Weekly poll: will you buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE?

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE: Is the Latest Fan Edition Worth Your Cash?

Samsung's Galaxy S26 FE has arrived, and its debut feels like a familiar chapter in the company's smartphone saga. Following the S25 FE, which offered a solid iteration on the S24 FE, the new model arrives with a mix of incremental upgrades and some surprising omissions.

The S25 FE itself brought notable improvements, including an enhanced Exynos 2400 chipset, a larger 4,900mAh battery (a 200mAh bump), and faster 45W wired charging (up from 25W, with wireless remaining at 15W). A new 12MP selfie camera sensor replaced the previous 10MP unit, and the chassis gained a more premium Enhanced Armor Aluminum finish over the S24 FE's regular aluminum.

S26 FE: A Step Forward, or Sideways?

When we look at the S26 FE's upgrades over its predecessor, the list is notably shorter. The headline feature is the new Exynos 2500 chipset. However, there are also some notable downgrades. Samsung is no longer explicitly mentioning Armor Aluminum for the S26 FE, reverting to "aluminum." Furthermore, the USB-C port has been downgraded to USB 2.0 speeds. A deep dive into the specifications reveals little justification for a year's worth of development.

The cost also sees an increase. The Galaxy S26 FE (128GB) starts at $700, a $50 jump from the S25 FE's launch price. This positions it closely to other offerings; for context, the S26+ with more RAM (12GB vs. 8GB) and double the storage (256GB) can often be found for around $850. The S26 FE will likely need to find its competitive price point between the S26+ and the A57 line.

However, when compared to Samsung's direct rivals, the $700 price point for 128GB of storage becomes more understandable. It's comparable to an older iPhone 16 model from Apple, and significantly less than the starting price of a Pixel 11 with 256GB. Outside of these premium brands, the S26 FE's value proposition becomes less compelling.

Given these factors, are you considering a purchase of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE? Or would you perhaps lean towards a different Galaxy model or even an alternative brand?

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