Galaxy S20 FE vs Galaxy S10 Lite: There is no competition

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (FE) has been unofficially referred to as the Galaxy S20 Lite before, mainly due to the fact that it's a more budget-conscious Galaxy S20 model and not necessarily because it's a spiritual successor to the Galaxy S10 Lite. Despite their similar model numbers, these two phones are quite different from each other, and not just because they were released 7-8 months apart.

Both phones aim to achieve a lower price while justifying their use of the Galaxy S flagship moniker, but they go about it in slightly different ways. For example, they both have a flat display with an identical 2400 x 1080 pixel count, but the Galaxy S10 Lite's larger 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel is limited to 60Hz, whereas the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition's smaller 6.5-inch display supports 120Hz refresh rate. Many other similar discrepancies come to light when comparing these two phones side-by-side, whether through the paragraphs below or our online comparison tool.

Galaxy S20 Fan Edition versus Galaxy S10 Lite: Design and hardware

The Galaxy S10 Lite has a plastic frame and back panel but the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition has a plastic back paired with an aluminum frame. The former model lacks dust and water resistance while the latter boasts an IP68 rating. Each model has a 4,500mAh battery with 25W fast charging but the Galaxy S20 FE ships with a 15W charger, leaving customers with the option of buying the 25W charger separately.

There's also the fact that the Galaxy S20 FE has wireless charging and PowerShare (reverse wireless charging) capabilities but the Galaxy S10 Lite does not. Likewise, they both have 6GB and 8GB RAM options and similar built-in storage capacities but the newer model benefits from UFS 3.0 storage. And speaking of hardware, the Galaxy S10 Lite sports the Snapdragon 855 chipset whereas the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is equipped with the Snapdragon 865 or the Exynos 990 SoC.

As for mobile photography, the Galaxy S10 Lite has a more impressive camera setup on-paper, thanks to its 48MP wide-angle shooter, but in practice the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition's camera combo should be more capable thanks to Dual Pixel AF and an 8MP telephoto sensor that replaces the limited 5MP macro unit and enables up to 30x digital zoom.

Galaxy S20 Fan Edition versus Galaxy S10 Lite: Software features and price

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition runs Android 10 and One UI 2.5 out of the box, whereas the Galaxy S10 Lite received a somewhat stripped-down version of One UI 2.5 through a firmware update in September. The version of One UI is similar but the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition delivers a more complete user experience as it takes advantage of features like Samsung DeX and wireless DeX.

There's no denying that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is the superior device. It has newer internal hardware with a more powerful SoC; it takes advantage of 5G and a better camera setup, and it delivers a better user experience out of the box. The components are wrapped in a higher-quality body that has an IP rating for dust and water resistance. It's a lot more colorful too, with six color options available at launch.

But can the older model turn the tables on the new one with a lower price? I'm afraid not, or at least not at the time of this writing. The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition 4G / 5G will hit the shelves for 649 / 749 euro. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S10 Lite (limited to 4G) costs around 630 euro with slight variations depending on the market.

That price seems unjustified in a post-Galaxy S20 FE world but it is worth reminding that the Galaxy S20 FE ships with a 15W charger and the retail box doesn't include a pair of earbuds. If you don't care about these missing accessories, we can't find a good reason for anyone to pick the Galaxy S10 Lite over the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition; unless you live in an Exynos region and you've been dying to use a Snapdragon-powered Galaxy phone, even if it's an older SoC.

Samsung
Galaxy S20 FE

Select model SM-G780F Buy Full specs

Samsung
Galaxy S10 Lite

Select model SM-G770F SM-G770U1 Buy Full specs

SamsungGalaxy S20 FE

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SamsungGalaxy S10 Lite

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