2026 may go down as the year that foldable phones came of age, but it will be worth looking back at the number of quality budget phones that were released. The latest is the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, the most affordable model of the S26 lineup that often doesn’t fall too far behind its premium siblings.
Due to the state of memory chips and the general cost of living at the moment, the term ‘budget’ might need a rethink, especially as the S26 FE is $699 for the basic model. That may make it too expensive for a business phone, but it’s still considerably less than any of the premium models.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is, as expected, a condensed version of the Ultra, with some features missing to save costs. However, visually, it’s simply a smaller model than the Ultra.
You get a gloriously large 6.7in display, a delicately curved camera bump with three lenses, and it comes in three colors — Blueberry, Graphite, and Pistachio. All models have a metal frame around the chassis with flat sides. At first glance, it looks exactly like the Ultra, with only the slightly smaller size giving it away.
It’s 7.4mm thick, which is 0.5mm less than the Ultra. It still feels quite cumbersome to operate one-handed; a short thumb will struggle to reach all of the touchscreen while on the move. The slippery back cover also makes it easy to nearly drop when pulling it from a pocket. But these are things easy to overlook in exchange for a 6.7in display.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE: Display
The screen is a gorgeous Dynamic AMOLED x2, with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ capabilities. It’s seemingly the same display as found in the S25 FE model, and there are no complaints here. It’s bold, bright, and very crisp — great for YouTube videos, photos, and even some document editing.
In testing, the S26 FE recorded 100% for sRGB gamut color coverage (115.8% for volume), which is a high score for a budget device. This is the most affordable Galaxy S26 device, but the standard is still high. The S26 Ultra, for instance, hit 96% for color coverage.
The S26 FE couldn’t really compete on brightness, peaking at 421.72cd/m² during testing. That’s a little low compared to other S26 models, but still bright enough to handle most sunny conditions.
There’s also a wealth of modes and controls for the display, though there’s no Privacy Display on the FE — that feature remains exclusive to the Ultra. This isn’t much of a surprise, as it isn’t available on the Z Fold 8 either, but once you see the Privacy Display in action, a life without it seems insecure. It’s one of the best privacy features available on a smartphone today, and it’s a shame it hasn’t made its way to the FE.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE: Specs and Performance
The FE is powered by the in-house developed Exynos 2500 chip, the same as last year’s models. It is a good chip, but it’s paired with just 8GB of RAM. Storage maxes out at 512GB, which may be a limitation for users who download large files and videos regularly.
In Geekbench 7, the FE returned scores of 2,048 for single-core and 7,503 for multi-threaded performance. Neither is particularly groundbreaking compared to the Ultra, but they are solid scores — both were nearly double those of the Motorola Edge 70 Pro, for example.
The FE ships with Android 17 out of the box, with Samsung’s One UI 9 overlay, and comes with a guarantee of up to 7 major OS updates across its lifetime. The standout software feature is the split-screen multitasking mode, which allows users to switch between apps with just a tap.
Battery life is another strong point, lasting well beyond the 20-hour benchmark in testing — consistent with recent Galaxy S models. For business users who need a device that can make it through a full workday without reaching for a charger, the S26 FE delivers reliably on that front.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is a capable and well-built smartphone that punches above its price point in display quality and software longevity. However, the absence of features like the Privacy Display means it falls short of what security-conscious businesses may need from a work device.
