C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- We’ve uncovered the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE’s FCC filing, revealing 45W charging, reverse wireless charging, and more.
- The filing also mentions both Qualcomm and Samsung Exynos wireless technologies.
- A closer look suggests that the phone will have a Samsung modem and chipset, as well as a Qualcomm local networking chip.
Samsung has just launched its new foldable phones, but we’re already looking forward to the Galaxy S26 FE‘s imminent arrival. The phone is expected to launch in the coming weeks, and a regulatory filing has revealed a few details.
The Galaxy S26 FE passed through the FCC’s database, and the filing reveals a few notable features. For one, the listing hints at both Qualcomm and Samsung Exynos silicon in the same model. Wait, what?
This filing notes that the Galaxy S26 FE is equipped with both S.LSI (Samsung LSI) and Qualcomm FastConnect technologies for RF transmission. So what does this actually mean, then? Does this mean the phone will have Exynos or Snapdragon chips, depending on the region?
Further reading shows that the phone uses S.LSI technologies for cellular or WWAN functionality, but switches to Qualcomm FastConnect technologies for WLAN functionality (i.e., Wi-Fi). Furthermore, FastConnect refers to Qualcomm’s local wireless networking suite rather than its modems or SoCs. Devices with Qualcomm modems are usually listed as using “Smart Transmit” functionality rather than FastConnect tech, but we don’t see any “Smart Transmit” references in this filing.
This discovery strongly suggests that the Galaxy S26 FE has an Exynos modem and chipset, but a Qualcomm local networking chip. This differs from the Galaxy S25 FE, which only references Samsung transmission technologies in its FCC filing. We’re not sure why Samsung would take this new approach, but it’s possible that the FastConnect chip was cheaper, smaller, more reliable, or more efficient than its own local networking solution. Either way, it sounds like US buyers might not be getting a Snapdragon variant.
The FCC filing also reveals that the Galaxy S26 FE has 45W wired charging (see image above). This lines up with a previous regulatory filing and means the FE model once again boasts faster charging speeds than the base flagship.
Other specs gleaned from the listing include reverse wireless charging functionality, NFC, Wi-Fi 6 support, and supplemental satellite support akin to T-Mobile‘s direct-to-cell functionality.
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