GoKawiilSamsung’s Galaxy S26 FE may be the company’s lower-cost flagship, but the phone’s getting nearly all of the same software features we first saw on the company’s more expensive phones. And it better be, as it’s also getting a $50 price bump over last year’s S25 FE, with this year’s phone starting at $700 for 128GB of storage and $800 for 256GB.
Announced Thursday, the S26 FE’s biggest hardware change is its 12-megapixel selfie camera. That’s the same megapixel count as last year’s selfie camera, but its new wider field of view allows you to photograph more of your surroundings.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE has a front-facing camera with a wider field of view than last year’s FE. Joseph Maldonado/CNET
But I’m most excited about all of the camera software features the phone is getting from Samsung’s more expensive devices, like the $900 Galaxy S26 and the $1,200 Galaxy Z Flip 8.
Super Steady Video with Horizontal Lock helps keep your video shooting stable even when your hands are shaking or you’re moving around while recording. My FanCam automatically frames specific subjects within a video. Samsung’s Audio Eraser removes background noise from videos you take on the FE and also supports Netflix and YouTube.
The My FanCam feature, first seen on Samsung’s folding phones, creates autoframing videos centered on a specific subject. Joseph Maldonado/CNET
All of these features are part of Android 17 and Samsung’s One UI 9 — and the S26 FE’s lower cost makes them more accessible than any of the other phones in the company’s lineup. Plus, the phone works with Samsung’s new Smart Switch app, making it easier to move your apps, data and texts over from an iPhone by connecting directly with iOS 26’s Transfer to Android feature.
I still need time to test the S26 FE after my brief hands-on time, but I do think it has a decent opportunity to stand out thanks to its software features and lower price — even if it’s certainly not cheap at $700 for 128GB. Compared with the $100 price increases to the base Galaxy S26, Google’s Pixel 11 and Motorola’s Razr, all prompted by rising memory costs, the S26 FE’s $50 price increase isn’t as harsh.
Upgrading to it from a Galaxy S23 FE or earlier will provide the most noticeable jump, thanks to its larger 6.7-inch display, Samsung’s year-old but still punchy Exynos 2500 processor and the aforementioned camera features. I do wish that display was brighter — the phone’s peak brightness of 1,900 nits should suit most environments, but other comparably priced phones like the Pixel 10A are hitting 3,000 nits.
Samsung’s 30x digital zoom on the Galaxy S26 FE has been improved over last year’s phone. Joseph Maldonado/CNET
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