Galaxy S26 FE Hits $700: WIRED Says Price Outpaces Upgrades

Samsung’s Fan Edition is supposed to feel nearly flagship for less. WIRED’s September 11, 2026 review of the Galaxy S26 FE says the formula slipped: the phone is fine in isolation, but the US price jumped to $700 (128 GB) while the meaningful upgrade list stays short. Score: 6/10.

What actually changed

WIRED’s Simon Hill highlights the Exynos 2500 as the main step up from last year’s Exynos 2400 in the S25 FE. Everyday performance and casual gaming are fine; a demanding title like Wuthering Waves still stuttered and crashed in his testing. Storage and RAM on the base unit remain 128 GB / 8 GB—stingy if you shoot a lot of video—while the 256 GB model costs an extra $100 and still ships with 8 GB RAM ($800).

The 6.7-inch OLED at up to 120 Hz carries over, with peak brightness cited at about 1,900 nits (well below the regular S26’s ~3,000 nits). The triple camera system is unchanged: 50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, 8 MP telephoto, plus a 12 MP selfie. Daylight shots look shareable; telephoto is useful at 3× optical and muddy when you push digital zoom hard.

The USB downgrade buyers should notice

One concrete regression: USB-C drops from USB 3.2 on the S25 FE to USB 2.0 on the S26 FE. That caps wired transfers at 480 Mbps, kills wired DeX (wireless DeX remains), and removes DisplayPort Alt Mode—so no easy wired link to some smart glasses or external displays. Battery stays 4,900 mAh with 45 W wired and 15 W wireless charging; WIRED notes Qi2 compatibility without magnets.

IP68, aluminum frame, and colors (Pistachio, Graphite, Blueberry) keep the FE looking premium. One UI 9 plus Galaxy AI features such as Call Screening and Now Brief are positives; preinstalled Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Netflix, and Perplexity are not, especially at $700.

Should you buy it?

WIRED’s verdict is blunt: wait for a sale, or compare against a discounted regular S26, S26+, Pixel 11, or last year’s S25 FE. The S26 FE is not a bad phone—it is a tough MSRP sell when the year-over-year delta is mostly a midrange chip and a worse USB port.

FAQ

US prices in the WIRED review? $700 for 128 GB and $800 for 256 GB. What is the review score? 6/10. What USB change matters? USB-C drops from USB 3.2 on the S25 FE to USB 2.0 on the S26 FE, limiting wired DeX and DisplayPort Alt Mode.

Source: WIRED.