Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G could get a better chipset

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
(Image credit: Srivatsa Ramesh)

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G has been out since October, but it looks very likely that a new version of it is on the way – one with a Snapdragon 865 chipset.

That’s according to WinFuture, which has spotted the phone both on Samsung’s Scandinavian websites and on various retailers for the region, and this follows earlier reports of the same, so while not confirmed it seems likely.

The current version of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 4G has an Exynos 990 chipset, with only the 5G model getting the Snapdragon 865, and while the two chipsets are theoretically similarly high-end, in practice the Snapdragon seems to perform better.

A small upgrade

In that sense, it makes sense that Samsung would switch chipset, but given that the company itself makes the Exynos one, the change could almost look like an admission that a rival chipset performs better.

In any case, WinFuture claims that the new version of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE will launch soon in numerous countries, though its report only specifically mentions Scandinavia and Germany, so it remains to be seen whether the likes of the UK, the US, and Australia will get it.

Prices on European retailers apparently range from 600 euros (roughly $720 / £520 / AU$930) to 750 euros (around $900 / £650 / AU$1,160), but it’s likely that these are placeholders.

Other than the chipset it’s exactly the same as the current 4G model (assuming retailer listings are right), and other than the lack of 5G it’s seemingly exactly the same as the 5G version. So we’d expect it to be priced in line with one of them – probably the current 4G version, which retails for £599 / AU$999 (around $830).

That said, even if you can buy it, we’re not sure how appealing it will be. It’s only a slight upgrade on the current 4G version, and still inferior to the 5G one. Still, with the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE probably not arriving for a while, it could tempt some buyers.

Via XDA Developers

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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