The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE might not fold or flip, but it does something no other 2026 Samsung phone does: cost less than $750. And that’s without a discount deal or trade-in, which could knock its price down even further. I finally got my hands on this year’s version of Samsung’s midrange phone earlier this week, and it’s a pretty compelling alternative to the regular Galaxy S26.
Not only does it pack three rear cameras — just like the pricier S26 — but it offers Samsung’s newest and spiffiest AI-assisted video trick that’s made for the social era. But how excited should you be? Here’s what I learned in my first hours with the Galaxy S26 FE.
A pretty design with one flaw you may never see
As someone who tests a lot of phones, I’m happy to say that the Galaxy S26 FE succeeds where others don’t: it’s easy to hold. No matter if you get it in Blueberry, Pistachio or Graphite, the S26 FE has matte sides that did not slip an inch in my hands as I got a first look. This might not sound like a big deal, but I can’t say the same about the pricier Google Pixel 11 Pro and its glossy frame.
Oh, and speaking of the S26 FE’s trio of colors, they’re all what I’d call “good.” Pistachio’s probably my favorite of the three, but they’re all so faint that I wouldn’t be surprised if people didn’t feel a need to show them off with a clear case or risk it all by going bare in public. Speaking of a case, you might cover the S26 FE’s color and finish, but you’ll also hide how well it retains fingerprint smudges, an annoyance that the metallic-backed Galaxy S26 didn’t deal with.
Samsung’s latest fancy camera trick
Just like the Galaxy S25 FE before it, the S26 FE packs a trio of cameras: a 50-megapixel wide-angle main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor and 8-megapixel telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom (something the Google Pixel 10a and the iPhone 17e can’t touch). Photos from those cameras and the front-facing 12-megapixel selfie cam all looked as good as I expected, but the bigger story here is all about what you can do with your video after you take it.
The S26 FE also supports My FanCam, a new feature that Samsung just debuted a month ago in the Z Fold 8. This trick lets you automatically select a subject in a horizontal video, and it will then output a cropped video that tracks the subject moving around the frame. It worked pretty snappily for me when I made a quick demo.
My FanCam works by using AI-based smarts, and unsurprisingly it’s not the only AI-assisted feature that Samsung’s including in this phone. If I’d brought a rowdy pet or some paperwork, I would have tested out the horizontal video lock and improved document scanning that Samsung touts alongside Audio Eraser, which will help clean up unwanted sound in your videos. Nudge, the AI-based proactive suggestions that are supposed to (but don’t always) show up in Messages, is also coming.
Solid basics
The S26 FE’s 6.4-inch AMOLED display looked pretty good as I tapped between the pleasant local forecast in the Weather app, various Chrome tabs and YouTube, where I rewatched the trailer for the new comedy film “The Wrong Girls.” While this screen is only rated for 1,900 nits of brightness (and I didn’t get to take it outside into the bright sunlight of New York City), I did think the bright, saturated colors of that trailer all hit with appropriate aplomb. I also appreciate how movement on the screen felt silky smooth with its 120Hz refresh rate, which you don’t get in Apple’s $599 iPhone 17e.
In terms of performance, the S26 FE’s Exynos 2500 processor and 8GB of RAM seemed enough at first blush, as I scrolled through tab after tab and switched between apps. Power users and tab hoarders, though, are the ones who should consider the speedier might of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and 12GB of memory in the Galaxy S26.
Samsung doesn’t advertise a specific battery life claim for the S26 FE, but it comes with a 4,900mAh battery, the same size as the Galaxy S26+. That phone did exceptionally well on our battery test, posting a time of 26 hours and 20 minutes.
A higher price
As is the case with the budget phones that came before it, the midrange Galaxy S26 FE is supposed to be an affordable alternative to the regular S-series phones. That’s why I’m a little frustrated that it’s the latest piece of tech with a higher price that’s definitely due to the AI-based memory shortage that’s making nearly everything cost more. Fortunately, the S26 FE starts at $700, which is only $50 more than the $650 Galaxy S25 FE. So while I wish it were the same price as before, this is still the smallest price hike we’ve seen so far, and still $200 less than the Galaxy S26.
The takeaway
My time with the Galaxy S26 FE showed a lot of potential for this $700 phone, which offers an array of features and specs that fit its price well. So while I wish it weren’t burdened with a price hike, I’ll be the first to admit that’s basically an unavoidable problem right now. If you want a Samsung phone that feels near-premium, especially if you rock a case to hide its fingerprint-prone back, the S26 FE packs a vivid screen, decent performance and nifty tricks that could have you seeing it as the best smartphone for your budget and wondering why you ever spent $1,000 on a phone.
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How to order the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE
The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE will go on sale with phone carriers on Sept. 3, and it will be available from Samsung directly on Sept. 4.
FAQs
The Galaxy S26 FE starts at $700, a stark $200 less than the regular S26.
Aside from $200, the biggest differences are likely down to performance and specs, as well as the display tech. The S26’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and 12GB of RAM will likely make for a faster phone than the S26 FE’s Exynos 2500 chip and 8GB of memory, and the S26 starts with 256GB of storage, twice as much as the entry-level S26 FE. The most visible difference is display size, as the S26 FE is a 6.7-inch phone that’s bigger than the 6.3-inch Galaxy S26. Additionally, the S26’s display has a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, which outshines the S26 FE’s 1,900-nit rating.
Samsung promises the S26 FE will receive seven years of operating system and security updates, so if you buy it now, expect it to be getting new Android software versions through 2033.
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For this article, CNN Underscored tech writer Henry T. Casey went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, browsing the web, watching videos, taking photos and recording videos that he edited with My FanCam. Casey combs through all of the features and specs when testing tech products for his tested reviews, and he really enjoyed pretending to be a ranting and raving TV character for the video he shot for this story. Having tested smartphones and tablets from Samsung’s competitors, he’s still hoping the company finds a photography feature to rival Google’s Camera Looks and Apple’s Photographic Styles for giving your photos more personality.
Henry T. Casey is a writer for CNN Underscored covering electronics. He reviews hardware and accessories to help Underscored audiences make the right purchases for their needs. Something of a movie buff himself, he's a member of multiple movie theater membership programs and collects physical media.
