Samsung Galaxy S26 FE first impressions: big screen, lightweight design
Samsung’s Fan Edition (FE) of the flagship Galaxy S26 series debuted last week. The Galaxy S26 FE is designed to deliver much of the flagship experience of the S26 lineup, albeit with some toned-down specifications. While Samsung is yet to reveal the Galaxy S26 FE’s price in India, we recently got some hands-on time with the phone. Here are our early impressions of the Galaxy S26 FE as we work towards a detailed review.
Table of Contents
Big build but lightweight
The Galaxy S26 FE has a relatively large footprint, but it manages to remain slim and lightweight. At 193g, the handset feels surprisingly light in the hand and is comfortable to carry around despite its size. The in-hand feel is good, and you can still get most things done one-handed, thanks in part to One UI’s well-placed controls.
The power button and volume keys are positioned on the right side and are easy to reach. I also appreciate that Samsung hasn’t added any extra AI or camera keys, which can sometimes feel more like an inconvenience than a useful addition. The Galaxy S26 FE shares the same form factor as the Galaxy S26+, so if you prefer a larger screen for watching movies, TV shows, or other content, you’ll likely appreciate the extra real estate.
The handset also features a dual-speaker setup, with the earpiece doubling as the second speaker. Dolby Atmos support further enhances the experience, delivering a more immersive soundstage when watching movies or TV shows. Combined with the large 6.7-inch display and slim bezels, the Galaxy S26 FE offers an immersive viewing experience.
Design-wise, the phone gets a flat frame with slim bezels and an aluminium construction that gives it a distinctly flagship look and feel. You also get an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. Samsung offers the Galaxy S26 FE in Graphite, Pistachio, and Blueberry. We have the Pistachio variant, which has a light aquamarine-like shade and feels very much in line with Samsung’s colour palette. If you prefer something more understated or bold, the Graphite and Blueberry options should be worth considering.
Display goodness
Further adding to its appeal is the 6.7-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2340) AMOLED display, which supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, offering a good level of durability for a phone in this segment. In comparison, the Galaxy S25 FE also offers the same display specs. As you’d expect from Samsung, the screen delivers vibrant colours, deep contrast, and plenty of visual punch, which should make everything from scrolling through social media to watching videos look engaging.
The 120Hz refresh rate also makes animations and scrolling feel fluid, while One UI’s feature-rich and intuitive interface complements the panel well. So far, the combination makes the Galaxy S26 FE feel responsive and snappy during everyday use. Peak brightness is rated at 1,900 nits, which may not be the most impressive figure for direct sunlight, but it is more than adequate for indoor use and most everyday scenarios.
Based on our early experience, the Galaxy S26 FE’s screen should be a strong draw for users who spend a lot of time watching videos, browsing, or consuming other content on their phones. The high refresh rate and responsive touch experience should also make it appealing to mobile gamers.
What else to expect
As for the rest of the experience, we’ll be able to dive deeper into these aspects in our detailed review. The Galaxy S26 FE is powered by Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2500 SoC, a 3nm deca-core chipset. It’s a generational upgrade over the Exynos 2400 found in the
, so we expect to see improvements in overall performance, although that’s something we’ll need to assess through real-world usage.
For photography, the device features a 50MP primary sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical and up to 30x digital zoom. Selfies are handled by a 12MP front-facing camera. The combination offers a versatile setup, allowing you to capture everything from wider landscapes and group shots to subjects at a distance.
Powering the phone is a 4,900mAh battery with support for 45W wired charging. While the capacity may seem modest compared with some competing devices that are increasingly opting for much larger batteries, its real-world endurance will ultimately depend on how well the hardware and software are optimised. We’ll put this to the test as part of our full review.
On the software front, the Galaxy S26 FE runs One UI 9 based on Android 17 out of the box. Samsung is also promising seven generations of Android OS upgrades alongside security updates, giving the phone one of the longest software-support commitments in the segment.
Whether the Galaxy S26 FE represents a meaningful upgrade over its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 FE, is something we’ll determine in our full review. We’ll also put it through different usage scenarios to see how it performs in everyday conditions and how it stacks up against its competition. While we await pricing, if the S26 FE lands in the Rs 70,000 price bracket, it could be a strong contender for users prioritising a large, vibrant display and long software support over raw performance or a large battery. However, current S25 FE users might consider waiting for the full review to assess the performance jump.
