Samsung’s affordable flagship is a ‘hit’ in the US

The @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (“FE,” reps call it) is a hit, with 60% of carrier store reps saying it is one of Samsung’s top three sellers. A51 sales way down. Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra gone from @TMobile website, while the S20 is out of stock on @ATT website.

— Jeff Moore (@wave7jeff) December 10, 2020

The Galaxy S20 FE is proving to be more popular than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and it is also eating into the sales of the Galaxy A51 and A71.

Samsung lost share at all carriers last month as a result of the launch of the iPhone 12 series and it continues to lag behind iPhone sales in the US in carrier stores.

Still, it’s a promising sign that the Galaxy S20 FE is doing well in the US. The phone wasn’t on the cards when the Galaxy S20 series was launched. But then coronavirus happened, and it impacted the demand for Samsung’s S series flagships severely. This prompted the company to launch the Galaxy S20 FE – a phone that targets a lower price point but retains the S branding that tends to do well in the US.

The handset was released at the beginning of October. It sports a 6.5-inch AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a punch-hole for the 32MP selfie camera. It is underpinned by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset and has a triple rear camera system with a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide unit, and an 8MP telephoto module. Inside is a 4,500mAh battery with support for 25W charging, and the phone also has IP68 waterproofing.

The sub-6 variant costs $699 and Verizon’s mmWave version sells for $749.