back to article Samsung Galaxy S20 FE goes from 'nearly dead' to full in an hour, but you might not be a 'Fan' of some of the shortcuts

Samsung hasn't made many "Fan Edition" phones. When it has, the rationale was always borne out of necessity. The first (and, until recently, only) device to carry the "FE" name was a Korea-only version of the Note 7, minus the exploding batteries that made an otherwise excellent phone an unmitigated commercial disaster. And …

  1. big_D Silver badge

    Glass...

    I never like glass backed phones, they are weaker and you have to put them in a plastic case anyway, so why not just make them out of polycarbonate? It feels good, is less slippery than glass and is harder to break. (i.e. glass is more likely to fall out of your hand and it is more likely to break if it falls out of your hand.)

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: Glass...

      Glass is stiffer than polycarbonate. Male a plastic back too thin and it will deform, risking strain on internal components.

      Not that it matters in a good case, though. And I suspect that it is the more budget conscious buyers who will want to protect their investment.

      Indeed, the flat screen of the S20 FE allows glass screen protectors to be used more easily than on the curved edged screens that Galaxy S Phones usually sport.

      I think the cost cutting design choices that Samsung have made here are the correct ones.

      1. big_D Silver badge

        Re: Glass...

        I had a series of Lumias with polycarbonate cases. They got bashed around a lot, took some knocks and the screen never broke and the back either, just a few lumps taken out of corners or scratches on the back.

        I never had any component failures.

    3. Triggerfish

      Re: Glass...

      The back on a normal S20 is so slippery. I mean normally I don't drop stuff often, but this phone seemed to launch itself from my hand.

      1. big_D Silver badge

        Re: Glass...

        Yes. My S20+ looks lovely, but it is just too slippery and fragile to use without a case.

        1. Triggerfish

          Re: Glass...

          Yeah so much for thinness and looks, mine needs a massive UAG case around it.

  2. fnusnu

    Samsung has released two flavours of the FE: one using LTE and another with 5G. The LTE variant is the cheapest

    Cheaper...

  3. seldom
    Facepalm

    Bit Late, S20 already discounted

    The S20 FE 5G here in Switzerland is the same price as the S20 LTE,sometimes a bit more expensive. At least here you can use 5G, Swisscom claim 90% coverage. Maybe that's why there is so much Covid here.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: Bit Late, S20 already discounted

      Yeah, Samsung tend to heavily discount their Galaxy S models 6-10 months after their initial release. Another big competitor for Samsung's S20 FE is Samsung itself, as you say.

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