Samsung Galaxy S10 5G vs Galaxy S20 FE 5G: A Clash of Titans
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The S20 FE 5G offers a more modern chipset and generally better performance for the price. While the S10 5G boasts a slightly more refined design and potentially better display quality in some areas, the S20 FE 5G's value proposition is hard to ignore, making it the overall winner for most users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S10 5G | Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - USA | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - Global | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66, 71 - USA |
| 5G bands | 78 NSA/Sub6 | 2, 5, 41, 66, 71 Sub6 - USA |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps, 5G (2+ Gbps DL) | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat19 1800/200 Mbps, 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 24, 25, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - China | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 41, 78 Sub6 - International | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, February. Released 2019, April | 2020, September 23 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2020, October 02 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 162.6 x 77.1 x 7.9 mm (6.40 x 3.04 x 0.31 in) | 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm (6.29 x 2.93 x 0.33 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 198 g (6.98 oz) | 190 g (6.70 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~502 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~407 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.7 inches, 112.0 cm2 (~89.4% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 101.0 cm2 (~84.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED, HDR10+ | Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.31 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) - USA | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| Chipset | Exynos 9820 (8 nm) - GlobalQualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) - USA | Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP12 - GlobalAdreno 640 - USA | Adreno 650 |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 12, One UI 4.1 | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| UFS 2.1 | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | - | 2 MP |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.0µm, Super Steady video 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth) | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm |
| Video | 4K@60fps (no EIS), 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 10 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF TOF 3D, (depth sensor) | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | FM radio (USA & Canada only) | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG, DisplayPort | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Browser | - | HTTP / WAP 2.0 |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass |
| ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung DeX (desktop experience support) Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | Virtual proximity sensing Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Stand-by | - | Up to 300 h |
| Talk time | - | Up to 5 h |
| Type | Li-Ion 4500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4500 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Crown Silver, Majestic Black, Royal Gold | Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, Cloud White, Cloud Red, Cloud Orange |
| Models | SM-G977U, SM-G977N, SM-G977B, SM-G9770, SM-G977P, SM-G977T | SM-G781B, SM-G781B/DS, SM-G781U, SM-G781U1, SM-G781W, SM-G7810, SM-G781N, SM-G781V |
| Price | About 380 EUR | $ 137.00 / C$ 531.23 / £ 169.00 / € 199.00 |
| SAR | 0.46 W/kg (head) 1.59 W/kg (body) | 0.70 W/kg (head) 0.82 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.26 W/kg (head) 1.55 W/kg (body) | 0.50 W/kg (head) 1.35 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 361.99 |
| 128GB 8GB RAM | - | $ 589.97 |
| 256GB 8GB RAM | - | $ 769.99 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 110h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -26.3 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 543986 (v8) GeekBench: 3296 (v5.1) GFXBench: 45fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
| OUR TESTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery (old) | - | Endurance rating 110h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | 822 nits max brightness (measured) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -26.3 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 543986 (v8) GeekBench: 3296 (v5.1) GFXBench: 45fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
- Premium Design
- Excellent Display Quality
- Established Track Record
- Wireless PowerShare (Reverse Wireless Charging)
- Older Chipset
- Slightly Slower Performance
- Higher Price (now)
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
- Modern Snapdragon 865 5G Chipset
- Excellent Camera Performance
- Higher Peak Brightness Display
- More Affordable
- Plastic Back (on some models)
- Design less premium than S10 5G
Display Comparison
Both phones feature excellent AMOLED displays, but the S20 FE 5G boasts a higher peak brightness (822 nits vs S10 5G's ~700 nits) and a potentially better contrast ratio. The S10 5G's display is known for its color accuracy and vibrancy, while the S20 FE 5G offers a more modern, brighter viewing experience. Resolution is similar, both offering sharp visuals.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer versatile camera systems. The S20 FE 5G generally captures slightly better photos and videos, especially in low light, thanks to its newer sensor technology and image processing algorithms. The S10 5G's camera is still very capable, but the S20 FE 5G provides a noticeable upgrade.
Performance
The S20 FE 5G's Snapdragon 865 5G chipset significantly outperforms the S10 5G's Exynos 9820 or Snapdragon 855 (depending on region). This translates to faster app loading times, smoother multitasking, and better gaming performance. The S20 FE 5G's newer CPU architecture also contributes to improved efficiency.
Battery Life
Both phones have a similar battery capacity, and both achieve an endurance rating of 110 hours. Battery life is comparable, offering all-day usage for most users. Both support 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
Buying Guide
The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is ideal for users prioritizing a premium design, slightly better display quality (depending on individual preference), and a more established track record. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G is perfect for those seeking a powerful 5G phone with a modern chipset, excellent camera capabilities, and a more budget-friendly price point.