We really thought Samsung was going to skip their Fan Edition this year, especially with the rise in prices for storage and RAM, which has affected their A series at the moment. But it was a surprise that we got to see the phone and try it out during our Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Hands on session, and let us share.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Hands On

128GB is Back, Y’all!

The cursed 128GB storage configuration we thought that was dead once is back again and it looks like this trend will continue with every other brand, now that storage prices are a little crazy. Apart from that, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE has pretty much the same thing going on for what the phone is.

Vanilla Hardware Configuration

If you are here to look at new hardware in the Fan Edition, well, I might suggest look elsewhere because the vanilla hardware configuration you see in this phone is for a different reason. Under the hood, for the first time, Samsung chose not to make an “e” version of the processor and included Exynos 2500, the same flagship processor you find in the S25 from last year.

Consumers do get to pick between 128, 256 or 512GB storage configuration, with 8GB RAM by default. Now for a lot of AI features, 12GB RAM was recommended, however, Samsung proved that 8GB is plenty enough for the Galaxy AI and with their focus on Gemini Omni, it too can work with 8GB RAM.

Apart from that, the S26 FE has the same 6.7” FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with 120Hz, 4900mAh battery under the hood, IP68 certification, 45W Wired Fast Charging and the same camera setup from last year: 12MP Ultrawide, 50MP Main camera and 8MP 3x Telephoto.

The FE gets a Taste of 2026 Flagship Key Features

Samsung’s goal with the FE is to give a taste of what the flagships could offer, and like we have said in the past, it has always been the gateway drug to the Samsung Experience. It is the phone you use to get into the next best S Series. Because of that, Samsung has included some of the coveted features everyone has been raving about in the Fan Edition such as: FanCam, Super Steady recording with Horizontal Lock, The whole Now Brief and Now Nudge and some Nightography features.

You can try most of these features in existing Samsung devices but all of the devices that features them are in a price bracket that can be steep. So, to include these features in the Fan Edition is, of course appreciated.

The Pricing is Concerning

RAMageddon is only going to get worse because the pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE has definitely broke a barrier I have not seen in a while. To be honest, getting that 128GB without an SD Card slot is unforgiveable because it fills up extremely fast. But, if you do factor that 256GB or 512GB variants, oh boy, the price is not looking great.

The 128GB goes for RM 2,899, the 256GB is going for RM 3,299 and the 512GB breaks past the 4k mark and it’s priced at RM 4,099. Now at the time of writing, we could see brand new S26 and S26+ going for similar price points as the 512GB S26 FE, however, you will only get 256GB storage.

Which begs the question if you want a flagship S26 or would you rather have the “essentials” of the S26?

Apart from Pricing

It is hard to find a fault for what the Fan Edition has stood for over the years. In fact, it’s a phone we have recommended to many of you who are reading or watching our videos. But this year, I have to say, with no hardware improvements or addition to the FE, this might be a tough one to swallow.

But if you still need to upgrade to a new phone, then, we would suggest getting it by 30th September because there are promotions going on which can help with getting this phone at a more attainable price.

  • If you want to use SPayLater, you could save upto RM 600, that is if you do instalments for 12 months with 0% fees.
  • With selected banks, you can get rebate of upto RM 600 as well.
  • However, if you are a Fan, then you could get an exclusive rebate worth RM 100.

So, after the discount has been added up, based on Samsung, you can get the S26 FE for the following price: 128GB for RM 2,499, 256GB for RM 2,799 and 512GB for RM 3,399.

At this price, you could consider the S26 FE but would you?

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