The bezels on the Galaxy S20 FE are annoyingly big and mid-range-y

The Galaxy S20 FE is an excellent phone, and it’s a fantastic proposition for the asking price. It’s got much in common with the original Galaxy S20 trio, or at least the Galaxy S20 and S20+, such as the flagship-grade processors, 120Hz screen refresh rate, 30x ‘Space Zoom’ (something the S20 FE is better at), big battery and 25W super fast charging, wireless and reverse wireless charging, stereo speakers, and even IP68 water and dust resistance.

Not everything is as high-end as you would like, such as the plastic back, the 6GB of RAM on the base model sold in most markets, or the absence of a 25W super fast charger in the box. Still, Samsung’s claims of the Galaxy S20 FE being a flagship are well-founded, but if there’s one thing about this phone that I feel is a little too much of a downgrade despite the attractive asking price, it’s the size of the bezels surrounding the display.

The Galaxy S20 FE’s bezels are really off-putting, at least to me. It’s not like bezels are a bad thing, but on the S20 FE, they make the phone seem a lot more like a mid-range device than I would like. I’ve used plenty of $200-$250 Galaxy M series phones in recent months, and every time I pick up the S20 FE and fire up the display, it reminds me of those M series phones because the bezels are pretty much the same size. Only the bottom bezel on the S20 FE is a little less wide, but otherwise, there’s no difference to be seen.

The Galaxy S10 Lite, which the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is a sequel to despite the different names, had smaller bezels, and so does the Galaxy A71, a phone with a price tag almost half that of the S20 FE. I understand Samsung had to make concessions somewhere, but it’s unclear if not making the bezels as small as possible did much to help the company achieve its goal of bringing a more affordable Galaxy S20 model to the market.

Bezel size may not seem like a major issue, but imagine a customer who walks into a store (yes, stores are open in many countries, despite the ongoing pandemic) and checks out the Galaxy S20 FE and OnePlus 8 side-by-side. Not only will they see a sexier-looking display on the latter, but they will also notice the minimal bezels. The OnePlus 8’s spec sheet might not be as good as the S20 FE’s, but first impressions often have a considerable effect on the choice a customer makes when shopping for a new phone, and a curved screen will easily take the cake as far as first impressions are concerned.

All that said, if I had to buy a phone for $699, I would gladly pick up the Galaxy S20 FE. But I hope Samsung will take my complaint into account when making the next Fan Edition flagship, which we’re going to see every year going forward. It’s not deal-breaking or anything, but having bezels as big as you would see on a $200-$250 device on a smartphone you call a flagship just doesn’t sit right.

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Galaxy A71 vs Pixel 4a: Indian customers should steer clear of Google’s phone

Samsung has a grip on the mid-range and upper-mid-range smartphone segments in India and the company’s online retail business in the country is booming. However, Samsung’s sub-$500 smartphone portfolio was threatened today by a new mid-range device that was developed by the same people who are responsible for Android OS. The Google Pixel 4a was released in India today for a price similar to the Galaxy A71, but can it challenge Samsung’s mid-range device that was brought to India nearly eight months ago?

The short answer is no, it cannot, but let’s explore why Samsung’s Galaxy A71 is a better option for customers in India who may be looking to buy a new mid-range device for under INR 30,000 ($410). We don’t usually compare Samsung devices with other brands but as a smartphone developed by Google and sold in India through Flipkart, the Pixel 4a makes for an interesting albeit surprisingly weak rival.

Galaxy A71 vs Pixel 4a: Google must be joking…

Looking at the Pixel 4a next to the Galaxy A71, it’s difficult if not impossible to justify the former’s price tag. Google’s supposed rival to the Galaxy A71 has a smaller 5.81-inch display, no expandable storage, no 8GB RAM variant, only a single rear-facing camera instead of four, an 8MP selfie sensor as opposed to a 32MP one, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and not an under-display solution, and an underwhelming 3,140mAh battery with 18W fast charging.

The only advantage the Pixel 4a seemingly has over the Galaxy A71 is that it ships with the Snapdragon 730G chipset instead of the Snapdragon 730 SoC. The former chipset has a higher GPU clock rate but the difference in 3D performance is relatively negligible, or at least not enough to paint the Pixel 4a in a brighter light. And since the Galaxy A71 is eligible for Samsung’s new policy regarding Android OS updates, it will benefit from three years of support just like Google’s device.

Of course, not every smartphone on the market is or should be identical, and it’s obvious that the Pixel 4a is not in the same league as the Galaxy A71. But the cherry on top is the launch price that pushes Google’s mid-range phone directly into Galaxy A71 territory. Google’s phone has a launch price of INR 31,999 ($437) but it is available through Flipkart for 6% off, or INR 29,999 ($410). Meanwhile, you can buy the Galaxy A71 with 8GB of RAM instead of 6GB for INR 29,499 ($403) and you’ll take advantage of better specs while being able to choose from additional color options.

Can you find a reason why you would buy the Google Pixel 4a instead of the Galaxy A71 in India? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Galaxy A71 review

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A second 5nm Exynos SoC may be on the horizon but only for China

Samsung’s mobile chipset division is going through an important transitional period as the next-gen Exynos series is moving away from custom cores developed in house to standard ARM cores. Samsung’s first chipset to make this change was reportedly confirmed today by the director of Samsung China R&D Institute. According to AnTuTu citing the source, the 5nm-based SoC is called the Exynos 1080 and it will debut soon, presumably by the end of the year through a Vivo-branded smartphone.

The source hasn’t revealed any specs pertaining to the upcoming chipset but, interestingly enough, the report speculates that the Exynos 1080 was designed specifically for the Chinese market. It’s not unusual for new Samsung hardware components to debut in China through a partner OEM/client – it happens frequently with camera sensors – but these components are not usually designed for the Chinese market specifically. Instead they are used by Samsung’s clients as well as the company’s own mobile division. This raises the question of how will Samsung’s chipset division tackle the global market if the Exynos 1080 was designed for China?

Samsung could release two high-end 5nm-based SoCs for 2021

Samsung will reportedly leave the Exynos 1080 for the Chinese market while building a second 5nm-based chipset for its own mobile division called the Exynos 2100. This might clear some confusion as to why Samsung’s future chipset was being referred to as the Exynos 1000 or the Exynos 2100 in different leaks. It’s because Samsung will presumably launch two 5nm chipsets for the next generation of smartphones.

We came across the Exynos 2100 in an early Geekbench listing for the Galaxy S21 but it’s too early to be certain of the benchmark’s validity. In any case, even though both the Exynos 1080 and Exynos 2100 will reportedly be 5nm-based chips, the Exynos 2100 is said to be a slightly more powerful solution which would give Samsung’s own mobile division the upper hand over its rivals from China.

Mind you, this is speculative and there’s no official confirmation yet that Samsung’s chipset division will follow a two-pronged strategy. The Exynos 1080 moniker was apparently confirmed today by the director of Samsung China R&D Institute but the so-called Exynos 2100 wasn’t acknowledged; presumably because it doesn’t concern Chinese OEMs, or perhaps because it might be more or less the same SoC rebranded for the global market. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we find out more.

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China Telecom’s unique Galaxy Z Fold 2 color option leaks in photos

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 was released in China in two color options last month but much like last year, domestic network operator China Telecom is getting a special version of Samsung’s foldable device that boasts a unique paint job. This carrier-exclusive variant was spotted recently in the database of China’s regulatory agency TENAA where it flaunts a platinum gold finish with a black camera module.

The unlocked Galaxy Z Fold 2 sold by Samsung in China carries model number SM-F9160 but the China Telecom-exclusive is identified as SM-W2021, following in the footsteps of teh SM-W2020 last year. It has a platinum gold frame, hinge, and back cover, the latter of which presents a vertical stripe pattern and the China Telecom logo. The original Galaxy Fold W20 5G for China Telecom also had a unique finish but it was based on a single color – white – rather than a stripe pattern. This color combination will probably remain exclusive to the carrier so if you live outside of China then the image gallery below is probably the closest you’ll ever get to seeing this variant up close.

The regulatory agency doesn’t reveal any details pertaining to the phone’s specifications but they should be identical to the standard variant. The unlocked Galaxy Z Fold 2 is sold in the Far Eastern country with 512GB of storage so the China Telecom variant should offer the same. The foldable phone-tablet has a 6.23-inch Super AMOLED cover display, a 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz panel, a triple main camera setup and two selfie sensors, and a dual 4,500mAh battery.

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Google Fi is now directly selling Samsung’s 5G smartphones

Google Fi now has nationwide 5G network coverage in the US. To go along with the faster network, the MVNO carrier has started selling 5G smartphones directly through its website, and the collection includes six Galaxy smartphones from Samsung.

You can now buy the Galaxy A71 5G, Galaxy S20 5G, Galaxy S20+ 5G, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy Note 20 5G, and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G through Google Fi’s website. For now, the Google-owned cellular carrier is selling Samsung smartphones at MSRP rates, but you can get up to $300 worth of credits, depending on which device you end up buying. To receive the credit, you’ll have to activate the smartphone within 30 days of shipment and use Google Fi’s service for 60 days using the same account. These rebates apply to both 24-month financing and full payments.

This is the first time Google Fi is selling Samsung smartphones directly. It uses T-Mobile’s network as its backbone (since Sprint’s 5G network was killed after the merger), so these new 5G Galaxy devices support signals on 2.5GHz and 600MHz or 5G NR bands n41 and n71. You’ll get 5G signals on Google Fi’s network wherever there’s access to T-Mobile’s 5G network.

• Buy 5G Galaxy smartphones from Google Fi

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