Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Launches: AI Innovations and 3nm Chip Power at $700 Price Point
Samsung updated its 'popular' line by unveiling the Galaxy S26 FE. The device traditionally tries to sit on two chairs: to offer flagship features of the S26 series but at a slightly more humane price. However, the concept of humanity is specific for the Koreans—the novelty turned out to be more expensive than its predecessor at launch.
The main technical leap was the transition to a 3-nanometer system on a chip (SoC) Exynos 2500. This should provide better energy efficiency and performance gains, which is extremely important for the operation of local artificial intelligence algorithms. Speaking of AI: the Galaxy AI feature set has been expanded to the maximum here. Now users can create Now Brief information widgets in simple language or edit photos with text commands in Photo Assist, turning day into night or removing unnecessary people from the frame.
New Galaxy S26 FE in three colors. Illustration: Samsung
Display and autonomy
The smartphone received a 6.7-inch OLED display with Full HD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz. The peak brightness now reaches 1900 nits. This is a significant step forward, as the old Galaxy S24 FE had only 1200 nits, which sometimes caused squinting in bright sunlight.
The power is provided by a 4900 mAh battery. The wired charging power is 45W, and the wireless is 15W. You won’t find a power adapter in the box—this ecological tradition has long become the norm for the industry.
Cameras and Software Highlights
The camera hardware remains unchanged compared to the Galaxy S25 FE: main module at 50 MP, telephoto at 8 MP with 3x optical zoom, and 12 MP ultra-wide lens. The front camera has a resolution of 12 MP. However, Samsung decided to 'squeeze' the quality with software.
The My FanCam feature appeared, which automatically keeps the selected person in the center of the frame on already shot video, and Horizon Lock, which stabilizes the image even when the smartphone is fully rotated at 360 degrees. The Galaxy S26 FE became the first in the line to receive Android 17 and One UI 9 straight out of the box. The company promises to support the device with updates for seven years—ambitious, although it’s unlikely many owners plan to use it until 2033.
The basic version with 128 GB is priced at $700 (31,200 UAH), which is $50 (2,200 UAH) more expensive than the starting price of the Galaxy S25 FE. As a nice bonus, buyers receive six months of Google AI Pro subscription with 5 TB of cloud storage. Sales start in early September in three colors.
While Samsung is working on software, competitors are also not standing still — for example, the upcoming Xiaomi HyperOS 4 promises to teach smartphones to practically replace each other in the ecosystem.
