GoKawiilPaul Jones / Android Authority
Not content with launching three foldables and a pair of smartwatches this summer, Samsung is rounding off its latest launch window with the Galaxy S26 FE.
It’s hard to object to the idea behind the FE — the core of a premium Samsung phone experience with some bits trimmed off to make it easier on your bank account. And I am fairly sure that when the Galaxy S26 FE is reviewed, it will score well. But it’s still going to be a phone that’s hard to find a suitable buyer for, due to its unfortunate mix of features and pricing.
Do you think Samsung needs to innovate more when it comes to its smartphones? 16 votes Yes, that's why I don't buy its phones. 38 % Yes, but I still buy its phones. 50 % No, I think the phones do enough. 13 %
S FE stands for “still fairly expensive”
The big reason for the Galaxy S26 FE’s problem is that while the specs and features of the new FE are only slightly upgraded, as we’ll get into later, the price has increased too. You now pay $50/£50 more for the equivalent storage options of the outgoing Galaxy S25 FE. This is likely another case of RAMageddon making the consumer hardware market a bleak place to shop.
It leaves the FE in the same awkward spot it’s always been in: too big a leap in price to entice someone looking at a mid-range Galaxy A-series phone, and too small a step down in price to make it a smart cost-saving measure compared to a full-fat S26. There’s only a hundred bucks/quid difference between the Galaxy S26 FE and the standard Galaxy S26, which offers noticeably more in terms of camera specs and chipset power, even if it has a smaller display and battery.
This is another case of RAMageddon making the consumer hardware market a bleak place to shop.
All of that assumes you’re buying these phones at full retail price, and given how regularly Samsung or its partners discount even the latest Galaxy S26 models — or the outgoing S25 FE — that makes things even tougher for the Galaxy S26 FE.
The old version isn’t dead yet
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