{"id":287570,"date":"2026-02-08T17:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T17:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/287570\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T17:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T17:10:09","slug":"6-upgrades-the-samsung-galaxy-s26-fe-needs-before-ill-buy-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/287570\/","title":{"rendered":"6 upgrades the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE needs before I’ll buy it"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been a daily user of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE<\/a> for the past year, and while there are plenty of things I appreciate about this device, my list of gripes is far longer. Sure, it\u2019s a capable, reliable handset. It\u2019s the sort of product that Samsung can produce in its sleep. But that\u2019s part of the problem: the Galaxy FE series \u2014 the Fan Edition series, just to remind you \u2014 is slowly becoming just another mid-range Samsung with no identity, copy-pasted specs, and a misunderstanding of what the \u201cfans\u201d really want.<\/p>\n

With the Galaxy S26 FE\u2019s debut set for later this year, I want to address some of the issues I have with the FE line right now and the ways Samsung could tempt my wallet before the next release.<\/p>\n

What change or upgrade do you want to see most on the Galaxy S26 FE?<\/p>\n

56 votes<\/p>\n

Improved efficiency and battery life.<\/p>\n

46%<\/p>\n

Fan-favorite Samsung colorways.<\/p>\n

5%<\/p>\n

A better display.<\/p>\n

4%<\/p>\n

Less bulk and weight.<\/p>\n

4%<\/p>\n

A tangible camera upgrade.<\/p>\n

21%<\/p>\n

A microSD card slot.<\/p>\n

11%<\/p>\n

I don’t want any upgrades.<\/p>\n

5%<\/p>\n

Other (elaborate in the comments).<\/p>\n

4%<\/p>\n

A pointed focus on battery and efficiency<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

C. Scott Brown \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Battery endurance is perhaps my biggest issue with the Galaxy S24 FE. A single charge just about gets me through a calm day, so you can imagine how it lets me down when usage demands step up. To give it further context, its battery life is noticeably poor compared with a seven-year-old HUAWEI P30 Pro with ~70% battery health.<\/p>\n

While the Galaxy S25 FE<\/a> addresses this issue somewhat with a 4% larger battery, a more efficient display, and faster 45W charging, I want to see Samsung do more with the Galaxy S26 FE.<\/p>\n

I want to see a much larger battery. Samsung regularly uses 6,000 mAh cells in its budget smartphones, including its cheapest new device, the Galaxy A07 5G<\/a>. It\u2019s clearly a fan-favorite feature, so why is it not on the Fan Edition device?<\/p>\n

A much-needed injection of personality<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t recall a smartphone I\u2019ve felt less invigorated by than the Galaxy S24 FE. Yes, it\u2019s certainly a smartphone. It makes calls and sends messages, streams music, and records my memories. But it\u2019s a soulless husk of silicon, glass, and aluminum, and doesn\u2019t exactly pay homage to \u201cthe fans\u201d or Samsung devices of the past.<\/p>\n

This conservative approach isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing, but surely this phone should have some personality, no? I understand this isn\u2019t a widespread issue affecting the phone\u2019s functionality, but I do believe Samsung can (and should) do more to make the Galaxy S26 FE more appealing.<\/p>\n

My solution? Perhaps the forthcoming device could offer colorways from Samsung\u2019s greatest hits over the years. I\u2019d quite like to choose between the Note 10\u2019s Aura Glow, the S10e\u2019s Canary Yellow, the Galaxy S10\u2019s Prism Green, and \u2014 for the memories \u2014 the Note 7\u2019s Coral Blue.<\/p>\n

Better, eye-friendly display tech<\/p>\n

\"galaxy<\/p>\n

C. Scott Brown \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Beyond the battery, my second pain point with the S24 FE is its screen. The panel is far too dim for viewing in bright natural light, and it\u2019s strangely illegible at low brightness levels at night. It hurts my eyes far more than any phone I\u2019ve used before.<\/p>\n

While the Galaxy S25 FE is a minor step up with its LTPO panel, I\u2019d like to see a much higher peak brightness on the FE series to improve outdoor visibility. As for the eye strain from these devices, this seems to be a Samsung-wide issue \u2014 I haven\u2019t enjoyed looking at a Samsung screen for an extended period since the Galaxy Note 9.<\/p>\n

Again, Samsung staying the course with its current setup will probably suit most users, but I\u2019d quite like to see the company do a little more in the display department.<\/p>\n

Continue the trimming trend<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

C. Scott Brown \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Comfort is an often-overlooked smartphone factor. If you can\u2019t hold a device securely and comfortably, you won\u2019t enjoy using its other features.<\/p>\n

At 213 grams, the Galaxy S24 FE is far too heavy for the hardware it offers. I will commend Samsung for the Galaxy S25 FE\u2019s 23-gram weight loss, but there are further gains to be had. Considering how some upgrades I\u2019ve already mentioned could add more heft, I worry that a fully realized S26 FE could be heavier once again.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d happily accept more polycarbonate if it means a more ergonomic device.<\/p>\n

Tangible camera upgrades<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Ryan Haines \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Samsung re-releasing the same camera array is a meme at this point, and this doesn\u2019t only affect its flagship phones either. With the FE line, we\u2019ve seen (almost) the same camera system for the past three generations, and it\u2019s about time the fans get some new toys.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had more misses than hits with the Galaxy S24 FE\u2019s cameras, to the point that I\u2019ve stopped using them for meaningful memory-making. I\u2019ve reduced it to capturing receipts and snapping important information for posterity. They\u2019re utilitarian but uninspiring.<\/p>\n

With price increases set to affect RAM and storage this year, 2026 is the perfect year for Samsung to innovate with its smartphone cameras. I\u2019m not suggesting the company include its flagship-level cameras on the mid-range Galaxy S26 FE, but I do want to see some forward momentum.<\/p>\n

Do you prefer the Galaxy S25 or Galaxy S25 FE?<\/p>\n

206 votes<\/p>\n

I’m on Team Galaxy S25<\/p>\n

23%<\/p>\n

I prefer the Galaxy S25 FE<\/p>\n

50%<\/p>\n

I’m waiting for the S26<\/p>\n

14%<\/p>\n

I prefer a different brand altogether<\/p>\n

12%<\/p>\n

Bonus wish: A microSD card slot<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There\u2019s likely no way, even in a month of Sundays, that Samsung returns the microSD card slot to its pricier phones. But with the rising prices of RAM and storage chips on the horizon, now would be a great time to give the \u201cfans\u201d something they actually want \u2014 an affordable, flexible storage option.<\/p>\n

My Galaxy S24 FE has 128GB of advertised storage, of which 104GB is usable. At present, I have just over 20GB free. I\u2019m likely to run into storage problems in the next few months, and with the base storage likely to be retained for the Galaxy S26 FE, a microSD card slot would be a cheap, quick way to bolster this specification. It\u2019s the perfect way to set the FE series apart and win back some valuable positive consumer sentiment.<\/p>\n

I have no doubt that the Galaxy S26 FE will be a usable, dependable Android smartphone once it launches, but Samsung could be doing so much more with this device. Samsung claims that it listens to fans when creating these Fan Edition devices, and I sure hope it pays attention to some of the issues I touched on.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n

\"google\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our\u00a0Comment Policy<\/a> before posting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been a daily user of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE for the past year, and while there…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287571,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[61,60,202,573,28011,21808,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-287570","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-mobile","11":"tag-samsung","12":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s24-fe","13":"tag-samsung-galaxy-s25-fe","14":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}