Samsung has introduced the Galaxy S26 FE with a stronger focus on AI features and everyday tools. The phone also gets a new chipset, although most of its hardware remains unchanged. The biggest upgrade is expected to be the Exynos 2500, a 3nm chip also used in the Galaxy Z Flip7. Samsung did not officially name the chipset during the launch. However, the specifications strongly point to the Exynos 2500.
The Exynos 2500 uses newer CPU cores than the Exynos 2400 found in the Galaxy S25 FE. It also features an AMD RDNA 3-based GPU with 33% more work groups. Its NPU offers 40% more compute hardware for AI tasks.
The Galaxy S26 FE runs Android 17 with One UI 9 from the start. It also brings several features that first appeared on Samsung’s more expensive flagship devices. One of them is My FanCam, which debuted with Samsung’s Galaxy Z8 foldables. The feature can track a person in a saved video. It automatically zooms in and keeps the person near the center of the frame.
Horizon Lock is another new addition for video recording. It keeps footage level even when the phone rotates 360° during recording. Samsung also says its improved Nightography can deliver brighter and better video in dark conditions.
Photo Assist adds more AI editing tools to the Gallery app. Users can give simple instructions to change an image. The feature can replace backgrounds, turn day scenes into night, or add and remove objects.
Samsung has also updated Now Brief in One UI 9. Users can create text widgets using plain-language commands. The feature works across areas such as weather, health and video. For example, users can ask Now Brief to summarize their protein and carb intake based on weight and body composition. The AI can then create a card with the requested information within seconds.
Some of these features may also reach older Galaxy models through future updates. However, Samsung has not confirmed which devices will receive every feature. The Galaxy S26+ already supports Horizon Lock, while the S25+ may not.
Beyond the software changes, the Galaxy S26 FE closely follows the Galaxy S25 FE. It has the same 6.7-inch 1080p+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,900 nits peak brightness.
The battery also remains unchanged at 4,900mAh. Charging support includes 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
The camera setup is also the same as the previous model. It includes a 50MP main camera, an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom, plus a 12MP ultra-wide camera. The front camera uses a 12MP sensor.
Samsung will provide 7 years of OS updates and security patches for the Galaxy S26 FE. The company is also offering a 6-month Google AI Pro trial worth $120. The package includes 5TB of cloud storage, a benefit previously offered mainly with Galaxy Z foldables.
The Galaxy S26 FE will go on sale in Blueberry, Pistachio, and Graphite starting September 4. Some carriers will offer the phone a day early on September 4.
Samsung will sell 128GB and 256GB versions, with the base model starting at $700. That is $50 more than the 128GB Galaxy S25 FE’s launch price. Some markets will also receive a 512GB storage option.
