Back in September, Samsung added a new member to its premium Galaxy S20 family in the form of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. The device costs $700 (£599, AU$999), handily stealing the crown from the $1,000 (at launch) Galaxy S20 and decision-exclusive it the most affordable phone in Samsung’s premium S20 line. That raises an determined question: What compromises were made to drive down the cost, and therefore the starting imprint, of the S20 FE? 

On paper at least, there don’t seem to be many core differences between the phones. The 6.5-inch S20 FE retains many of the top-shelf features untrue in its flashier siblings. Along with a sharp AMOLED indicate coupled with ultra-fast refresh rates, it has a tall battery, an IP68 rating (for water and dust resistance) and multiple cameras on its rear, comprising a telephoto lens. 

Where Samsung does make compromises is in its harvest of material. The S20 FE, unlike its fancier siblings, has a back made of plastic instead of glass. It has less RAM and storage than its family members, and there are some concessions on its rear camera setup, but you might not even miss them. 8K video recording and 100x Space Zoom are absent, but 30x zoom is available (like what’s featured in the S20 and S20 Plus) and so is 3x optical zoom. 

To learn more approximately the differences and similarities of Samsung’s S20 line, take a look at our specs chart below.