Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Review – Flagship Performance at Pedestrian Prices

The most affordable variant in the Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy S26 FE represents an attempt to offer  as much of the premium flagship Galaxy S series experience as possible at as modest a price point as possible.

Unfortunately, the recent memory crunch has raised prices everywhere with the Galaxy S26 FE incurring a price bump that takes it to the lower end of what flagship phones cost in 2026.

We managed to get our hands on a unit for testing and after taking it for a whirl, here’s our Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review where we share if their latest budget flagship is worth your money.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE – Build and Design

When placed side by side with its predecessor the Galaxy S25 FE, you won’t notice any significant differences with the Galaxy S26 FE. Both models maintain the same design language for the most part with a flat front and rear, rounded corners and flat sides.

From an aesthetic standpoint, our Galaxy S26 FE review sample is slightly heavier by 3g at 193g than its predecessor and maintains a similar 7.4mm thinness though it is slightly longer and wider by 0.3mm. The biggest telltale difference is that the newer Galaxy S26 FE has a raised camera housing across the rear that encompasses all three cameras while the Galaxy S25 FE has all three cameras emplaced in separate housings.

Beyond these cosmetic differences and different colourways, the Galaxy S26 FE retains the same IP68 dust and water resistance rating as its predecessor and uses Gorilla Glass Victus+ to protect the front display with the frame constructed of standard aluminum rather than Armor Aluminum used in its highe-end siblings the Galaxy S26, S26+ and Ultra.

The right side of our Galaxy S26 FE review sample features a power button and volume rocker while the left and top are otherwise unremarkable. The base features a USB-C port and a grille for one of the two speakers along with a SIM card tray.

Up front, the Galaxy S26 FE sports a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,900 nits peak brightness and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut which is similar to the panel employed in the Galaxy S25 FE. Perched up top is a single 12MP camera for selfies and video calls plus a slit for the second speaker and earpiece.

When held, the heft and ergonomics are nigh identical. Samsung also issues the usual USB-C cable with the phone along with a SIM eject pin. Aesthetically speaking, the Galaxy S26 FE remains a polished and stylish design though it doesn’t break new ground.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Review – Specifications and Benchmarks

Rather than the recently newer Exynos 2600 that was issued in the Galaxy Z Flip8 as well as the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+, the Galaxy S26 FE instead relies on the Exynos 2500 which saw limited deployment in the Galaxy Z Flip7 in 2025. Even so, it’s still a step up from the Exynos 2400 used in the Galaxy S25 FE.

Compared side by side, the Exynos 2500 processor is a decacore CPU that uses a newer, more efficient 3nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process along with the Xclipse 950 GPU. The older Exynos 2400 on the other hand is a decacore chipset built on a 4nm process and the Xclipse 940 GPU. On paper, the Exynos 2500 has improved overall performance and 39% better NPU performance.

Alongside the Exynos 2500 chipset, our Galaxy S26 FE review unit comes with 8GB RAM augmented by up to 8GB of RAM Plus virtual RAM assignable in 2GB increments and your choice of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options. Running under the hood is the latest Android 17 with Samsung’s latest OneUI 9.0 overlay. Here’s how our Galaxy S26 FE review sample stacks up on paper:

Price	RM2,899 (128GB], RM3,299 [256GB], RM4,099 [512GB]
Display	6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1,080 x 2,340 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, 1,900 nits peak brightness
Processor	Exynos 2500
OS	Android 17 w/ One UI 9.0
Memory	8GB RAM + 128GB/256GB/512GB storage
Camera	50MP f/1.8 w/ OIS & Dual Pixel PDAF, 8MP f/2.4 telephoto w/ OIS 3x telephoto zoom, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide [rear] / 12MP f/2.2 [front]
Battery	4,900mAh w/ 45W + 15W wireless charging
Size/Weight	161.6 x 76.9 x 7.4mm / 193g

The Galaxy S26 FE features Samsung’s latest Galaxy AI enhancements including My FanCam seen in the Galaxy Z Fold8 as well as the prior Super Steady with Horizontal Lock video mode first deployed on the higher end Galaxy S26 series phones.

This is on top of other recent OneUI AI features including their Now Nudge and Now Brief. In addition, Samsung is committed to offering 7 years of OS and security updates for the Galaxy S26 FE, matching Samsung’s other flagship phones.

When subjected to synthetic benchmarks with the default 4GB of RAMPlus virtual RAM, our Galaxy S26 FE review unit scored the following:

3D Mark Steel Nomad Light	1,148
3D Mark Steel Nomad Light Unlimited	1,129
3D Mark Solar Bay	5,272
3D Mark Solar Bay Unlimited	5,395
3D Mark Wild Life Extreme	2,576
3D Mark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited	2,390
3D Mark Wild Life	Maxed out
3D Mark Wild Life Unlimited	10,390
Geekbench 7 Single Core	1,937
Geekbench 7 Multi Core	6,849
Geekbench 7 OpenCL	5,027
Geekbench 7 Vulkan	10,106
Geekbench AI CPU (quanticised)	2,144
Geekbench AI GPU (quanticised)	1,215
PCMark Work 3.0 Performance	16,403
PCMark3.0  Battery Life	17 hours 13 mins

The Exynos 2500 processor last saw service in the Galaxy Z Flip7 when it launched in 2025 with the Galaxy S26 FE being the only other phone to feature the processor.

When compared, our Galaxy S26 FE review sample showed a slight difference in single, multicore and graphics performance with the Galaxy Z Flip7 despite using the same chipset. This is likely due to possessing less RAM with the S26 FE featuring only 8GB while the Z Flip7 utilises 12GB before virtual RAMPlus comes into play.

 

In practical terms, the Galaxy S26 FE acquitted itself well in day-to-day use and has full access to One UI 9.0’s bells and whistles like Now Nudge and Now Brief.

Of note is that the phone retains Samsung DeX support, a feature that creates a virtual desktop experience with resizable windows by wirelessly casting to a Miracast-supported wireless display and hooking the phone up to a wireless mouse and keyboard.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy S26 FE doesn’t support wired DeX unlike the higher end Galaxy S26, S26+ and Ultra though this is likely a concession to cost.

WIth the default amount of virtual RAMPlus memory, the phone was able to run the usual apps and tasks without issue. Chrome with multiple open tabs felt fast and snappy while games like Call of Duty Mobile, Ragnarok: The New World and Genshin Impact ran smoothly. It also managed to comfortably handle CapCut without stuttering or slowing down.

Arguably the biggest quibble here is available storage. Our Galaxy S26 FE review sample is a casualty of the memory crunch with the base configuration only featuring 128GB of storage. You have to be ruthlessly frugal on what apps you install as well as what photos and videos you keep on your phone.

During our test period, games already took up a huge chunk of storage and prolific camera users will have to regularly transfer out photos and videos to maintain sufficient available storage. Fortunately, the Galaxy S26 FE does come in larger 256GB and 512GB sizes.

The issued 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display in our Galaxy S26 FE review unit retains a similar FHD+ resolution, similar 120Hz refresh rate and 1,900 nits peak brightness along with 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut as the older Galaxy S25 FE. Colours are vibrant, bright and punchy and blacks are beautifully deep when watching movies and gaming. Text is also pin-sharp with crisp detail when viewing content and gaming. Clarity under sunlight is decent and text remains legible even under Malaysia’s blazing hot noonday sun.

In terms of endurance, the Galaxy S26 FE retains the same 4,900mAh battery with 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging as its predecessor the Galaxy S25 FE. In PCMark’s battery life test, the phone managed to get a respectable 17 hours and 13 minutes of battery life. 

We weren’t able to benchmark the Galaxy S25 FE’s battery life in our time testing it due to bugs at the time but in practical tests, the Galaxy S26 FE offered all-day endurance with a standard usage profile with a combination of data and WiFi on as well as a mix of web browsing, emails, a few minutes of phone calls and moderate usage of the camera for video.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Review – Cameras

Imaging hardware in our Galaxy S26 FE review unit is the same as its predecessor with a primary 50MP f/1.8 main camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto camera with 3x zoom and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra wide angle camera. This setup allows for up to 3x optical zoom, up to 30x digital zoom and up to 8K@30fps video along with the usual 4K@60fps video. Up front, it has a single 12MP f/2.2 selfie camera capable of up to 4K@60fps video and selfies.

What gives the Galaxy S26 FE an edge over its predecessors is the inclusion of several features unique to recently deployed flagships. From the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold8, the phone gets My FanCam which lets you capture footage and leverage AI to selectively focus in on a single human subject out of a group. You also get the Super Steady with Horizontal Lock mode first seen in the Galaxy S26 flagships earlier this year which ensures smooth, steady QHD 60fps video on the rear cameras even if the phone is rotated around or juddered about.

Shots in daylight are well saturated and offer good detail with lifelike skin tones all the way out to 3X zoom. While it is capable of 30x zoom, it’s mostly for bragging rights and shots get a bit soft beyond 3x zoom. At 30X, the cameras are best used to capture architecture and scenery as people and fine details like signage or individual foliage lose detail. 

In low light scenarios, the rear camera array on our Galaxy S26 FE review sample offered a restrained handling of shadows and blacks while retaining good dynamic range and colour rendition out to 3X zoom.

There’s still a bit of noise if you pixel peep but you otherwise get good stills for the usual subjects like buildings, people, food and the like in all but the dimmest environments. Selfies up front offer good skin tones and detail with similarly good results as its predecessor.

When it comes to video capture, the Galaxy S26 FE offers good colour rendition and detail in daylight and lowlight conditions out to about 2X zoom. Activating Super Steady with Horizontal Lock mode offers smoother footage akin to a gimbal though it can only support this at up to QHD resolution which is still plenty for casual content creation.  

Like its predecessors, the Galaxy S26 FE is unable to record in LOG format, likely to differentiate it from its higher end siblings but that’s not a deal breaker for most users. For the most part, it’s more than capable of handling the usual architectural, scenery, food and family shots without issue and casual video creation.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE?

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE retains a crisp and vibrant display, solid overall performance, endurance and cameras. As it stands, it’s still one of the more affordable ways to get a current generation flagship Galaxy S series phone. 

However, improvements are modest compared to its predecessor with the core upgrade being a newer Exynos 2500 chipset and several features culled from higher end Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series phones. 

At RM2,899 for the 128GB variant, the Galaxy S26 FE remains a compelling option if you specifically want a current-generation Samsung flagship experience. 

All in all, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is a solid and well-rounded phone, but its appeal lies more in getting a current-generation Galaxy S experience at a lower entry price than in delivering a major generational leap. If you value the latest software, long-term updates and newer Galaxy features, the S26 FE is a worthy consideration.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review sample courtesy of Samsung Malaysia. For more details please visit https://www.samsung.com/my/smartphones/galaxy-s26/buy/