Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 FE with Exynos 2500 and Android 17 for $699

Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy S26 FE, a new smartphone from the Fan Edition family. This is the first model of the Galaxy S26 lineup to ship with Android 17 and One UI 9 out of the box. At the same time, there are only a few hardware changes compared to the Galaxy S25 FE.

The company installed a more modern Exynos 2500 processor and updated the camera module design, but kept the same display, battery, and main camera system. At the same time, the smartphone became more expensive. In the US, the Galaxy S26 FE starts at $699,99, and in Europe – from €799. Sales in most countries will begin on September 4.

Chassis and design

Externally, the Galaxy S26 FE has come closer to other smartphones in the Galaxy S26 series. Three cameras on the back panel are now combined into a single protruding base instead of separate rings, although the lens arrangement remains vertical.

The chassis features an aluminum frame, while the front and back use Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ protective glass. Water and dust protection with IP68 rating is retained, allowing immersion in fresh water to a depth of up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.

Dimensions are 161,6 × 76,9 × 7,4 mm, weight – 193 g. For comparison, the Galaxy S25 FE weighed 190 g with the same thickness and had dimensions of 161,3 × 76,6 mm. Thus, the new generation has become slightly larger and heavier.

Samsung will offer three color options: Blueberry, Graphite, and Pistachio.

Display

Galaxy S26 FE is equipped with a 6.7-inch flat Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with Full HD+ 2340 × 1080 pixels resolution. The screen operates at a frequency of 60 or 120 Hz, with maximum brightness reaching 1900 nits.

At the top of the panel, there is a small cutout for the front-facing camera. By main specifications, the display has practically not changed relative to the Galaxy S25 FE.

Performance

The main hardware update is the Exynos 2500 processor. This is a 3-nm Samsung chip that has replaced the 4-nm Exynos 2400 from the Galaxy S25 FE. In addition to the more powerful CPU and GPU, the new platform received an enhanced NPU for local processing of artificial intelligence functions.

All versions come with 8 GB of RAM. The storage capacity can be 128, 256, or 512 GB. Availability of individual configurations depends on the region.

The smartphone supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC.

A separate uncertainty remains regarding the USB version. In the official specification table from Samsung, the standard USB is not yet listed. Some published materials mention USB 2.0, while prior to the presentation there was information about USB 3.2. Therefore, this parameter should not yet be considered definitively confirmed.

Cameras

The hardware configuration of the main cameras almost completely replicates that of the Galaxy S25 FE:

• 50 MP – main camera, f/1.8, optical stabilization;
• 12 MP – ultra-wide camera, f/2.2, field of view 123°;
• 8 MP – telephoto, f/2.4, OIS and 3x optical zoom;
• 12 MP – front camera, f/2.2.

Telephoto allows using digital zoom up to 30x. The front camera retained a resolution of 12 MP, but the field of view increased from 80° to 85°, so slightly more space fits into the frame.

The main changes occurred at the software processing level. Galaxy S26 FE received an updated ProVisual Engine and Nightography for low-light photography.

New camera features and Galaxy AI

One of the main novelties was My FanCam. The feature allows you to select a person in the video, after which the smartphone automatically tracks their movement and reframes the shot, keeping the subject centered.

Super Steady mode now includes Horizontal Lock. When filming active scenes, the smartphone software maintains a level horizon even if the device is tilted or rotated.

Audio Eraser can reduce unwanted background noise and highlight voices and other important sounds. Document Scan recognizes documents and can remove fingers, curled paper edges, and other obstructions from the frame.

Photo Assist now allows editing images using text prompts. For example, you can add objects, restore missing image elements, change the composition, or apply styles.

Gemini Omni support is also announced. The service may use photos and videos from the gallery to create and edit videos.

One UI 9 and artificial intelligence

Galaxy S26 FE became the first smartphone in the Galaxy S26 series with Android 17 and One UI 9 right out of the box. More expensive Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra were initially released with the previous version of the system.

The updated Now Brief now features customizable information cards. Users can create them independently using prompts, such as for displaying weather, health data, or other selected information.

Now Nudge analyzes the context on the screen and suggests appropriate actions. For example, the system can offer to add an event to the calendar or send a photo without forcing the user to switch between apps.

Circle to Search now recognizes multiple objects in a single image.

Samsung promises seven generations of Android updates and seven years of security updates for the Galaxy S26 FE.

Battery

The battery capacity remains at the Galaxy S25 FE level and is 4900 мА·ч. Samsung claims up to 29 hours of video playback.

Wired charging up to 45 W and wireless charging up to 15 W are supported. There is reverse wireless charging, Wireless PowerShare, for headphones, watches, and other compatible devices.

The 45 W adapter is not included in the package.

What has changed compared to the Galaxy S25 FE

As a result, the main hardware improvements of the Galaxy S26 FE come down to the Exynos 2500 and a slightly modified front camera. The screen, battery, charging, and three rear cameras retain virtually the same specifications. Samsung has implemented significantly more changes in One UI 9, photo and video processing, and Galaxy AI features.

Prices and release date

International sales of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE will begin on September 4. In the US, individual carriers will begin offering the smartphone as early as September 3.

The prices are as follows:

Thus, the base Galaxy S26 FE in the US has increased by $50 compared to the Galaxy S25 FE. The price becomes especially noticeable in Europe, where the 512 GB version already costs €1099. Buyers of the Galaxy S26 FE will also receive six months of Google AI Pro.