4 Cheaper Android Phones To Consider Instead Of The Galaxy S26 FE

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Samsung's Galaxy FE series has generally been considered a good option for folks looking to get some of the Galaxy S lineup's flagship goodness without shelling out the big bucks. However, as the RAM shortage has pushed gadget prices up, the company's newest model in the lineup, the Galaxy S26 FE, hasn't remained unaffected. It costs $50 more than its predecessor, despite only seeing incremental upgrades. As a result, although it's still a good phone, it's not as compelling an option in terms of value for money as its predecessors.

Fortunately, the phone market in the U.S. is pretty competitive. Android phone brands like Google, Motorola, and Nothing have several interesting offerings in the under $600 price segment that you can consider as alternatives to the Galaxy S26 FE. These phones not only help you save money but also have features that pip the Samsung phone, at least in some aspects. We picked these phones after considering BGR's testing as well as the opinions of other experts.

Google's Pixel 10a is widely considered to be the best mid-range Android phone, thanks to its long software support, flagship-grade processor, and excellent cameras. It starts at $499, which saves you a flat $200 over the Galaxy S26 FE. One of the highlights of the phone is its completely flat design with no camera bump. As we mentioned in our Pixel 10a review, the phone also feels solid and well built, despite using composite plastic material for the body.

Among other features, there is a 6.3-inch OLED display that's capable of hitting 3,000 nits peak brightness, significantly more than the 1,900 nits panel that Samsung offers on the S26 FE. This will help you retain visibility in bright ambient conditions. You also get a 120Hz refresh rate for a smoother experience; however, unlike the more expensive models, the lowest refresh rate it can achieve is just 60 Hz.

Google has kept the Tensor G4 chip, the same one used on the Pixel 9a, with 8 GB of RAM. Despite the lack of an upgrade on the processor front, the Pixel 10a delivers a responsive experience in everyday use; however, it's not the most powerful if you're into demanding games, particularly at the highest graphics settings. The 5,100 mAh battery is enough to last a full day. Finally, the onboard dual rear cameras are pretty much the best you can get at this price point; however, you miss out on a telephoto shooter, something that's present in the S26 FE.

Smartphone brand Nothing, which is known for its transparent aesthetic, has a pretty interesting offering in the Phone 4a Pro that you can consider as a Galaxy S26 FE alternative. It costs $499, the same as the Pixel 10a, but you get a standout design and several other quirks, which help differentiate it from the pack. It has a premium-looking aluminum build and a transparent camera plateau featuring Nothing's Glyph matrix. It also comes with a 6.83-inch OLED panel, capable of hitting 5,000 nits of peak brightness and a 144Hz refresh rate; both of these features are relatively rare at this price point.

In terms of the processor, the Nothing phone relies on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, paired with 8 GB of RAM. Although this is a mid-range processor, the phone manages to run smoothly during everyday tasks. You can game; however, you'll have to stick to medium graphics settings in intensive titles. There are also three rear cameras onboard, including a telephoto shooter. These largely deliver solid results; however, there are some weaknesses, including the not-so-impressive ultrawide shooter. 

The Nothing phone houses a 5,080 mAh battery that is good enough to last the full day even with heavy use; however, there is no support for wireless charging — a feature you get on both the Pixel 10a and the Galaxy S26 FE. Finally, it runs Android 16 out of the box and is promised to receive three years of OS updates and six years of security patches. While three years of OS updates is certainly not class-leading or particularly amazing, the longer security update support will help keep the phone safe.

If you prefer Samsung phones, the company's Galaxy A57 can be a good alternative to the Galaxy S26 FE. It's more affordable at a starting price of $550, has pretty much the same design as the FE model, and also packs a 6.7-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,900 nits of peak brightness. It runs on Android 16 out of the box and is promised to receive six years of OS and security updates. Although it doesn't match the Pixel 10a or the Galaxy S26 FE, it's still pretty good.

It does have a less powerful Exynos 1680 SoC; however, this processor is by no means a slacker. It's perfectly fine for everyday use; however, if you are into graphics-intensive gaming or are planning to edit high-res videos on your phone, you'll notice the phone slowing down. However, the onboard 5,000 mAh battery is not an issue; it can handle a full day of use without issues, and you also get support for 45 W wired charging. There is no wireless charging, though.

Among other features, the phone has a triple rear camera setup, which lacks a telephoto shooter, but the wide and ultrawide cameras do a good job of capturing detail and keeping everything sharp in daylight. The primary wide camera also shines in low-light situations, where the ultrawide shooter struggles a bit. All in all, it's a pretty good all-rounder.

Motorola offers several budget and mid-range devices in its portfolio; however, if you want a proper alternative to the Galaxy S26 FE, the Moto Edge (2026) is your best bet. It starts at $600, which is $100 more than our other two recommendations but still saves you $100 over the Samsung phone. The Edge is a more compact and lightweight phone than the S26 FE and packs a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 5,200 nits of peak brightness. Its overall design is also pretty sleek. Another area where the Motorola phone shines is the battery life. It has a 5,000 mAh battery, which, although not as massive as the OnePlus 15 or 15R, is good enough to handle a full day of usage. But more importantly, it supports 60 W wired charging, the fastest among our recommendations and more than what you get on the S26 FE. You also get 15 W wireless charging support.

The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7450 paired with 8 GB of RAM. This is a mid-range processor, which can handle multitasking and everyday tasks with ease; however, you might have to settle for casual games or low graphics settings in intensive games. In other highlights, there is a triple rear camera setup, featuring a 50 MP primary shooter, a 50 MP ultrawide camera, and a 10 MP telephoto camera, which captures solid photos in daylight but struggles a bit in less-than-ideal ambient lighting.

However, there is one major compromise that you'll have to make if you choose the Edge (2026). It has a significantly smaller software support window of two years for OS updates and three years for security patches. As it comes with Android 16 out of the box, you will only get the Android 17 and Android 18 updates.

The Galaxy S26 FE is a pretty decent smartphone, with features like a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 50 MP wide-angle shooter, a 4,900 mAh battery, the Samsung Exynos 2500 SoC, and Android 17 with One UI. However, it now starts at $700 in the U.S., bringing it pretty close to the price of flagship phones from a few years back. As a result, while picking up alternatives to this Samsung phone, we focused on models that cost at least $100 less than the S26 FE at the list price of their base model.

We limited our choices to models that you can officially buy in the U.S. and that have comparable specifications in most aspects. We refined and finalized our selection after considering our own testing when available, as well as the opinions of experts from reputable publications. All our recommendations generally deliver a good experience and have at least one or two features that stand out from the competition, including the Galaxy S26 FE.