Samsung took advantage of the popular Galaxy S10 branding in January by releasing the cheaper Galaxy S10 Lite. The South Korean company plans to replicate the strategy later this year with the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, which seems to have been spotted on a benchmark.
The Snapdragon 865 and 5G connectivity
The benchmark listing in question was first spotted by the people over at Nashville Chatter and it reveals several important specifications including the chipset Samsung has chosen for the upcoming device.Earlier reports had claimed Samsung was thinking about reusing the 2019 Snapdragon 855 that was previously used to power the Galaxy S10. But it appears the Seoul-based company has since settled on the newer Snapdragon 865 that’s used by the flagship Galaxy S20 in some markets.
The implication is that the upper-midrange smartphone should now be faster than first expected. Additionally, 5G network connectivity is to be expected as standard, which also makes a launch in the US much more likely.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
The smartphone is also powered by Android 10 which, at launch, should be coupled with the upcoming One UI 2.5 update that is likely to debut alongside the Galaxy Note 20. An update to Android 11 and One UI 3.0 is to be expected in early 2021, though.
There might not be an Exynos 990 variant – Yay!
The premium Galaxy S20 series features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in North America and China. In other international markets, on the other hand, it adopts the arguably inferior Exynos 990 chipset.
There do seem to be two variants of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition under development at the moment – SM-G780 (Global) and SM-G781 (US) – but there is no evidence yet of plans to use different chipsets in the regions.
If that turns out to be the case, it means Samsung is once again planning to replicate the strategy introduced with the Galaxy S10 Lite, which saw it ship all models with the Snapdragon 855 rather than its in-house Exynos line.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition announcement, release date, price
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, which could be released under a different name, is expected to arrive in August, possibly at Unpacked on August 5, ahead of a release during the fourth quarter. An exact release date is yet to be confirmed, but reports have suggested the announcement could happen in October.
Samsung may, therefore, be planning to position the smartphone as a direct competitor to the standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max. These devices are expected to launch in October for $649 and $749 respectively with the high-end Apple A14 chipset and 5G connectivity on board.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
As for the color options, SamMobile recently revealed that the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will be released in Prism Blue, Prism White, and Prism Violet / Prism Light Violet.
