Samsung’s FE, or Fan Edition, series is aimed at those who want a premium smartphone experience without burning a hole in their pockets. Over the years, FE models have become a popular choice among buyers looking for flagship-like features at a relatively lower price.
This year, Samsung is back with the Galaxy S26 FE, the entry point to the S26 series. Priced at ₹79,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB variant, the S26 FE retains many features found on Samsung’s premium devices, though not all of them.
After using the phone for more than two weeks, I found that it gets most things right — from the camera setup and battery life to the premium design and performance. But at this price, the phone faces competition from other devices that offer more features on paper.
Design and display
In terms of design, it looks premium, but the glossy glass back picks up fingerprints very quickly. The phone comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. In everyday use, scrolling through websites, social media and menus feels smooth. Colours are also accurate and the display is bright enough for outdoor use.
The phone also has IP68 protection against water and dust. There are a few things missing that are found on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, such as the Privacy Display and S Pen.
Performance
The Galaxy S26 FE is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2500 chipset, built using a 3nm process. In simple terms, it is a powerful processor that also tries to keep power consumption under control. During my usage, the phone remained smooth. Apps opened quickly, switching between applications was easy and I did not notice any major lag or stutter. It also has enough power for gaming and video editing.
The phone runs One UI 9 based on Android 17. During my usage, the software experience was smooth and I did not encounter any major bugs.
The biggest advantage is Samsung’s promise of seven years of major software and security updates. This makes the phone easier to recommend to someone who plans to keep it for four or five years.
Camera and battery
The S26 FE gets a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. There is also a 12MP front camera with a wider 85-degree field of view.
The main camera is the strongest of the lot. Photos have good detail, sharpness and dynamic range, and I was impressed with its performance in low light. The ultra-wide camera is also useful when you want to fit more into the frame. It retains good detail in daylight, although some grain is visible in low-light shots.
The telephoto camera gives decent results in good lighting. Having a proper 3x optical zoom is also useful because several phones at this price skip a dedicated telephoto camera altogether.
For video, the phone can record up to 8K at 30fps, although I found 4K at 60fps more practical.
The phone has a 4,900mAh battery that comfortably lasted me through a full day of regular use. Battery performance remained consistent even with the high-refresh-rate display.
Samsung also offers wireless charging and an optical fingerprint sensor under the display, features that are still missing on many phones in this price range.
My take
The Galaxy S26 FE makes sense for someone who specifically wants the Samsung experience, reliable cameras, long software support and a premium design. But the ₹79,999 price is where I find it difficult to give the phone an easy recommendation.
The phone offers a good combination of display, performance, cameras and battery life, but some premium features have been left out. If getting the maximum number of features for the price is the priority, there are other options worth considering.