Samsung Galaxy S20 FE specs confirmed — and iPhone 12 should be worried
A new certification for the Galaxy S20 FE just revealed a large display and battery to take on Apple
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition has already been leaked a few times, but now some key specs have been confirmed for what should be a formidable iPhone 12 rival.
According to MyFixGuide, the Galaxy S20 FE has received its TENNA Certification, which has revealed the screen size for the phone, an impressive battery size and the overall dimensions for the handset.
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The first bit of info from this certification is that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition should feature a 6.5-inch display. This would be in between the 6.2-inch Galaxy S20 and 6.7-inch Galaxy S20 Plus.
A previous leak says the Galaxy S20 FE's screen will also offer a 120Hz refresh rate, though it's not clear whether this display will be dynamic like the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 2. Those phones' adaptive modes can scale the Hz up or down on the fly to help save battery life.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 Max is expected to feature a 6.1-inch OLED screen, which will likely be the closest in price to the Galaxy S20 FE. And it's rumored that Apple will only offer 120Hz panels on the pricier iPhone 12 Pro models.
The second key Galaxy S20 FE spec from this leak is the confirmed 4,500 mAh battery, which would be the same size as the Galaxy S20 Plus. The iPhone 12 Max is rumored to pack a 2,815 mAh battery, which would be considerably smaller.
However, Apple could even the score with its A14 Bionic chip, which is based on a 5nm manufacturing process and is said to be up to 30% more efficient than the A13.
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Lastly, the TEENA certification for the Galaxy S20 FE says that the dimensions will be 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm, which works out to 6.2 x 2.9 x 0.33 inches. That would be slightly more compact than the Galaxy S20 Plus (6.37 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches) but a little bit thicker.
We don't have the dimensions yet on the iPhone 12 Max but it's rumored to offer a thinner design with squared-off sides, similar to the iPhone 4 and latest iPad Pro.
Other rumored specs for the Galaxy S20 FE include a Snapdragon 865 or 865 Plus processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. And you should get three rear cameras, including a 12MP main shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 8MP telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom.
Apple is reportedly reserving its telephoto camera for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. It will likely be joined by a LiDAR sensor for improved portraits and autofocus, as well as enhanced performance in iPhone AR apps.
We've heard that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will cost around $750, while the iPhone 12 Max is rumored to have a price of $799. So given some of the S20 Fan Edition's spec advantages it could definitely steal some of Apple's thunder. And it doesn't look like we have long to wait.
Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.