Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G (Cloud Navy, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)

3 reviews for Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G (Cloud Navy, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)

1. 

   Kevin Rufus – January 13, 2025

   Beautiful Phone – Gets you close to the flagship experience
   To begin with, I had to return the initial product delivered to me. It had minor bumps on the left side of the screen in the (edgy) place where the screen is fitted to the body but had no other problems with it functionally. I made a complaint call to amazon and got my replacement the same day itself. I have been using the replacement for a week now.Overall cost was around 31k INR via coupons & Amazon Summer Sale’22.First and foremost, I had made a conscious decision to replace this phone by the end of they year even before I clicked the purchase button because I somehow felt that I was very late to buy it (was released in 2020; and the 2022 variant is not available in India so far). But the handset is impressive and those of you looking for a future proof phone, this product will definitely be viable for another couple of years at the least if not more.Its a bit lengthy and definitely is chunkier than most phones I have handled (which is actually not that many; definitely no flagships or ultras) but the weight is nicely distributed and is very comfortable to hold. However, the finish both front and back despite looking so elegant are prone to be muddled by finger prints (I constantly wipe the screen and back with a micro fiber cloth just to admire it in its pristine form ;p).Display is extra-ordinary (120 Hz by default). Perhaps it is the USP of this product and Samsung screens are anyway the golden standard in this part of the globe at least. Smooth screen transitions, buttery responsive to touch (can be adjusted). Overall display and screen are flagship-grade. I am very careful with most of my electronics so the gorilla glass 3 (I have seen some reviews where people have dropped this phone and completely lost their screen – usually through shattering) does not really bother me and there is no direct impact on resolution or touch as far as I am concerned.The snapdragon 865 compliments the screen and display with good handling of most common applications, the phone OS and the manufacturer specific features. I have never had any stutter or slowness so far but then it has only been a week and I will update this section after a few months of usage. There was noticeable heating while setting up the phone and never after thatI am in no means a power user (but the SD865 is making me feel like one :p). I consume high amounts of streaming media, moderate time with messenger & email apps and the occasional games and I can say that my phone sees moderate to less screen-on time on a regular day. The battery is fit enough and more to handle these requirements and the 8GB RAM is sufficient. I plan to do some stress tests on the battery and RAM; will add the outcomes in the next update to this review. The charging is also fast (via the in box 15W adapter) and I have not plugged in my phone more than once in 48 hrs (for a full charge-discharge cycle: 100% to 10%).The cameras for which I had no expectations because I am not a big user of them seem to be a very big step up from my Nokia 6.1. Good colors when there is sufficient lighting around, good quality of zoomed in/out pics; adequate for a user like me and from the reviews I have heard of the phone they can be punchy enough to produce some magical shots in the hands of a knowledgeable user.Audio is excellent; could not expect more. Strong but filtered output from the receiver even if I keep the phone around my ears instead of pressing them against the ears. The bottom speaker is also sturdy and it pairs well with the receiver to produce a fluent stereo experience. I have already moved on from the 3.5mm jack; I am using the Samsung buds pro and loving it.So as you may have observed, I have just graduated to a no-compromise midship segment of smartphones and my next handset will definitely be a pure flagship. The S20 FE has in its first week, made a great impression and I do not see myself going back to budget or mid range phones from here (that in my opinion is a good impact for a fan edition handset).People, this is a very underrated phone (S21 FE seems like an unimpressive hollywood sequel to the S20 FE as per my understanding). Go for this phone – it is a blessing at the 30-40k range for users like me who are looking to move up towards the flagship experience.

2. 

   A Prudent Customer – January 13, 2025

   A Good Phone with a not-so-good Battery!
   A Good phone with a not-so-good battery. Listing down Pros & Cons after 1 month+ use:PROs:1. Screen/Display is awesome matched with 120hz refresh rate2. Camera does a good job3. Very light weighing phone, a breeze handling it & does not seem like a load in the trouser pocket4. Looks modest but feels premium5. RAM/CPU work well, no slowness or hanging observed so far!5. Its 5G!CONs:1. Battery drains off quite fast, a full charge lasts max 10-12 with daily general operations. Hence I need to charge the phone twice when at home (Hint: Good to put it in ‘Power saver’ mode when out, this lasts for 24 hrs +)2. Phone does get slightly heated up/warmed up when used for long calls or intensive games (15 min +)3. Its Gorilla-3 display (most premium phones have Gorilla-6)4. Plastic panel at the back makes it look like a modest/budget phone (said that, as most of us use protective covers, back panel won’t be visible anyways!)Conclusion: Phone is not worth the original / MRP price-tag but definitely a good buy on “offer days”. ‘Power Saver’ mode brings down refresh rate to 90hz (from 120hz), switches off ‘Always on’ display & reduces CPU capacity to 70%. You will feel slight difference in display quality if not other functions work fine in this mode.PS: My observations are keeping my older phone as benchmark (Oppo Reno2f – 8gb/128gb)*Edit 1: Though the Phone calls itself 5G, it does not connect to Airtel 5G nor Jio 5G. Airtel app throws up a message “This handset is not 5G compatible” (Not sure if issue is from Airtel or Samsung). Contacted Samsung Support – one of the technician asked me to wait for Android 13 update after which it should work, as per another technician the phone is 5G ready and fix needed from Airtel side (they do not seem to be on the same page!)**Edit 2: Today I received OS update for my device. Phone software updated from Android 12 to 13. Post this Airtel App is detecting it as a 5G compatible device. So issue was from Samsung side. CONCLUSION: The device becomes 5G compatible post Android 13 Update !

3. 

   Patricia Can – January 13, 2025

   To correct my review, the placement of the sim and memory disk happens in the same slot. The 2 are placed back to back in the holder. Hope this helps.I’m very happy with this phone.