Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Review: The Perfect Balance

Quick summary: The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE (I have the pistachio color) starts at $699. It games better than I expected, has a beautiful display and loud speakers, and gets seven major OS updates. The trade-offs are 8GB of RAM and a UI that isn’t as smooth as Samsung’s flagships.

Design

USB-C, the SIM tray and a speaker are on the bottom, with the power and volume keys on the right. The camera bump is almost flush, so it barely wobbles on a table. It’s light at 193 grams. In the box are a SIM tool and a USB-C to USB-C cable.

Cameras

It’s the familiar Samsung camera app. It shoots up to 8K, but I recorded in 4K 60. The ultra-wide only does 4K 30, so switch to 30fps if the ultra-wide disappears. The front camera also does 4K 60. Photos looked really nice, with good color and clarity. Video stabilization is decent rather than great, 10x zoom is usable but a bit soft, and front-camera colors were sometimes too bright, which an update might fix.

Performance

It runs the Exynos 2500 with 8GB of RAM. Geekbench gave me 2,051 single-core and 7,677 multi-core, a better multi-core score than the new Pixels. It doesn’t feel slow, but it isn’t as smooth as an S26 Ultra or Z Fold 8.

Gaming impressed me:

• Roblox at max graphics ran smoothly.
• Fortnite on Epic settings ran at about 60 to 70fps with only one tiny hiccup.

The phone got warm all around after a long session, though never uncomfortable. A case or controller would help.

Display and speakers

It’s a 6.7-inch 1080p+ panel rated at 1,900 nits. That’s not the brightest out there, but it’s clear and beautiful for videos. The speakers are really loud with nice low end, one of the phone’s strong points.

Battery and charging

It has a 4,900mAh battery with 45W wired, 15W wireless and reverse wireless charging. With the 1080p screen and Exynos chip, battery life is another strong point.

Software

It ships with Android 17 and One UI 9, with seven major OS updates. You get all the usual Samsung features, including Good Lock and split-screen multitasking.

Verdict

It comes in 128GB and 256GB at roughly $699 and $799. That’s a great price for a fast phone with a good camera, fast charging, great speakers and a beautiful screen. My one worry is that 8GB of RAM may slow it down in a few years.

• Buy the Galaxy S26 FE from Samsung
• Galaxy S26 FE at Best Buy