6 upgrades the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE needs before I’ll buy it

I’ve been a daily user of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE for the past year, and while there are plenty of things I appreciate about this device, my list of gripes is far longer. Sure, it’s a capable, reliable handset. It’s the sort of product that Samsung can produce in its sleep. But that’s part of the problem: the Galaxy FE series — the Fan Edition series, just to remind you — is slowly becoming just another mid-range Samsung with no identity, copy-pasted specs, and a misunderstanding of what the “fans” really want.

With the Galaxy S26 FE’s debut set for later this year, I want to address some of the issues I have with the FE line right now and the ways Samsung could tempt my wallet before the next release.

Battery endurance is perhaps my biggest issue with the Galaxy S24 FE. A single charge just about gets me through a calm day, so you can imagine how it lets me down when usage demands step up. To give it further context, its battery life is noticeably poor compared with a seven-year-old HUAWEI P30 Pro with ~70% battery health.

While the Galaxy S25 FE addresses this issue somewhat with a 4% larger battery, a more efficient display, and faster 45W charging, I want to see Samsung do more with the Galaxy S26 FE.

I want to see a much larger battery. Samsung regularly uses 6,000 mAh cells in its budget smartphones, including its cheapest new device, the Galaxy A07 5G. It’s clearly a fan-favorite feature, so why is it not on the Fan Edition device?

I don’t recall a smartphone I’ve felt less invigorated by than the Galaxy S24 FE. Yes, it’s certainly a smartphone. It makes calls and sends messages, streams music, and records my memories. But it’s a soulless husk of silicon, glass, and aluminum, and doesn’t exactly pay homage to “the fans” or Samsung devices of the past.

This conservative approach isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but surely this phone should have some personality, no? I understand this isn’t a widespread issue affecting the phone’s functionality, but I do believe Samsung can (and should) do more to make the Galaxy S26 FE more appealing.

My solution? Perhaps the forthcoming device could offer colorways from Samsung’s greatest hits over the years. I’d quite like to choose between the Note 10’s Aura Glow, the S10e’s Canary Yellow, the Galaxy S10’s Prism Green, and — for the memories — the Note 7’s Coral Blue.

Beyond the battery, my second pain point with the S24 FE is its screen. The panel is far too dim for viewing in bright natural light, and it’s strangely illegible at low brightness levels at night. It hurts my eyes far more than any phone I’ve used before.

While the Galaxy S25 FE is a minor step up with its LTPO panel, I’d like to see a much higher peak brightness on the FE series to improve outdoor visibility. As for the eye strain from these devices, this seems to be a Samsung-wide issue — I haven’t enjoyed looking at a Samsung screen for an extended period since the Galaxy Note 9.

Again, Samsung staying the course with its current setup will probably suit most users, but I’d quite like to see the company do a little more in the display department.

Comfort is an often-overlooked smartphone factor. If you can’t hold a device securely and comfortably, you won’t enjoy using its other features.

At 213 grams, the Galaxy S24 FE is far too heavy for the hardware it offers. I will commend Samsung for the Galaxy S25 FE’s 23-gram weight loss, but there are further gains to be had. Considering how some upgrades I’ve already mentioned could add more heft, I worry that a fully realized S26 FE could be heavier once again.

I’d happily accept more polycarbonate if it means a more ergonomic device.

Samsung re-releasing the same camera array is a meme at this point, and this doesn’t only affect its flagship phones either. With the FE line, we’ve seen (almost) the same camera system for the past three generations, and it’s about time the fans get some new toys.

I’ve had more misses than hits with the Galaxy S24 FE’s cameras, to the point that I’ve stopped using them for meaningful memory-making. I’ve reduced it to capturing receipts and snapping important information for posterity. They’re utilitarian but uninspiring.

With price increases set to affect RAM and storage this year, 2026 is the perfect year for Samsung to innovate with its smartphone cameras. I’m not suggesting the company include its flagship-level cameras on the mid-range Galaxy S26 FE, but I do want to see some forward momentum.

There’s likely no way, even in a month of Sundays, that Samsung returns the microSD card slot to its pricier phones. But with the rising prices of RAM and storage chips on the horizon, now would be a great time to give the “fans” something they actually want — an affordable, flexible storage option.

My Galaxy S24 FE has 128GB of advertised storage, of which 104GB is usable. At present, I have just over 20GB free. I’m likely to run into storage problems in the next few months, and with the base storage likely to be retained for the Galaxy S26 FE, a microSD card slot would be a cheap, quick way to bolster this specification. It’s the perfect way to set the FE series apart and win back some valuable positive consumer sentiment.

I have no doubt that the Galaxy S26 FE will be a usable, dependable Android smartphone once it launches, but Samsung could be doing so much more with this device. Samsung claims that it listens to fans when creating these Fan Edition devices, and I sure hope it pays attention to some of the issues I touched on.