As if Samsung didn't have enough exciting high-end smartphones in the pipeline for official announcements and commercial releases over the next few months, an additional model started making the rumor rounds back in June.
Because the "regular" Galaxy Note 20 variant can seemingly be considered in many ways a direct sequel to the Note 10 Lite rather than last year's standard Note 10, Samsung might not be working on a separate Note 20 Lite model. But a Galaxy S10 Lite successor is almost certainly coming soon.
According to this particular insider's sources, Samsung might be aiming to roll out the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, aka S20 FE, aka Galaxy Fan Edition, by the end of the year. Unfortunately, there are no details whatsoever attached to the vague Q4 2020 ETA, which means we can't be sure the powerful smartphone will actually go on sale during the year's final three months.
It's not unusual for the company to unveil new Galaxy A-series mid-rangers in December before commercially releasing them in January, for instance, so perhaps the S20 Fan Edition will adhere to a similar timetable.
Then again, Ice Universe's prediction could also correspond with a Korean media report from a few weeks ago that anticipated a commercial Galaxy Note 20 series debut in August, followed by the Galaxy Fold 2 in September, and this budget-friendly new member of the S20 family in October.
Speaking of the budget-friendly angle, there are unfortunately no specific numbers to talk about, although for what it's worth, Ice Universe does expect the price to be "nice." That... doesn't really mean anything, but if the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition follows the S10 Lite's suit, its recommended price could be set at around $650 in the US.
Major upgrades across the board
While the S10 Lite felt excessively priced (due also to its tardy US release), the S20 Fan Edition could be an absolute heavyweight value champion... if it manages to indeed stay under the $700 mark. That's because the pretty much guaranteed use of a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 865 SoC essentially carves in stone the presence of 5G connectivity as well, with these two massive improvements alone making us hopeful the Galaxy S20 FE will be better received than its Lite forerunner.
The Galaxy S10 Lite, mind you, was a 4G LTE-only Snapdragon 855 powerhouse with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display sporting a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a conventional 60Hz refresh rate.
Believe it or not, Samsung is expected to raise that bar to 120Hz on the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition 5G, adding the inexpensive flagship handset to a select group of full-blown flagships currently including the S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra and set to include the Galaxy Fold 2 and Note 20 Ultra soon as well but not the "standard" Note 20. That would position the S20 FE higher on the Android device totem pole than even the OnePlus 8 5G, which settles for 90Hz refresh rate technology.
Then again, this also makes us skeptical that the price of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition 5G could ultimately be quite as "nice" as that of the S10 Lite.
After all, even the unlocked OnePlus 8 5G starts at $700. And yes, the S20 FE should look pretty much as sleek and as premium as the other members of the Galaxy S20 family, with a tiny-sounding 3.3mm hole punch and an IP68 water-resistant build. In case you're wondering, no, the S10 Lite is not protected against water immersion.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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