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Flagship smartphones are great. They offer the best of the best in everything when it comes to smartphones but these days, the difference between these flagship features and those of a mid-premium smartphone is not massive.
What is massive though, is the price difference between the two. Apple offers the “e” version of the iPhone and Google the “a” version for more affordable options. Samsung has the FE, the Fan Edition, and after using it for the past couple of weeks, I think it is possibly the best mid-premium range phone offered by any of the big manufacturers.
Starting at an official RRP of AU$1,149, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE offers virtually all the same features as the Samsung S26 flagship smartphones in a stylish package that looks every bit as good as them.
So where does it fall short, and does it really matter? Read on to hear my thoughts.
The specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE include:
I’ve always put the camera section of phone reviews further down the list but in 2026, all smartphones can run their software fairly well; they all look somewhat stylish and decent, and their software is not all that dissimilar.
What I think you folks want to know most is: how good is the camera? Can I still get great pictures from this mid-premium range smartphone? In a quick summary, yes.
As mentioned in the specs above, the S26 FE’s rear camera setup is a triple-camera system with a 50MP main camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 12MP 123˚ ultrawide camera. The system offers up to 3X optical zoom, PDAF and OIS.
Photos in decent light are exceptional on the S26 FE, as they are on most phones in 2026, but the big difference usually shows up in low-light photography. The photos I took with the S26 FE at night were quite good and although not up to full S26, Pixel 11 Pro, or iPhone 18 Pro Max quality, you really have to zoom in a lot to notice much of a difference.
As you can see below, the photos are really good, although Samsung, as always, applies more post-processing after capturing the photo than other manufacturers. Google aims for more à la natural, and Apple normally lands somewhere in between. Samsung seems to think users want their photos to look vibrant and exciting, rather than how they look in real life: that may or may not be you.
I’m not saying it’s either good or bad – it’s more of a personal preference. I prefer the natural image, but I must admit the vibrant pictures do have a certain something when you show them off to others. They’d be great for that stunning Instagram shot, that’s for sure.
As with all manufacturers, AI is shoved down our throats again, especially in the camera app. I don’t mind it to be honest in this small instance though. The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE features “Photo Assist” to “refine images using natural language prompts post-capture.”
This is great for the average user who just wants their images to look better and can’t be bothered going through all the settings and changes within the camera/photos app to get to what they want. Simply tell the phone’s AI what you want it to look like and it will do it for you. This seemed to work fairly well, although you will need to be specific in many instances.
The design is very Samsung, and that is a good thing. When I say its very Samsung, I mean it has a stylish aluminium frame with a glass rear in a muted colour that looks great. The edges are a bit sharper than on a Pixel for example but the S26 FE looks great and feels extremely solid in the hand.
The rear of the device houses the camera module, once again three cameras in a vertical line along the left-hand side of the device. This is not a great solution if you often lie your phone flat on a table, and even worse if you use it in that position – it will cause it to wobble out of control. They are still the only company with this layout, but we can’t fault them for wanting to be different; it can just get a bit annoying for some folks.
For a phone less than half the price of a flagship Galaxy S26, it feels and looks just as premium. Samsung has really done a good job with that. The design from the FE series to the flagship series is nearly identical: the differences lie in the hardware inside and its ability to drive the software.
Samsung software hasn’t changed much in recent years and it is a lot less offensive than it used to be. Most Android software in 2026 is not all that different from each other in the main areas. Samsung tries to set itself apart from the pack with its Samsung AI and with the customisation options of OneUI 9.
These days, a lot of phone AI is basically just papered-over versions of Gemini and its feature set. Samsung has a few nice additions to Samsung AI with My Fancam.
My Fancam offers subject-centred tracking shots/videos cropped to your choice of aspect ratio to better edits.
Another nice addition to Galaxy AI is Audio Eraser which amplifies voices in the foreground and reduces background noise to make the audio and video easier to hear.
Aside from these, all the usual photo, writing, notes and other AI assistants are available. As you can see below in the screenshots, there are quite a few AI features that you can use to get the most out of your phone. Many of these are productivity-related but could be very helpful for the right person.
The 4,900mAh battery in the Galaxy S26 FE is not the biggest battery by far but it still offers an all-day battery life, even with heavy use. There really aren’t many phones offering less than this so it is nothing special.
Charging can be quick if you purchase compatible chargers – it can charge via its USB-C port at up to 45W and wirelessly at 15W. No charger is included in the box though, so you will have to go and buy a charger if you want to get the full charging speeds possible.
Samsung hasn’t included full Qi2.2 compatibility, and although it offers Qi2.2 charging speeds, it does not include the positioning magnets that are part of the Qi2.2 standard. I don’t really expect it in a mid-premium range smartphone, but surely sooner or later someone will include it – and I cannot wait for it. There is very little excuse not to include the full standard.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE sits comfortably below its Galaxy S26 line but it is so much more than just a mid-range smartphone. It offers virtually all the same software as the flagship series, and 99% of people will never use or need the software that is not included, all in a design that is as stylish as the flagship devices.
The camera delivers great-quality Samsung images — yes, they have the usual “Samsung vibrancy,” which may or may not be to your preference and although it lacks some of the polish that the camera in the flagship devices offer, it is perfectly fine for a vast majority of people.
The biggest upside of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is the price, you get all of the above for a fraction of the price of the flagship devices. If you are on a budget or just want better bang for your buck, then the starting price of AU
I can recommend it for those who don’t mind how Samsung photos look and want a great phone for a reasonable price.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
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