The Galaxy S20 FE 5G was released in the USA for the base price of $699 but Black Friday draws near and Samsung is now selling the device for the same price as the Galaxy S10e. For the time being, both phones carry a $599 price tag at Samsung's online store in the USA, so the question now is which of the two models offers better value for the price.
Long story short, the answer is the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, at least from a purely spec-oriented view. Samsung took the budget flagship approach for both phones but the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is newer and takes advantage of more modern specifications. It's a more future proof device thanks to 5G, and it also promises better Android OS support. It shipped with Android 10 and it is eligible for Android 13, whereas the Galaxy S10e will be limited to Android 12.
The Galaxy S10e is a better compact solution
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G is technically superior to the Galaxy S10e in many ways. As highlighted in the device comparison widget below, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G takes advantage of a larger display that supports a high refresh rate of 120Hz, and it's powered by the newer Snapdragon 865 chipset as opposed to the Snapdragon 855 SoC. It also has a larger battery (by 1,400mAh) with faster charging capabilities.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S10e is not entirely obsolete and it does offer a couple of key advantages over the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, namely the compact size and arguably the side-mounted fingerprint scanner. It may not be as elegant as an under-display solution but it is more reliable.
More importantly, the Galaxy S10e weighs a whopping 40g less than the Galaxy S20 FE 5G and it can be described as a true compact (2019) flagship – something we've missed out on this year. It measures only 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9mm, whereas the Galaxy S20 FE 5G's dimensions clock in at 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4mm. Simply put, if you're looking for relatively capable hardware wrapped in a compact body then the Galaxy S10e remains one of your best choices on the market.
Now that both phones cost the same – at least for the time being – would you rather buy the Galaxy S20 FE 5G or the Galaxy S10e for $599? Are there any other reasons why you'd pick one over the other? Leave a comment below.
Galaxy S20 FE review | Galaxy S10e review
- Buy the Galaxy S20 FE 5G at Samsung USA
- Buy the Galaxy S10e at Samsung USA
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Samsung
Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Samsung
Galaxy S10e
General Information
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Model Name
Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Galaxy S10e
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Model type
Bar
Bar
-
Colors
Navy (Cloud Navy)Red (Cloud Red)White (Cloud White)Lavender (Cloud Lavender)Mint (Cloud Mint)Orange (Cloud Orange)
White (Prism White)Black (Prism Black)Green (Prism Green)Blue (Prism Blue)Yellow (Canary Yellow)
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Announced
2020, September
2019, February
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Released
2020, October
2019, March
Physical specifications
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Dimensions
Bar: 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm
Bar: 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9 mm
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Weights
190g
150g
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IP rating
IP68
IP68
Operating system
-
Operating system
Android 10
Android 11
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One UI version
2.5
3.0
Networks
-
SIM
Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)
Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)
-
SIM card sizes
Nano-SIM (4FF)
Nano-SIM (4FF)Nano-SIM (4FF)
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Networks
2G3G4G5G
2G3G4G
-
eSIM support
No
No
Display
-
Kind
Main Display
-
Name
Infinity-O Display
Infinity-O Display
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Technology
Super AMOLED Display
Dynamic AMOLED Display
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Size
6.5 inch / 165.1 mm
5.8 inch / 147.32 mm
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Resolution
FHD+ / 2400x1080 pixels
HD+ / 2280x1080 pixels
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Pixel density
407 PPI
438 PPI
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Screen to body ratio
~84.8%
~83.3%
SamsungGalaxy S20 FE 5G
