I wouldn’t spend $799 on the Galaxy S26 FE and get the Galaxy S26 or iPhone 17 instead
The Galaxy S26 FE has lost its value advantage, and I’d pick an entry-level flagship instead.
Samsung's S26 FE Fan Edition has been a popular choice, offering flagship features at a more accessible price. The S25 FE iteration struck a good balance between affordability and flagship look. However, Samsung's latest S26 FE may not fit the special Fan Edition category, due to memory issues. The S26 FE's price has increased to $699, $50 more than the S25 FE's launch price, even for the 128GB base model.
This seems unwise, considering it's only $100 or $200 away from entry-level flagship phones. Upgrading to the 256GB variant costs $799, putting the S26 FE close to flagship territory but with weaker hardware and software. Comparatively, Samsung's Galaxy S26 at $799 offers a compact, lightweight form factor, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, better telephoto camera, brighter display, more RAM in the base model, and superior battery efficiency.
Apple's iPhone 17, also at $799, boasts a brighter display, faster chipset, higher-resolution ultrawide camera, and unique selfie experience. Samsung's Galaxy S27 Pro, rumored to have a similar design, may solidify the company's stance on high-end specs. With Android 17 introducing encrypted client hello, Google aims to block ISP tracking, further enhancing user privacy.
Written by urgent.news from Digital Trends's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
