Ever wanted to experience a flagship Samsung phone without breaking your piggy bank? Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is a nice pick that brings you the latest premium features at a more accessible cost.
My overall favorite feature of the phone is the Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) as it’s the same processor as the other Samsung S20 phones, including the highest-tier model – S20 Ultra. But as we shall see shortly, the phone also packs quite a number of other amazing features and capabilities.
Other Features and Specs of Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G in Kenya
| Details | |
| First Release Date | September, 2020 |
| Dimensions (in inches) | 6.29 x 2.93 x 0.33 |
| Approx. weight | 190 grams |
| Build Material | Aluminum Frame + Gorilla Glass 3 + plastic back |
| Water/ Dust Protection | IP68-rated (up to 1.5m/ 30 min in water) |
| Type of SIM | Physical SIM (Dual SIM) |
| Display | 6.5-inch, Super AMOLED (with Corning Gorilla Glass 3) |
| Display Resolution | 1080 x 2400p Full HD+, 120Hz (at 407 ppi density) |
| Processor | Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) |
| Operating System | Up to Android 13, One UI 5.1 |
| Built-in Memory | 128/ 6GB or 128/ 8GB or 256/ 6GB or 256/ 8GB |
| MicroSD Card Support | YES |
| Main (Rear) Camera (Triple) | 12MP – 26mm (wide), 8MP – 76mm (telephoto) with 3x optical, 12MP -13mm (ultrawide) (Videos up to 4K@60fps, 1080p@60fps) |
| Selfie Camera (Single) | 32MP – 26mm (wide) (Videos up to 4K@60fps, 1080p@60) |
| Standard 3.5mm Headphone Jack | NO |
| Bluetooth Version | V5.0 |
| Built-in WiFi | WiFi 6 (802.11ax) dual-band |
| Integrated sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), gyro, compass, accelerometer, and Virtual proximity sensing |
| Built-in NFC | YES |
| Battery Type | Li-ion, Non-removable |
| Supported Chargers | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W Qi/ PMA wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type of USB Port | USB Type-C 3.2 |
| Types of Control | Capacitive Touchscreen, Physical Button |
| Warranty in Kenya | YES (3 months limited warranty) |
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Strong Build & Stylish Design
At its cost, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G definitely meet the expectations, and even exceeds them. The phone starts with a sleek, modern design that you’ll cherish to hold. It was originally available in various vibrant styles, including Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, Cloud White, Cloud Red, and Cloud Orange.
As for the build, the Galaxy S20 FE is one of the Samsung phones that are quite large yet comfortable to hold. The overall dimensions are approximately 6.29 x 2.93 x 0.33 inches (159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm), and a weight of 190 grams. Hence, you do feel some change when coming from a compact phone like Galaxy S10e.
But like the S10e, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE also has a rugged aluminum frame and IP68-rated protection. So, it’s far more durable than most plastic phones on the market, plus you may never have to worry about dust/ water damage.
High Processing Power & Performance
Galaxy S20 FE comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chip (in some cases with Samsung’s Exynos 990). The chipset is a powerful model created for high-end mobile devices because of its high performance and efficiency.
But in achieving these two goals, Samsung engineers coupled the processor of S20 FE with 6GB and 8GB of RAM. And this translates to seamless operations while running a heavy workload, from either a demanding app/ game or multitasking.
Intuitive Software & User Interface
If a long-time fan, I’m sure you know Samsung phones are very initiative and easy to use. We have its One UI user interface to thank for that, especially here for Galaxy S20 with a large screen.
Sure, Samsung S20 may come with its original Android 10, One UI 2.5 platform. But the company says one can upgrade to Android 13, One UI 5.1 on the latest Samsung phones – like Galaxy S23. It’s still not official if we can upgrade S20 to the new Android 14. But I do hope so, considering the company is still providing its software support.
As with the currently supported software, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE delivers a user-friendly interface with a host of customization options. It performs so smoothly and has various handy features, such as split-screen or multi window that make it possible to run multiple apps simultaneously.
Moreover, S20 FE 5G has Samsung’s proprietary Knox security platform, a physical means to secure your data from potential threats.
Crystal-Clear & Smooth Display
Samsung S20 FE 5G features an extra-wide 6.5-inch display for an expansive viewing experience. The display is a Super AMOLED kind, with a 2400 x 1080p Full HD+ resolution and HDR+. Thus, you get to enjoy your images, videos, games, and apps in bright, vibrant colors and deeper contrasts than LCD phones.
Speaking of the games, the display of Galaxy S20 FE supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. At such a high refresh rate, this display will deliver smoother and more lifelike motions, which are very handy when gaming or watching fast-paced movies. The high refresh rate also does have some noticeable responsive interaction when scrolling through social media.
Note: When a display is constantly refreshing at 120Hz, it tends to put additional load on the system and increase power usage. Hence, the reason you may have heard of some existing owners of Samsung S20 complain of overheating issues at this setting.
Enough Internal & Expandable Storage
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is mostly available with 128GB of internal storage. However, you could also get a variant with 256GB of storage, which is more than ample space for apps, photos, and videos for many people.
If the 128GB or 256GB local storage isn’t enough, the Samsung Fan Edition phone has a slot you can add a microSD card. Samsung guarantees the phone to work efficiently with a card of up to 1TB, but you could try if a larger size will work as well.
Stunning Photos & Ultra-HD Videos
As was mentioned earlier, Samsung innovated Galaxy S20 FE 5G to bring you top-tier S20-Series features at a more friendly budget. Yet another of these top-tier features is a superior camera system that capture every of your moments in stunning detail.
The main (rear) camera comprises a triple-lens setup of a 12MP wide lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and an 8MP telephoto lens with an additional 3x optical zoom. In this combination, the wide lens shoots sharp, vibrant images, whereas the ultra-wide eye expands your view to capture group photos and expansive landscapes. Then, the telephoto lens makes it possible to physically zoom in your shots with clarity, thereby providing a perfect focus for even distant subjects.
Well, this exceptional flexibility for shooting photos also extends to recording videos, which the S20 FE camera system supports at up to 4K Ultra-HD (UHD). The camera doesn’t support super-slow-motion recording, though.
Meanwhile, the front-facing “selfie” camera of Galaxy S20 FE has a single 32MP lens that ensures your photos and video calls are also crisp and clear. The camera system even has a variety of beauty and enhancement modes to style up your look when taking that selfie, video calling, or live-streaming on Instagram, TikTok, and other social platforms.
PS: the selfie camera of the S20 FE also documents your life’s adventures in high-definition of up to 4K UHD quality.
Connectivity & Built-in Sensors
Galaxy S20 FE offers various latest connectivity features, starting with 5G capability via the Sub6 / mid-range bands (commonly known as C-band) for faster browsing speeds and improved network performance.
Secondly, our Samsung smartphone supports WiFi 6 (dual band), Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, and even NFC sensors for contactless payment or data transfer.
Other built-in sensors you might like on Galaxy S20 FE include fingerprint (under the display, optical), gyro, accelerometer, virtual proximity, and compass.
Decent Battery and Wireless Charging
Originally, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G comes with a 4,500mAh Li-ion battery, which should be enough to keep you going throughout the day. Like any other phone, though, the battery life to expect depends on features enabled when streaming, gaming, or working on other functions.
When it comes to recharging, the S20 is compatible with a 25W wired fast charger, thereby won’t be waiting around long. It can also work with 15W Qi/PMA wireless chargers, as well as 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
Similar to other Samsung phones you charge wirelessly, the Galaxy S20 FE supports Wireless PowerShare feature to power up other Qi-compatible phones or accessories with ease.
Availability and Price in Kenya
At the time of writing, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE price in Kenya is up to Ksh 45,000 when brand-new. However, you can get a certified refurbished stock from as low as Ksh 26,000 for the 128GB model.
At licastaccessories.com, we bring you a certified refurbished Galaxy S20 FE 5G at Ksh 26,500. We are Ksh 500 more expensive than our cheapest competitor as we do offer the Refurb with warranty support of up to 3 months and 1-day free returns.
Is Samsung S20 FE 5G Still Worth Buying
In a nutshell, it’s always great to have the latest phone as you get to enjoy all the current mobile capabilities. A perfect example is the Samsung Galaxy S24, which is the latest release of the flagship S-series.
If not possible to get the S24, though, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G is still the epitome of value and performance, bringing you various flagship features at a low cost.
If it’s the processing power, the touchscreen phone utilizes a high-performance Snapdragon 865 chip (or Samsung’s Exynos 990) with up to 8GB of RAM. Thus, you’ll notice it not only boots up and launch apps/ games fast, but also handles heavy applications and multitasks quite efficiently.
Furthermore, S20 FE has a versatile camera system, with exceptional flexibility for shooting close-ups, landscapes, and distant subjects in rich detail. Then, the AMOLED display is pretty impressive as you get to enjoy vibrant clarity and rich colors, plus a high brightness of 800+ on auto-adaptive brightness mode. So, you still can use your phone when outdoors in direct sunlight or bright daylight.
All that said, do remember the maximum refresh rate setting (120Hz) tends to overwork the CPU of your Samsung phone. And since the device has no built-in fan to manage the excess heat generated in this process, your S20 will end up overheating.