The first images of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition have leaked, revealing how Samsung has redesigned its cheapest flagship phone.

Thanks to a recent tweet from Jimmy Is Promo, we've got some spec info as well as some actual photos of the new phone. And between this and his reply to a follow-up question, there is a lot to go through.

The Galaxy S20 was released in February, and the FE (short for Fan Edition) will be coming soon, with both hardware improvements and cost-saving downgrades. This new model feels like a successor to the Galaxy S10 Lite, which was released in January as a cheaper version of the Galaxy S10, albeit with a different naming convention.

In terms of design, the Galaxy S20 FE closely resembles the three original Galaxy S20 models. What differs is the material, with the S20 FE having a plastic back like the basic Galaxy Note 20. This will make it cheaper to manufacture, but will likely feel much less comfortable to hold than a standard flagship with a glass back.

The S20 FE's flat display is quite different from any of the original S20 lineup. At 6.5 inches in size, it sits between the 6.2 inches of the S20 and the 6.7 inches of the S20 Plus. Another change is that the resolution has been downgraded from QHD to FHD. This is likely due to cost savings, but it will also help improve battery life, which was one of the S20's weak points. Nevertheless, the S20 FE still offers a 120 Hz refresh rate, which is an excellent premium feature that should be retained.

The original tweet only mentioned a "nice" price, but in reply, Jimmy is Promo specified a figure of $699 to $749, depending on your preferred storage capacity. at this price, which is roughly $300 less than the S20's price, Samsung is offering Apple's basic iPhone 11, and the space occupied by the cheapest iPhone 12, which goes on sale next month.

Also within the comments to the original tweet, you will find a reference to the phone's chipset - the Snapdragon 865; the S20 used an Exynos 990 chip designed by Samsung itself. Qualcomm has since released the Snapdragon 865 Plus, which offers higher performance, but the S20 FE should have more than enough power for most users, plus the 5G compatibility that will become increasingly important.

Like Samsung's other flagships, the S20 FE has an IP68 rating. This does not make the phone waterproof or dustproof, but it will certainly withstand accidental trips to the sink or sandbox.

For photography, the rear camera has a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, another carryover from the original Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus. This telephoto lens is combined with a 10x digital zoom for a maximum magnification of 30x. According to older leaks, the telephoto camera will use an 8MP sensor instead of the 64MP sensor of the regular S20 and S20 Plus, while the other cameras on the back of the phones are two 12MP sensors for main and ultra-wide photos.

On the front is a 32MP selfie camera, a big improvement over the S20's 10MP sensor; the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 40MP sensor, which is still a respectable selfie camera for an entry-level flagship, though not unbeatable. Jimmy himself says the S20 FE's photographic prowess is excellent, and he says it's on par with Samsung's first-generation S20 and Galaxy Note 20.

Finally, the tweet indicates that the phone is running on One UI 2.5, the latest version of Samsung's Android 10-based operating system; the Galaxy S20 FE comes pre-installed with the recently debuted Android 11. It is unfortunate that the Galaxy S20 FE will not launch with the recently debuted Android 11 preinstalled, but this will probably come in the form of One UI 3.0 via a software update in a few months.

The tweet does not mention battery capacity or charging information. Fortunately, previous leaked information indicates that the capacity of the FE is 4,500 mAh, comparable to the S20 Plus, and the charger is a 25W model, the same as Samsung's flagship device. Other leaked information puts the capacity at 4,000 mAh.

Samsung is holding a de facto launch event on September 23, when the phone is expected to make its official appearance. This is before the iPhone 12 and OnePlus 8T, which could be major rivals, arrive in October, and Samsung will be in the smartphone limelight for several weeks.