Quick summary: we spent a week shooting with the Galaxy S26 FE, Samsung's cheapest phone in the S26 lineup, using our own footage throughout. We checked prices in Malaysia on 30 September 2026: Samsung lists it at RM2,899 (US$699.99), and the best current Shopee deal we found is RM2,499 at Samsung Flagship Store (219 units sold). The main camera earns its keep; the ultra wide and telephoto both fall apart once you zoom in. The video above is the full test.
The S26 FE carries over the same 50MP main sensor and 8MP telephoto from last year's S25 FE, which is the disappointing part on paper. What changed is Samsung's image processing. We put similar questions to Apple's side of the market in our iPhone 18 Pro Camera Review, and against Samsung's own flagship in our iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Galaxy S26 Ultra camera test. Here is what the FE's three lenses actually produced.
Contents
- How We Tested This Review
- Camera Specs at a Glance
- 2x main versus 3x telephoto: the biggest split we found
- Main camera versus ultra wide: the detail gap
- Low light: one camera holds up, two do not
- Video: where the S26 FE actually improved
- Our verdict
- Best For: Samsung Galaxy S26 FE 5G, Where To Buy It Today
- Frequently Asked Questions
How We Tested This Review
We shot with our own Galaxy S26 FE unit for a full week: daylight street photography, low light scenes and video across all three rear cameras (main, ultra wide and telephoto). Every comparison in this review is a frame pulled directly from that footage, timestamped so you can watch the same moment in the video above. We have not run the S26 FE against the standard Galaxy S24 in a side by side test, so where a reader asks about that comparison below, we say so rather than guess.
Camera Specs at a Glance
| Camera | Resolution | Range | What we found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main | 50MP | 1x to 2x | Best of the three: holds dynamic range and detail in daylight and low light |
| Ultra wide | 12MP, f/2.2 | 123-degree field of view | Good contrast at a glance, detail falls apart once you zoom in |
| Telephoto | 8MP | Up to 3x optical | Sharpest close to 3x, a visible purple tint appears past that |
2x main versus 3x telephoto: the biggest split we found
At 3:26 in our video, we shot the same street scene at 2x zoom on the main camera and 3x zoom on the telephoto. The telephoto crop carries a visible purple tint across the whole image that the main camera does not have, and that tint also shows up on skin tones shot on the telephoto lens. Push past 3x and the processing goes further: text on signs turns blotchy and faces start to distort, so we would not go past 3x on this camera.
Main camera versus ultra wide: the detail gap
The 50MP main camera is where the S26 FE earns its keep. Dynamic range holds up well, clouds and highlights stay unblown and shadow detail does not crush, and at 1x and 2x it gave us exactly what we wanted for street photography. The 12MP, f/2.2 ultra wide camera at a wide 123-degree field of view looks good at a glance, with the same solid contrast, but zoom into the same spot shot on both lenses and the ultra wide's detail falls apart fast while the main camera stays readable.
Low light: one camera holds up, two do not
The main camera's low light mode surprised us. Even pointed straight into the night sky, it avoided the color banding we expected, and street subjects stayed well lit without a blotchy sky behind them. The ultra wide and telephoto cameras did not fare as well after dark: both showed the same aggressive processing we saw in daylight, now amplified into color banding and distorted faces once the light dropped.
Video: where the S26 FE actually improved
Video is the clearest upgrade over the S25 FE. The main camera shoots up to 4K60 and 8K30 with good stabilization and exposure in daylight, and low light telephoto footage gets noisy fast at 10x. The two new features worth knowing: horizon lock, which keeps footage level no matter how much you twist the phone, and My FanCam, a subject-tracking mode carried over from the Z Fold series that follows a chosen subject for the whole clip. If you want to get more deliberate with phone video than auto mode allows, our phone filmmaking course Pocket Cinematic covers exposure, framing and color control step by step.
Our verdict
Is this a great camera system? No. But at RM2,899 (US$699.99), is it good enough for the price? We think so. The main camera does most of the work and does it well, the ultra wide and telephoto both fall apart once you zoom in or the light drops, and video is the one place Samsung genuinely improved over the S25 FE. Watch the full verdict at 5:41 in our video, then tell us in the comments whether you would still pick this over the S25 FE.
Best For: Samsung Galaxy S26 FE 5G, Where To Buy It Today
If you want one phone that handles everyday shooting well without paying flagship-Ultra money, the Galaxy S26 FE 5G is our pick from Samsung's S26 lineup. We checked live listings on 30 September 2026: the best price we found was RM2,499 at Samsung Flagship Store on Shopee, with 219 units already sold.
2 more points
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Samsung S26 have good camera quality?
On the S26 FE specifically, the model we tested, yes for the main camera: it held dynamic range and detail well in both daylight and low light. The ultra wide and telephoto cameras are weaker, losing detail once you zoom in and struggling more after dark.
Is the Samsung S26 FE good?
For RM2,899 at Samsung's own listed price, or RM2,499 at the best Shopee deal we found (checked 30 September 2026), we think so. The main camera does most of the work and does it well, video is a genuine upgrade over the S25 FE, and the weaker secondary lenses are the compromise you accept for the lower price.
Which Galaxy S26 has the best camera?
Based on our own testing, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has the strongest camera system in the range: more lenses, a longer zoom and a larger main sensor. We compared it directly against Apple's flagship in our iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Galaxy S26 Ultra camera test. The S26 FE trades that reach for a camera system that is good enough for daylight and casual low light shooting, at a lower price.
Is the Galaxy S26 camera better than the S24?
We have not tested the standard Galaxy S24 against the S26 FE side by side, so we will not guess at a verdict here. What we can say from our own test: the S26 FE carries over the same 50MP main sensor and 8MP telephoto as last year's S25 FE, and the improvement Samsung made is in image processing and video, not new hardware.
Updated 30 September 2026: refreshed pricing after checking live Shopee listings, added a camera specs table, a buy panel for the Galaxy S26 FE 5G, and answers to the questions people are actually searching for this phone.
