being left to guess for themselves what the moniker meant.
“COVID-19 disrupted the world as we knew it and technology is now playing an even more crucial role in our lives and that is why we created Galaxy S20 FE to deliver flagship experiences to reach even more consumers. Samsung took select features of the Galaxy S20 series, such as the super smooth scrolling display, an AI-powered camera, advanced chipset, hyper-fast connectivity, all day battery, expandable storage, with a streamlined premium design, in order to create the all-new Galaxy S20 FE,” the company notes in a statement.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE goes up for pre-order on October 9 before being available for purchase starting on October 23. It will cost Kshs 80,000.
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