Best answer: While the Galaxy S20 FE is really a Galaxy S20 Lite, Samsung didn't want consumers to mistake it for a lesser phone — which it is. So it went with 'Fan Edition', which was first used with a phone you may have heard of.
- One for the fans: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE ($600 at Amazon)
Why did Samsung call the Galaxy S20 FE 'Fan Edition'?
Whether you follow tech news or not, you're likely to hear about this phone's name and wonder: what is the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE?! Well, it's the Galaxy S20 that came out this spring in a slightly different, more plasticky package.
The naming convention of Samsung calling one of its phones a Fan Edition, or FE, goes back to the Note 7 Fan Edition — yes, that Note 7. We'll forgive you if you don't recall the Note 7 Fan Edition, because it was a limited release and didn't make it outside of Samsung's home market of South Korea. This phone was a refurbished version of the recalled device with a completely different battery, but otherwise, it was the same phone.
The 'Fan Edition' name was only used once by Samsung, on the Note 7. Then the company went with a similar strategy of slightly paring down a device and releasing it with a smaller price tag on the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite, released in 2019. But by surveying customers through focus groups, Samsung learned that the 'Lite' moniker represents a "lesser" phone, something that Samsung wanted to avoid. The Galaxy S20 FE is a cheaper phone, sure, but it definitely holds its own.
This is why Samsung brought back the Fan Edition naming convention. By releasing a phone that has nearly everything the Galaxy S20 offers at a lower price, Samsung covers many bases with its phones. The combination of price, design, and performance makes the Galaxy S20 FE one of the best Android phones you can buy today.
Like most phone manufacturers, Samsung generally releases new phones in a couple of colors, and that's it. With the S20 FE, there are six color choices for the plastic-backed phone. While the use of plastic on the back does offer more protection, the front is still glass, and a drop can break it and cause internal damage to your phone. So popping on a a great Galaxy S20 FE case for the times when you get to leave the house is still a wise choice.
Lower price
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE brings the quality and performance expected from Samsung but in a functional and practically priced package. Using its excellent construction practices, Samsung built a solid feeling device that performs much higher than the price tag leads you to believe.
