No macro camera may be the best thing about the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is almost here, with Samsung set to make an official announcement on September 23. Much has been leaked about the device already, and we know pretty much all there is to know about it, including the specs, color choices, and pricing.

The Galaxy S20 FE is expected to be a lot more similar to the flagship series it’s based on, unlike the Galaxy S10 Lite. And while the similarities between the Galaxy S20 FE and the flagship Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra will include the much-criticized Exynos 990 processor, they will also offer a major benefit compared to the Galaxy S10 Lite: A standard zoom camera instead of a macro camera.

The Galaxy S10 Lite was/is an excellent phone, with plenty of high-end features that, in some cases, beat those of the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+ (such as the support for 25W super fast charging and the larger battery). Where the S10 Lite was a clear downgrade, however, was the camera setup. The innovative gimbal-like optical image stabilization aside, the 48MP main camera on the S10 Lite isn’t as good as the 12MP camera on its flagship cousins, but even more disappointing was Samsung’s decision to swap out the Galaxy S10 lineup’s 2x zoom camera with a macro camera.

Macro cameras are great if all you ever do is take close-up shots of your food, but telephoto lenses are simply more useful and versatile in day-to-day life. Of course, some would argue that even a single rear camera is more than enough, an argument that does have some merit, but when you have multiple cameras on the back of a phone, most would prefer having a zoom camera over a macro lens. I certainly would, and I’m sure many of you who are reading this would agree.

Galaxy S20 FE to have up to 30x ‘Space Zoom’

Perhaps the best thing about the Galaxy S20 FE is that it’s going to feature 3x lossless zoom and 30x Space Zoom (read: digital zoom) capability like the Galaxy S20 and S20+, not the outdated 2x zoom that you find on the $1999 Galaxy Z Fold 2. The quality probably won’t be as good, since Samsung has reportedly used an 8-megapixel sensor of a 64MP sensor, but that’s something we will only be able to confirm once we have had the chance to test the phone.

For now, I’m just glad the macro camera has been given the boot, and I hope Samsung can start putting zoom cameras on mid-range and budget phones as well, instead of forcing macro cameras down the consumers’ throats as a marketing gimmick.

• Model: SM-G780F
• Dimensions: Bar: 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm
• Display: 6.5 inch / 165.1 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP