Midrange phones face tough times

The Galaxy S26 FE tries to balance flagship features with affordable pricing, but rising component costs make that balance increasingly difficult.

Design feels familiar with minor tweaks

The S26 FE looks nearly identical to last year's model, with a new glossy back finish, connected camera island, and a slightly larger frame. It's marginally taller, wider, and 3 grams heavier.

Smooth 6.7-inch display with limits

The OLED screen reaches 120Hz for smooth scrolling and peaks at 1,900 nits brightness. That's dimmer than the flagship S26's 2,600 nits on sunny days.

Price jumps fifty dollars with same specs

The S26 FE costs $700, a $50 increase over the S25 FE, yet keeps the same 8GB RAM and 128GB base storage. That fills up fast with modern games.

Gaming performance struggles occasionally

The Exynos 2500 chip handles most tasks smoothly, but frame rates choke in demanding games like Wuthering Waves during intense scenes.

Camera app feels sluggish and dated

The camera app occasionally lags so much it feels like a cheaper A-series phone, making it frustrating to capture in-the-moment shots.

“Trying to snap an in-the-moment shot demands a zippy camera app.”

Battery demands daily charging

Despite a 4,900mAh battery matching the S26+, the S26 FE only lasted just over 21 hours in testing. It supports 45W wired and 15W wireless charging.

AI features offer real practical value

Now Nudge streamlines tasks by surfacing shortcuts to calendar and contacts without app switching. Object erasing and photo editing also improved significantly.

Cameras match flagships but deliver less

The 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 8MP 3x telephoto have the same specs as premium models, but telephoto shots are often blurry or overexposed.

Video features borrowed from action cams

My FanCam isolates and tracks people in group videos, while horizon-lock keeps footage stable across rotation. Both capture up to 4K video.

Better deals exist elsewhere right now

Google's Pixel 10a costs $500 with a bigger battery and brighter screen. Samsung's own S24+ refurbs sell for $650 with more RAM and brightness.

Hard sell for a midrange phone

The S26 FE isn't doing enough to justify its $700 price tag. Older Galaxy S devices or the cheaper Pixel 10a offer better value.

“It's simply not doing enough.”