Samsung Galaxy S26 FE release date expectations, price estimates and upgrades
Galaxy S25 FE for illustrative purposes. | Image by PhoneArena
Galaxy S26 FE: what to expect
What's expected to change vs Galaxy S25 FE:
- Flat aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass at the front and at the back
- Camera island similar to the Galaxy S26's
- Last year's flagship Exynos 2500 processor
- 4,900 to 5,000 mAh battery size
- No display upgrade: 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- No big upgrades in the camera system
Expected release timeline:
- The Galaxy S26 FE is likely to be announced in late September or early October 2026, as per tradition.
Expected price:
- No leaks about its pricing have come out just yet.
- We expect it may start around $650 max in the U.S.
Jump to:
Galaxy S26 FE release date
The Galaxy S26 FE is likely to come in the fall of 2026, potentially September or early October.
| Device | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 FE | September–October 2026* | September–October 2026* |
| Galaxy S25 FE | September 4, 2025 | September 4, 2025 |
| Galaxy S24 FE | September 26, 2024 | October 3, 2025 |
* - probable dates
For reference, last year's Galaxy S25 FE was announced on September 4, while the previous Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy S23 FE both got a late September announcement with an early October market release.
Galaxy S26 FE price and deals
The potential pricing for the Galaxy S26 FE has yet to leak. However, prepare yourself for price hikes due to the situation with the memory chips plaguing the industry. The details about a possible price hike for the S26 FE are still under wraps, though.
| Device | 128GB | 256GB |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 FE | $650* | $710* |
| Galaxy S25 FE | $650 | $710 |
*- anticipated price
Samsung hiked the prices of the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus by $100. The higher storage variants for the Ultra also became more expensive with an $80 hike on the 512 GB version and a whopping $140 hike on the 1 TB version.
Galaxy S26 FE deals to expect:
- Samsung.com: Samsung typically discounts its phones on its Samsung.com online store and throws in some great promotions that let you save a lot on the MSRP by trading-in an older eligible device or pre-ordering early to score great bonuses. We expect the same will happen with the Galaxy S26 FE, so if you really want this phone and are quick about it, you will definitely be able to get it at a lower price than the official one.
- Carriers: Major carriers have historically offered good promotions on Galaxy models, and the Galaxy S26 FE will probably be no different. Expect bill credits with trade-ins or discounts tied to premium plans.
- Retailers: Amazon and Best Buy also tend to officially carry and discount Galaxy FE devices on the regular. Given the Galaxy S26 FE's potential release date, we might be in for some awesome Black Friday/Cyber Monday offers on that phone.
Galaxy S26 FE camera
Galaxy S26 FE rumored camera setup:
- 50 MP main camera
- 12 MP ultra-wide camera
- 8 MP 3X telephoto camera
- 12 MP front camera
No leaks have detailed the Galaxy S26 FE's camera yet, but a huge camera overhaul is not expected, so expect the same 50 MP main camera, accompanied by a 12 MP ultra-wide and an 8 MP 3x telephoto camera.
In our Galaxy S25 FE review, we found the results from this camera system to be average. The main camera produced good-quality photos, and the 12 MP selfie camera did well too. However, both the telephoto and the ultra-wide cameras struggled in low-light conditions.
Galaxy S26 FE storage
Galaxy S26 FE expected storage capacity:
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB (select markets)
The Galaxy S26 FE is a more affordable flagship phone. As such, we don't expect it to come with a higher storage option than 512 GB. The 128 GB version may be gone this year, given that even Apple doesn't offer it anymore with its mid-range iPhone 17e.
Galaxy S26 FE design
Currently, it is expected that the Galaxy S26 FE design will remain pretty consistent with what we've had: a flat aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass at the front and at the back, which slightly boosts the premium factor here in comparison with affordable phones that use plastic in the back (looking at you, "Pixel a").
Recently, the Galaxy S26 FE's design appeared in leaks for the first time, showing us a Galaxy S26-like camera island:
Image of the Galaxy S26 FE. | Image by Wireless Power Consortium
The phone carries the model number SM-S741 and appears with a slightly redesigned camera island look, with the lenses no longer standing on their own. The same design is seen in the Galaxy S26, although here the camera island itself is closer to the top and side than the S26.
Galaxy S FE devices are usually not as compact as regular Galaxies, which is often associated with such affordable versions of flagship phones. So, expect the Galaxy S26 FE to be slightly larger than the Galaxy S26 Plus, despite the same-sized display.
Galaxy S26 FE display
The Galaxy S26 FE will most certainly get a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with HDR and up to 120 Hz of screen refresh rate. This has been the case in the past two years, and there's really no need to move away from that hardware.
| Device | Screen size | Brightness |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 FE | 6.7-inch* | 1,900 nits* |
| Galaxy S25 FE | 6.7-inch | 1,900 nits |
* - anticipated sizes and values
We may see an improvement in brightness levels, but this has not been rumored just yet.
Meanwhile, Samsung may use Chinese display manufacturer CSOT for OLED panels of its budget and mid-range devices. Previously, Samsung Display was the sole supplier of OLED panels for Galaxy phones.
According to another report, the South Korean tech giant has ordered around 15 million displays from the Chinese supplier. Reportedly, some of these displays would be for the upcoming Galaxy A57, while others would be for the Galaxy S26 FE.
The report adds that CSOT's screens are roughly 20% cheaper than the ones from Samsung Display. Naturally, this raises a question: does a lower price tag mean lower quality? So far, there's no word of any performance trade-offs, but we can't be certain of that.
Reportedly, the switch is decided on for cost-saving purposes. As we mentioned above, smartphone makers are currently dealing with a massive spike in the cost of memory chips. Maybe saving on the display would keep the price hike for the device at a minimum.
Galaxy S26 FE battery
The Galaxy S26 FE's battery size has not leaked just yet, but judging by previous generations, Samsung may incrementally upgrade it to over 4,900 mAh.
Samsung has been adding an extra 200 mAh to the battery of the Galaxy S FE every year. We went from 4,500 mAh on the Galaxy S23 FE to 4,700 mAh on the S24 FE. Then, we went to 4,900 mAh with the S25 FE.
If this trend continues, we can hope that the Galaxy S26 FE packs a 5,100 mAh battery.
As for charging, Samsung is likely sticking with the 45 W wired charging of the phone's predecessor.
Galaxy S26 FE features and software
A recent rumor indicates the Galaxy S26 FE may debut with One UI 9 based on Android 17. The US version of the phone was spotted running One UI 9 on Samsung's test servers, which indicates that's the OS it will run out of the box.
We expect a seven-year software support for the Galaxy S26 FE, as usual.
Meanwhile, it's also safe to expect a wide variety of Galaxy AI features, as Samsung's focus continues to be on generative AI. For example, with the phone's predecessor, Samsung included Circle to Search and a bunch of Galaxy AI tricks like Photo Assist, Drawing Assist, Audio Eraser, Note Assist, and others.
With the flagship Galaxy S26 lineup, the South Korean giant leveled up many of these Galaxy AI features. Bixby now understands natural language, and you can also pick Gemini or Perplexity AI for your go-to assistant.
The Galaxy S26 FE is likely getting these updates as well.
Also, Android 17 itself brings Gemini Intelligence (which is next-level Gemini with agentic AI abilities and some exciting new features), but we are not certain when all of those will be available on the S26 FE (they may not be at launch).
Galaxy S26 FE hardware and specs
Galaxy S26 FE expected specs:
- CPU: Exynos 2500 or Exynos 2600
- RAM: 8GB
- Battery: 4,900 mAh+
- Charging: 45 W wired, 15 W wireless
- Storage: 128 / 256 GB
- Camera setup: 50 MP main + 12 MP ultra-wide + 8 MP front
The Galaxy S25 FE came with the Exynos 2400, while the Galaxy S25 series sported the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. For the S26 FE, the majority of rumors are claiming an Exynos chip: either the Exynos 2500 or the Exynos 2600.
The Galaxy S26 FE has appeared running the Exynos 2500 chip on leaked Geekbench results, so it seems now more likely the 2500 is the processor we're getting here.
The model number SM-S741U reportedly represents the S26 FE US version. | Image by Abhishek Yadav
The Exynos 2500 is found in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, for example. The older chip may get placed here to differentiate the FE model from the regular Galaxy S26.
The above Geekbench listing also shows the smartphone is sporting only 8 GB of RAM.
Should I wait for the Galaxy S26 FE?
- You should wait for the Galaxy S26 FE if you are holding onto an aging upper mid-range phone like the Galaxy S23 FE or an A-series device and want a massive performance jump without paying full flagship prices. Because the phone is spotted testing with One UI 9 (Android 17) right out of the box, you will be jumping straight into Samsung's latest software and suite of advanced natural-language Galaxy AI features without waiting for an OTA update.
- You should not wait for the Galaxy S26 FE if you are already using a premium phone from 2025 or are looking for a massive overhaul in photography. Leaks indicate that the S26 FE will heavily recycle its hardware to maintain its expected $650 baseline price, sticking to the same 6.7-inch screen and an unchanged 50 MP triple-camera setup. Furthermore, the S26 FE is rumored to be capped at 8GB of RAM. The standard Galaxy S26 has officially hit shelves with a more future-proof 12GB of RAM, superior Gorilla Glass protection, and a superior chip, so saving up just a little extra cash for a true flagship or hunting for retail discounts on the base S26 will give you a significantly better long-term device.
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