THE first thing I notice when holding the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE for the first time is how perfectly it fits in my hand. It has a 6.7-inch display and is quite ‘tall.’ Its thickness is at 7.4mm. The back has a glossy finish. Like all Samsung phones, the Samsung Galaxy FE feels premium, encased in Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ and an aluminum alloy frame. It has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
As I am coming from using Samsung’s flagship devices, I immediately wanted to look at the difference in the FE’s 6.7′ display (2340 pixels with a 120Hz refresh rate). I like how big the display is and it was crisp and vivid. To be honest, it was not as bright as the S26 Ultra’s display. But with prices starting at P46,990 for the 8GB + 128GB model compared with the S26 Ultra’s P86,990, the S26 FE is looking good. Money is, after all, a serious consideration in these financially challenging times so if you want something reasonably priced without having to shell out nearly P100,000, you know the FE is a good deal. The other storage options for the FE are 256GB and 512GB.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, which comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, is powered by an Exynos 2500 chipset built on a 3nm process, an improvement from the 2025 processor. The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE also has the latest versions of Android and One UI out of the box. It will also get Android support up to Android 24 (seven major updates).
The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE has a 4,900mAh typical battery capacity with support for 45W wired charging. The FE’s battery is higher than the Flip8’s 4,300 mAh and the Z Fold8’s 4,800 mAh, both of which last the whole day. The 4,900mAh means up to 29 hours on a single charge.
The Galaxy S26 FE features a triple rear camera setup and a single front-facing selfie camera, enhanced by Samsung’s ProVisual Engine and AI processing. The main camera is a 50MP wide sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization. The 12MP ultra-wide sits at f/2.2 for landscapes and group shots, and the 8MP telephoto adds 3x optical zoom with its own OIS and an f/2.4 aperture.
On the front, the upgraded 12MP selfie camera offers a wider view. At the core of the camera experience is the ProVisual Engine, designed to enhance image quality across different shooting conditions, including low light and distant subjects. The main camera also supports up to 8K video at 30fps and 4K video at 60fps for detailed, high-resolution footage.
As someone who has used Samsung’s flagship models for years now, I would describe the S26 FE’s camera as reliable and steady. To compare, the Galaxy S26 Ultra still takes amazing photos from the Upper Box and General Admission of Mall of Asia Arena and the S26 FE can shoot good concert photos from Lower Box. For a midrange phone, this is very much acceptable.
To be honest, while the camera of the S26 FE is reliable, if you are a frequent concertgoer buying a phone for this purpose I would advise you to get the S26 Ultra because you won’t always be seated in Lower Box. However, if you’re using your phone camera normally for everyday things, the S26 FE is enough.
It’s worth noting that the S26 FE has the My FanCam feature. This Galaxy AI video-editing feature turns wider group or concert recordings into tight, personalized solo tracking shots. This is very helpful for taking videos and shooting photos during concerts and events.
As for videos, daylight videos are fine. The nighttime videos can be a bit bright. The stabilization is quite good, so that is a bonus.
In terms of performance, I would say the Galaxy S26 FE was fast, smooth, and reliable except for a few lags here and there. The lags usually happen at the end of the day so is it safe to say that they occur when the phone is ‘overworked?’ Otherwise, the S26 FE’s performance was satisfactory.
I would recommend the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE to someone who’s looking for a good everyday phone. The models with the larger memory will allow you to do more things seamlessly, such as gaming and streaming.
Considering the price and everything else, one of the major cons for me is the glossy back, which can be slippery and a fingerprint magnet. Otherwise, the S26 FE is a solid phone with some of the features that have made Samsung’s flagship phones iconic.