Samsung's Galaxy S20 FE 5G gets two vastly different rumored prices
Samsung isn't quite done releasing high-end smartphones for the year, with a "Fan Edition" of the Galaxy S20 yet to come that's technically set to follow in the footsteps of the watered-down Galaxy S10 Lite.
Keen followers of the rumor mill might remember that a 120Hz display refresh rate was one of the first features mentioned with regard to the Galaxy S20 FE, and after some conflicting info out of the supply chain, it seems that Samsung is sticking to this very exciting initial plan.
Powered by a massive 4,500mAh battery, the diluted flagship should also pack a state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor in markets like the US while possibly settling for a disappointing homebrewed Exynos 990 SoC "internationally." Unlike the S10 Lite, this bad boy is rumored to carry IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, and just like the S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 20, its premium-looking design will include a cheap-feeling plastic back.
Based on all the prematurely revealed and rumored information so far, we expect the Galaxy S20 FE 5G to stand extremely close to the "regular" 5G-enabled S20 on the Android food chain, still cutting a few corners to keep the price point nice and reasonable but vastly improving the specifications of its spiritual forerunner.
Said reasonable price tag, by the way, is not etched in stone just yet, with two different leaks painting two contrasting pictures today.
Wildly overpriced or too good to be true?
Right off the bat, we should point out the two sources of the latest Galaxy S20 FE rumors are not exactly the most reliable in all the mobile tech world, which means both of the following numbers are to be treated with extreme caution.
The first is $878, the rough USD equivalent of the CAD 1,148.65 price tipped up north. While it's never wise to use direct currency conversion as a method of predicting how much a device could cost in any given market, the Galaxy S20 5G might be a good indicator that this mechanism will indeed prove reliable in this particular case.
That's because the 6.2-inch powerhouse normally costs $1,319.99 in Canada, which converts very closely to the $999.99 recommended price of the Galaxy S20 5G stateside. At best, if this leak pans out, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G could go for $850 in the US in navy, lavender, sky green, red, white, and orange colors, which doesn't sound especially reasonable or competitive when the OnePlus 8 5G, for instance, starts at $699.
$699, however, just so happens to be the price point rumored by an up-and-coming Twitter tipster... that's not entirely trustworthy yet. This super-optimistic piece of gossip also lacks context, mind you, so before getting too excited, you'll want to remember Samsung is reportedly planning to release the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition in both 4G LTE-only and 5G-capable variants.
Hence, it's entirely possible that the 4G model will start at around 700 bucks, in which case the 5G version could end up in the vicinity of $800, which would be relatively fair albeit far from groundbreaking.
A smooth 120Hz screen and other top-shelf specs
In case you're wondering, that would make the Galaxy S20 FE's screen faster than that of the aforementioned "standard" OnePlus 8 5G, with a similar FHD+ resolution and a similar size on the cards. On that last front, our intel is still somewhat jumbled, pointing to anything from 6.5 to 6.7 inches, but either way, this is almost certainly a 100 percent flat affair.
In addition to losing the curves of the S20 5G, the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition 5G is expected to do without the 64MP telephoto lens, downgrading that to an 8 megapixel count while retaining the 12MP primary shooter on the back and the 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor.
Things that are NOT allowed: