This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to our disclaimer for more information.

So I currently rock a Samsung Galaxy S8 and an iPhone  6S 😱YES, I say that proudly cause I really like these phones and I use both of them on a daily basis and YES, I know in tech years I am the relic of the past shouting at the kids who drive by in their hover cars way too fast.

The iPhone  is over 5 years old at this point and the Samsung is just over 4 and I generally don’t change my stuff, until I really need to. 

The first to finally give up on me was the Samsung as the poor thing was really struggling to keep up in 2021. The the apps would crash, the screen would hang up and I had to tap on the back of the phone a couple of times so that the only camera on the back would get it into focus. 

The best was when my I was video calling my wife and the front camera kept flickering my image and we had a moment where it felt like we were in “The Haunting” 😆

Now don’t get me wrong the iPhone  is also holding on for dear life, it’s showing signs of slowing down, it will occasionally freeze up, plus the battery capacity is definitely not what it used to be. 

Normally I would have bitten the proverbial bullet and replaced them both but seeing how uncertain the future we live in is #COVIDBEGONEALREADY I set myself up to just replace one of the phones for now.  

Now the problem was should I pay what is accepted as the new normal (1100$+) for a flagship or the nearly flagship (800$ – 999$) or go the budget friendly (599$ – 799$) way. It also gave me a choice, should I try something new like the “Oneplus” or stick to something tried and tested like the “Samsung”. 

After browsing the local market, I chickened out and stuck with Samsung, I told myself it is the safe, comfortable option, but it’s more like I am afraid to step out of my comfort zone. 😅

Given how the smart phone market has boomed in recent times, you can really be spoilt for choice, as there are literally phones you can find for every price point just depends on what you are looking for and how much you are willing to pay for it as well.

Potential buying list

I narrowed my potential list to the below options:

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G	741$
Samsung Galaxy S20 4G	876$
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 4G	676$
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G	933$

Note: Prices are in my local currency converted to USD. Hence the prices, specs & availability in your region will vary.

After a lot of back and forth I finally decided to pick up the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G version.

Pros of Samsung galaxy s20 fe

• Snapdragon 865 
• 6.5 inch full HD AMOLED display
• 128GB of internal storage which also expandable via micro SD card slot
• 8GB ram
• 4500 mAh battery
• 120 Hz refresh rate
• WiFi 6
• 5G
• 25W fast charging
• 32 Mega Pixel front facing camera

Cons of Samsung galaxy s20 fe

•  While the phone does come with a triple camera set up, it is one of the main areas that Samsung had to cut some corners, its not that the cameras are bad there perfectly serviceable.
• The HD display is fine it is still not nearly as sharp as the ones you get in a flagship
• The refresh rate is not an adaptive one like in the new S21 line up where the screen will drop its refresh rate down to save battery and ramp back up when you need it.
• Plastic back shell is a fingerprint magnet.
• Doesn’t come in black 😄

Just to be clear I know I am just nitpicking on it now but baring the camera there isn’t anything that’s truly bad in this phone and most of the cons that I have listed can be easily fixed. 

Like if you don’t need the 120 Hz you can turn it down to 60 Hz and get a boost in your battery life, you can always slap a clear cover on the phone if you want to flex your Colour options plus no more finger prints on the back. While I am definitely in the “black/ Matt black everything camp” the cloud navy or “blue” colour that I opted for is very nice (side note – the blue is darker than the marketing photos and videos make it out to be).

Verdict

Personally the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE phone is a nice piece of kit and it has something of everyone and in some cases it is has more features than its S20 / S21 cousins. Initial impressions are great and no buyers remorse so far.

Now that the S21 line is out and if your lucky you can pick up this phone for a deal as retailers will try to reduce their stock, I was able to snag mine with a deal as one of the local retailers was doing an online promotion where the phone was listed for 569$ a whole 172$ off.

At this price point it became an absolute no brainer and a easy recommendation.

The phone comes in a variety of cloud colours (seriously) cloud navy, cloud lavender, cloud mint, cloud white, cloud red.

I will try and do a short follow up to see what it is like to daily drive this phone.

Recommend 👍

We would love to hear if you have any feedback. Do leave us a comment if you liked what you read. Thank you!