Samsung may deliver an affordable 120Hz smartphone at 'Unpacked for Every Fan' event
Can a smartphone be affordable with a 120Hz display and 5G?
Samsung is certainly making the most of the current virtual event situation holding event after event to unveil a number of new devices. We got the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G at the beginning of September and now it is preparing for another event before the end of the month.
Samsung has issued invitations to its Galaxy "Unpacked for Every Fan" event that will be held on September 23 starting at 10 a.m. EST (7 a.m. PST). And with the combination of the name and the graphics on the invite, it isn't much of a leap to expect that this will be the reveal of the rumored Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (via Neowin).
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Samsung will be streaming the event live on its website at Samsung Newsroom and Samsung.com or you can tune in on YouTube if you prefer.
While the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition has had a number of leaks and rumors, one detail that was very much up in the air until recently was whether it would actually find its way to the U.S. . Winfuture's Roland Quandt seemed to resolve that question recently when he found a series of videos on Verizon's website showing off renders of the "Samsung Galaxy S20 FE."
So with the knowledge that this device is likely to be available at least on Verizon in the U.S., let's take a closer look at what the previous rumors and leaks have suggested fans will be getting with their edition of the Samsung Galaxy S20.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Cloud Red 3D rotation at Verizon: https://t.co/woPA88A6g6September 12, 2020
If the picture's any indication, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition at least on Verizon should come in four colors: Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, Cloud Lavender and Cloud Red.
If you were hoping for a supercharged version of the Samsung Galaxy S20, then prepare for disappointment. This is more of a budget Galaxy S20, but to Samsung's credit, it definitely ticks most of the boxes that fans care about.
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The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition should still feature the 120Hz display that all of the original Galaxy S20 smartphones included. However, the resolution of the 6.5-inch display will be 1080p rather than a QHD display. Battery life should be solid thanks to that lower-resolution display and a rumored 4,500-mAH battery.
The processor should be the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in the U.S. which would mean it will include 5G. But there are going to be Exynos 990 variants that are limited to LTE and its possible that Verizon would go with that option. RAM may be dropped to 6GB, but rumors have been hazier on this and it could include the same 8GB as the standard Galaxy S20.
The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will also include a triple-camera array in the back with a wide-angle, ultrawide and telephoto lenses. It's the resolution of those camera sensors that will take a hit at 12MP, 12MP and 8MP respectively rather than having at least one 48, 64 or 108MP sensor like other Galaxy smartphones this year.
The price point is the main question that we will be interested to see answered at the event on September 23. The standard Galaxy S20 can be had for around $700 , so Samsung will probably need to bring this in at around $599 to make it interesting. Notably, it will be launching exactly a week before Google takes the wraps off the likely affordable Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G so it's a good time to be in the market for a 5G smartphone that won't break the bank.
Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more. Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.