SAMSUNG S20 FE 5G
This one's for the fans! Or for the chemistry students with a predilection for iron alloys? it is not 'lite,' that is needless to say. this is often the Galaxy S20 iron 5G (or Fan Edition). the newest member of the S20 family comes with some description changes to fulfill a cheaper price purpose, whereas still maintaining necessary bits to qualify for the S-series badge.
One of those is that the high-end chipset, and that is an honest purpose to clarify that not all FEs area unit an equivalent - there's a 5G-capable version associate degreed an LTE-capped one. The 4G-only model follows the standard regional differentiation with some components of the planet obtaining the Exynos 990 whereas others have their FEs equipped with the flower 865. On the opposite hand, the 5G model is Snapdragon-only now, despite locus. It's this version that we're reviewing, although we tend to is also dropping the '5G' once relating the phone for the rest of this review. Placed in between the S20 and S20+ in terms of screen size, the Fan Edition packs a vi.5-inch Super AMOLED show. This one's not HDR10+ compliant and includes a FullHD resolution next to its QHD brethren, however Samsung did keep the 120Hz refresh rate.
As part of the tri-set of cameras on the FE, it gets to keep the S20s main big-sensor 12MP shooter. The ultra wide-angle cam takes 12MP shots too, but from a smaller imager than on the non-fan editions. And the telephoto is different too - fans will be shooting with an 8MP almost-3x zoom unit, as opposed to the slightly odd 64MP non-tele tele setup on the S20 and S20+. Meanwhile, the selfie camera on the FE is a 32MP Tetracell unit, which may sound like an upgrade compared to the 10MP modules of the S20 and S20+, but there's more to that as you go deeper. We'll be doing all sorts of camera comparisons later on, of course.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G specs
- Body: 159.8x74.5x8.4mm, 190g; Glass front, plastic back, aluminum frame; Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified), IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins); Colors: Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, Cloud White, Cloud Red, Cloud Orange.
- Display: 6.5" Super AMOLED, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 407ppi; 120Hz refresh rate.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 (7 nm+): Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585); Adreno 650.
- Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 10, One UI 2.5.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 8 MP, f/2.4, 73mm, 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 13mm, 1/3.0", 1.12µm; LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama.
- Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm; HDR.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K, 1080p.
- Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 25W, Fast wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W, USB Power Delivery 3.0.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer; NFC; stereo speakers.
Tere are some other less apparent downgrades here and there. Like the as-yet unspecified type of glass on the front instead of Gorilla Glass 6 and the plastic back where the non-fan S20s have more Gorilla Glass 6. The Fan Edition also tops out at 8GB of RAM (6GB in the base version), while the regular S20s start at 8GB and can be had even with 12GB.
Whether it's an upgrade, a downgrade, or simply a side-step, the Fan Edition gets an optical fingerprint reader, not the controversial ultra-sonic reader of the other phones in the Galaxy S and Note roster.
Filed strictly under downgrades, however, is the retail bundle.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G unboxing
The S20 FE's box is Fan Edition too - it's not the black packaging of the true flagships. It's still the same thick cardboard, only white, and the S20 name is printed on the front, just like on the non-FEs. There are many emoji-looking imprints, something you don't get on the regular S20 or Note20 boxes.
There's special treatment on the inside too, but not the good kind. The accessories package is rather sparse, and besides the phone, you're only getting an adapter and a cable to go with it. Even worse, it's the plain old Adaptive Fast Charging unit that's Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 compliant - 15W max, USB-A out - lame. Non-fans are treated to a 25W adapter and earphones, but the budget cuts for this one didn't allow for such frivolous expenses.
BEST PHONES UNDER 15000. ?
REALME 8 5G
The Realme 8 5G is another one of the maker's odd sequels. It appears as if it's meant to be the successor to the Realme 7 5G, and yet it has a few downgrades. But there is a good reason for that - it aims to be the cheapest 5G phone in the world.
Besides its 5G claim, the Realme 8 5G is one very balanced entry-level smartphone. It offers a 90Hz 1080p LCD screen, a capable Dimensity 700 5G chip, there is a triple-camera on the back, a 5,000mAh battery with 18W charging, and all of these come wrapped in a beautiful body.
The Realme 8 5G is priced €179 for the early birds, while its official price tag is €199. That's indeed cheap, notably cheaper than the €279 Realme 7 5G. Obviously, some features had to go.
The Realme 8 5G has a 90Hz screen and Dimensity 700 with 64GB base storage, while the previous model had a 120Hz display and the Dimensity 800U chip with a bit more powerful GPU and 128GB base memory. The Realme 7 5G also had an additional 8MP ultrawide camera, water-sealed ports, and Gorilla Glass protection. Well, those things are gone, now.
Anyway, the 5G era is upon us and 5G phones will become desirable sooner rather than later, so we can understand Realme's early attack on the budget segment. It is the market that probably sells the most phones. And the Realme 8 5G, even with the cutbacks, seems like one balanced smartphone.
Realme 8 5G specs at a glance:
- Body: 162.5x74.8x8.5mm, 185g; glass front, plastic frame, plastic back.
- Display: 6.50" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 480 nits (typ), 600 nits, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 405ppi.
- Chipset: MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
- Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.1; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, Realme UI 2.0.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, PDAF; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.1, 26mm (wide).
- Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 18W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; 3.5mm jack.
We would have liked to keep at least the water-sealed ports and the Gorilla Glass, but no can do, obviously. Well, it is what it is, and at that price - we guess it's understandable. So, without further ado - let's unbox this thing.
Unboxing the Realme 8 5G
The Realme 8 5G comes in one of the maker's signature yellow boxes. Inside you'll find an 18W power adapter, a USB-C cable, and a soft transparent case.The phone also has a factory pre-applied protective film, but we got rid of that fast - it's quite easy to get smudged up.
REDMI NOTE 10S
The Redmi Note 10S is yet another smartphone from Xiaomi in the crowded Redmi Note 10 series. This one is being launched in India amidst three other Redmi Note 10 models, including the Redmi Note 10, the Redmi Note 10 Pro, and the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max.
The Redmi Note 10S sits between the Redmi Note 10 and the Redmi Note 10 Pro, being largely identical to the Redmi Note 10 but with a better camera and chipset on paper. It is, however, closer to the Redmi Note 10 Pro in price than the Redmi Note 10, so that camera and chipset better be good to make you want to buy this phone instead of just getting the Pro model. But then again, that may be the plan.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S specs at a glance:
- Body: 160.5x74.5x8.3mm, 179g; IP53, dust and splash protection.
- Display: 6.43" AMOLED, 450 nits (typ), 1100 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 409ppi.
- Chipset: Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm): Octa-core (2x2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G76 MC4.
- Memory: 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, MIUI 12.5.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.97", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.12µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Infrared port; 3.5mm jack.
The Redmi Note 10S is also the first phone in India to launch with MIUI 12.5 out of the box. Xiaomi is calling this an "interim" version of 12.5, which means it lacks some of the features of the final release but we will just have to see about that.
Unboxing
The retail box isn't special by any means. It contains the usual user manuals, a USB-A to USB-C cable for data transfer and charging, a transparent silicone case, which is pretty hard to put on and remove, and a charging brick rated at 33W.