The Galaxy S20 FE has been out for over a year, but is it still worth buying? Read our Samsung Galaxy S20 FE long-term review to find out.
It kind of boggles the mind that the Galaxy S20 FE still hasn’t been succeeded by the Galaxy S21 FE just yet given its popularity with buyers and critics — although the global chip shortage is understandably to blame. Ahead of the belated potential launch of its successor, how does Galaxy S20 FE fare after a year? Should you still pick it up or should you wait for the company’s 2022 offerings? That’s what we’re going to find out in this Samsung Galaxy S20 FE long-term review. The processor you get will depend on your region and when you purchase the phone. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G in the US is essentially identical to the Galaxy S20 FE regular, but with the titular 5G support and the Snapdragon 865 chipset. The 4G model initially launched with an Exynos 990 chip (Samsung provided this model for this long-term review), but has since been replaced in many regions by the 4G-only Snapdragon 865-toting variant. Look out for the “SM-G780G” model number if you want the latter chipset. Check out: The best Samsung phones The Exynos 990 variant isn’t as powerful as the Snapdragon 865 model when it comes to GPU-related tasks. In saying so, the fundamental experience was still very smooth in my testing. Swiping between home screens, using the camera, launching apps, and scrolling were all suitably fluid.3D gaming was also handled pretty well, with the likes of Call of Duty Mobile and Nascar Heat Mobile running at a great clip. We also tried Genshin Impact and while it wasn’t the smoothest experience (swiping the camera around resulted in some noticeable judder), it’s still very playable. Emulators are another story though, as advanced titles in Dolphin (e.g. F-Zero GX and Metroid Prime) were slow-motion affairs. Those who value a smooth gaming experience across the board should keep an eye out for the Snapdragon version instead. The Galaxy S20 FE’s specs still hold up relatively well against today’s affordable flagship fare.
