The Galaxy S26 FE hasn’t been officially announced yet, but a new hands-on video leaves little to the imagination. A 32-second clip shows the phone in real-world use, confirming details from earlier leaks and offering a clear look at its design and software.
The design is familiar, almost to a fault
The video shows the Galaxy S26 FE in a black finish, with flat sides, rounded corners, and a vertical camera island on the back. It’s a design that mirrors the rest of Samsung’s current lineup—no surprises there. The phone runs One UI 9 based on Android 17, as expected, and includes Galaxy AI features like Photo Assist and Document Scan. The Horizon Lock feature also appears in the camera app.
Samsung isn’t reinventing the FE series this year. Instead, it’s bringing the Galaxy S26’s design and software to a more affordable device. That approach has worked before, but the question is whether it’ll be enough this time.
Specs suggest a modest upgrade
The video doesn’t reveal the full spec sheet, but earlier leaks fill in the gaps. The Galaxy S26 FE is expected to have a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2500 chip. It should come with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The rear camera setup includes a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide, and an 8MP telephoto lens, while the front camera is 12MP.
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Those specs aren’t a huge leap from last year’s model. The Exynos 2500 is the main upgrade, but the rest of the hardware looks like a careful refresh rather than a generational shift. The battery, at least, gets a slight bump—a 4,900mAh cell with 45W wired charging, up from the Galaxy S25 FE. IP68 water and dust resistance is also expected.
If Samsung sticks to its usual timeline, the Galaxy S26 FE will launch around IFA 2026 in September. But the price could be a sticking point. Leaks suggest a starting price of around €799, which would make it more expensive than its predecessor. For a phone that looks like a modest upgrade, that might be a hard sell.
The FE series has always been about bringing flagship features to a lower price point. This year, though, the balance feels a little off. The phone itself looks solid, but whether it justifies the cost is another question.
Samsung has already confirmed the Galaxy S26 FE is coming later this year. The video doesn’t change that, but it does make the phone feel a little less exciting than it could have been.
