SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

News For You
News For You
Notifications

Reasons why the Galaxy S20 FE is a better choice over the Galaxy S10+

Phone
By 

Last updated: February 17th, 2021 at 17:38 UTC+01:00

Samsung fans have the luxury of being able to pick from a wide range of phones with different specs for varying prices, so even though the Galaxy S21 series is the company's flagship at this time, it's not the only choice available.

The Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy S20 FE are two fan favorites, and although both phones are attractive in their own ways, today we're focusing more on the reasons why people who might be looking to buy a new Galaxy phone should consider getting the bargain flagship, i.e., the Galaxy S20 FE, over the slightly older Galaxy S10+.

Welcome to the age of 120Hz displays

Out of the two phones, the Galaxy S20 FE is the only one capable of displaying content at a rate of 120 frames per second, all thanks to its Super AMOLED 120Hz display. The Dynamic AMOLED panel used by the Galaxy S10+ has a 60Hz refresh rate, and although 60fps is plenty for a smooth experience throughout the UI, it's still half of what the Galaxy S20 FE's display is capable of.

Mobile games that support 120Hz will look a lot smoother, and more demanding 3D apps will run better not only thanks to the 120Hz panel but also because the Galaxy S20 FE comes with a newer, more powerful and energy-efficient pair of chipsets. Which brings us to another reason why the Galaxy S20 FE can be a better choice over the Galaxy S10+.

Newer chipsets and an opportunity to use the fabled Qualcomm SoC

The Galaxy S20 FE was released a year and a half after the Galaxy S10+ debuted on the market, and as expected, it ships with newer hardware including a new pair of SoCs. They're more powerful and energy-efficient, but more importantly, the Galaxy S20 FE is not divided between Snapdragon and Exynos regions. Anyone who buys the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, regardless of where they do it, will get the Snapdragon 865 chipset, whereas LTE customers will get the Exynos 990 solution.

What this means is that Galaxy customers in Exynos regions can finally experience the Qualcomm Snapdragon solution, as long as they buy the 5G-enabled variant of the Galaxy S20 FE.

Bigger battery with faster charging

The Galaxy S20 FE provides all-day battery life even with the 120Hz refresh rate mode enabled, and this is quite a feat given that the base Galaxy S21 model struggles (and fails) to achieves the same. Evidently, you can squeeze even more out of the 4,500mAh unit if you limit yourself to 60Hz but it's not necessary to do so.

The budget flagship not only has a larger 4,500mAh battery compared to the 4,300mAh battery found inside the Galaxy S10+ but it also benefits from faster 25W charging as opposed to 15W. In essence, this means that the Galaxy S20 FE battery will take longer to deplete and it will recharge faster. Both phones offer 15W fast wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

A better telephoto camera with improved optical zoom

A greatly improved camera experience isn't necessarily the reason why you'd want to buy the Galaxy S20 FE over the Galaxy S10+, as both devices deliver a comparable camera quality.

The one characteristic that can make a worthy difference in the real world is the telephoto sensor on the back of the Galaxy S20 FE. It has a lower 8MP resolution as opposed to 12MP, however, it boasts 3x optical zoom as opposed to 2x, and the whole setup works great even at 10x hybrid zoom.

256GB on-board storage option and newer firmware

This isn't something every prospective buyer will care for but if you think 128GB of on-board storage is not enough and 512GB/1TB of storage is excessive then you should find the Galaxy S20 FE to be in the sweet spot. It was released with 128GB and 256GB of on-board storage as opposed to 128GB / 512GB / 1TB, though both models benefit from a microSD card slot.

Another aspect to consider is the slightly newer firmware with which the Galaxy S20 FE got shipped. It runs Android 10 out of the box instead of Android 9, and although both phones have been updated to Android 11, the Galaxy S20 FE should be supported up until — and including — the release of Android 13. Meanwhile, Samsung will cease bringing major firmware updates to the Galaxy S10+ after Android 12.

The budget flagship is more colorful and easier to come by

Last and possibly least, another reason why you should consider the Galaxy S20 FE over the Galaxy S10+ is the latter model's limited availability. The Galaxy S10+ is two years old and it's no longer as easier to come by as it used to. Samsung is selling certified pre-owned units in some markets and you might be able to find the phone through a carrier agreement, but there's no guarantee.

In turn, this also means that even if you find a good deal on the Galaxy S10+, you probably won't have too many color options to choose from. The Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, was released in a handful of colors — six, to be precise — and this time around Samsung has made all of them available in every market.

Are you on the lookout for a new Galaxy phone? Do you agree on the reasons why the Galaxy S20 FE can be a better choice, or would you prefer the Galaxy S10+? In other words, which one of these two models would you buy, and why? Feel free to let us know in the comment section below.

Galaxy S10+ review | Galaxy S20 FE review


Phone Galaxy S10Galaxy S10 PlusGalaxy S20 Fan EditionGalaxy S20 FE
Galaxy AI summarized

Scroll for more related content
News For You

You might also like

Quickly create GIFs using the camera on your Galaxy smartphone

Quickly create GIFs using the camera on your Galaxy smartphone

Do you like sharing GIFs on social media and messaging apps? Do you also like creating your own GIFs instead of just sharing what’s already available in the apps you use or the keyboard you type on? Galaxy smartphones offer several methods of creating GIF files. One of those involves swiping and holding the shutter […]

  • By Abhijeet Mishra
  • 2 weeks ago
Samsung’s first Galaxy S Fan Edition phone gets a new update

Samsung’s first Galaxy S Fan Edition phone gets a new update

The October 2024 security update is rolling out to the Galaxy S20 FE, Samsung's first Fan Edition Galaxy S smartphone, just a few weeks after the latest model went on sale. Unlike the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, the S20 FE continues to receive monthly security updates, and the October security patch is now […]

  • By Abhijeet Mishra
  • 2 months ago
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition for China borrows exotic S10+ feature

Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition for China borrows exotic S10+ feature

Samsung strengthened its commitment to foldable phones earlier today when it announced the highly anticipated new foldable device called Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition. This phone is poised to be rare, as it will be released only in a few markets. One is Korea, and another is said to be China. In China, however, the […]

  • By Mihai Matei
  • 2 months ago
Samsung’s legendary phones facing bootloop issues after update

Samsung’s legendary phones facing bootloop issues after update

A few days ago, Samsung released an update to the SmartThings app that reportedly caused severe issues for some older Samsung smartphones. Multiple Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S10 series users complained about their phones getting stuck in a boot loop. The company has now confirmed the cause. Samsung confirms SmartThings update caused bootloop issues […]

  • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
  • 2 months ago
One thing could go terribly wrong with Samsung’s Galaxy S strategy

One thing could go terribly wrong with Samsung’s Galaxy S strategy

As you may have heard, Samsung might change its Galaxy S flagship strategy in the coming years. Rumor has it that the company will remove the base Galaxy S model from the premium lineup in 2026, which would most likely shine a brighter spotlight on the cheaper and now larger Galaxy FE series. Samsung's strategy […]

  • By Mihai Matei
  • 2 months ago
Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s September 2024 security update now live in more regions

Galaxy S20 FE 5G’s September 2024 security update now live in more regions

Earlier this month, Samsung released an update that offered the September 2024 security patch to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. Back then, the brand made it available only for the carrier-locked variant of the smartphone for the United States. Now, the company is rolling it out the International variant of the smartphone, which has the […]

  • By Abid Iqbal Shaik
  • 2 months ago