Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs Vivo V70

EDITORIAL: When S20 FE arrived in 2020, it created a lot of interest as a cheaper (fan edition) version of it's Galaxy S20+ flagship phone. It made compromises to achieve lower price and they were reasonable: 1mm wider, plastic back, good but lower quality screen, downfraded 8MP tele (instead of a 64MP) lens, sans-AF selfie and no DeX. That phone sold well and Samsung had a S FE phone every year (skipped only 2022) since. Over time, the compromises became bigger and now we got an FE that omits latest processor, comes with lower endurance and a slow USB-C 2.0 port. It still brings other sacrifices typical for a Samsung FE phone: cheaper Victus glass, lower quality screen, 8MP telefoto and a sans-AF selfie but wireless DeX is now included (as it is on all Samsung's flagship phones). It is hard to understand why is Samsung degrading a phone model that build good reputation and following over the years but it is what it is.

EDITORIAL: Like clockwork, Vivo took 6 months to bring a V60 update but this time the improvements are massive. V70 is almost 3mm narrower (!) and comes with a metal frame, same big battery, higher res screen and much faster memory. Processor and cameras are the same. Vivo is again positioning the V series at the top of the midrange world with a true and tried formula (great battery life + bright screen + reliable imaging).