Fix: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Not Turning On

It is heart-breaking if the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G you bought with your hard-earned money doesn’t turn on. After going through the various forums including Samsung Community, I found out that there are many complaints about Samsung S20 FE 5G not turning on issues wherein your phone simply shows a black screen or is stuck on the Samsung logo or elsewhere. This isn’t a particularly serious problem unless it is because of a hardware issue since software issues can be dealt with easily but not hardware ones. Here’s a troubleshooting guide on how to fix Samsung S20 FE 5G not turning on.

Samsung finally chooses to compete against OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Realme by launching its new device called Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition). This device delivers all the phone performance most people need at a price more people can afford.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Device Overview:

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G sports a 6.7-inches Super AMOLED display with 1080×2400 pixels resolution, a 20:9 aspect ratio, Always-on display, HDR support. Additionally, the display design looks like the Galaxy Note 10 with a pin-hole selfie camera on the upper middle portion of the display. It runs on Android 10 on top of One UI 2.0 skin. The device packs a 4,500mAh battery with fast charging support. It has a 32MP selfie camera (wide, f/2.2) with HDR mode.

The device is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, paired with Adreno 640 GPU, 6GB/8GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage option (expandable up to 1TB via a MicroSD card). Most importantly, the handset sports a triple rear camera setup that includes a 48MP (wide, f/2.0) + a 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2) + a 5MP (dedicated macro camera, f/2.4) lens. It also supports PDAF, Super Steady OIS, HDR, Panorama, an LED flash, Gyro-EIS, etc.

While, there are all the major connectivity options like Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, USB Type-C port, etc. The handset also features an optical in-display fingerprint sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity, compass sensor, etc. It’s available in three color options Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Blue.

Restart the phone

I am quite sure the majority of you must’ve done it but I am putting it anyway for other readers. Since you are getting a black screen or the display is stuck on the Samsung logo and isn’t budging, try pressing the power button for a few seconds. See if that makes any difference.

Do a forced reboot

If simply pressing the power button doesn’t budge the system from its black screen state, it’s time for a forced reboot. You need a combination of buttons to trigger it. In the case of the Samsung S20 FE 5G, it is a volume down plus power button for the Samsung S20 FE 5G. You need to press both the buttons simultaneously until the phone vibrates. Check if the phone turns on or not.

Reboot using recovery mode

You can use the recovery mode on your device to turn on the device if it doesn’t work using the reboot or forced reboot method. Here’s how it works.

• Enter the recovery mode using power plus volume up buttons pressed simultaneously for 15-20 seconds. Release only when the recovery mode menu appears.
• Next, press the power button once. This will automatically select “Reboot system now”.

Check for a jammed or broken power button

There’s a chance that the Samsung S20 FE 5G is doing fine, however, the power button is either jammed or broken in the power off position. Pressing a broken power button may not trigger a reboot and you will have to use ADB tools to fire the system and boot it up. Reach out to a technician to get the power button replaced.

Charge the battery & reboot

This works if the battery has drained after frequently rebooting the device. Plugin the charger and let the device charge for 20-30 minutes. Now, press the power button and see if it turns on or not.

Remove the battery and insert it

There are still some smartphone models that use a removable battery (not Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G). in case you are following this troubleshooting guide for any phone with a removable battery, you can remove it. Wait for a few seconds and insert the battery. Check if the Samsung S20 FE 5G turns on now or not.

Do a factory reset

I am talking about torching off all the data stored on your Samsung S20 FE 5G including apps, settings, and others. This will get rid of all the data stored and give you a phone just as you purchased it ready for setup. Take a backup of the data beforehand. This could work if there was a software-related issue causing Samsung S20 FE 5G not to turn on. If it was because of a hardware issue, check out the next option mentioned below. Here’s how you can factory restore your Samsung S20 FE 5G using Recovery Mode(difficulty level: moderate).

• Press Power plus Volume Up buttons together for a few seconds and release the buttons only when the Samsung S20 FE 5G vibrates and you see a Mi logo.
• Use the power button for selection and the volume rocker for going up and down through the options.
• Select “Wipe data/ factory reset”.
• Select “Yes — delete all data” and the process will commence
• You’ll have to set up the device after a reboot.
• Monitor the performance and check if the display ever goes black or it stops the Samsung S20 FE 5G stops turning on.

Flash the firmware

This is where you will re-flash the firmware onto your device. If at all the Samsung S20 FE 5G not turning on was a software issue, this method should work. You’d need an ADB tool that you can download from Google’s developer’s website as well as the firmware from Google or your OEM for the model you are using. Download the required tools and use ADB on your computer to re-flash the firmware. If you can’t or don’t know how to do it, take your Samsung S20 FE 5G to someone who knows how to do it. You could end up in a reboot logo or other issues if the flash isn’t done properly.

The final resort

Considering that no amount of work (in case if you followed several methods mentioned above before failing) was able to retrieve the device and it is still unable to turn on, it is likely that the device has a hardware issue. Several components could go wrong and you need a technician to fix the issue either by repairing or replacing the affected component to restore the phone to a perfect working state.

You have options such as either going for a local service center (which is cheaper and speedier) or going for an authorized service center (which can be expensive but slower) where the former voids the warranty. You can walk into any service center as per your preference and get the Samsung S20 FE 5G working if at all it is possible.

Buy a new phone

Of course, there’s an option even after you go through the final resort mentioned above. If the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G not turning on is a serious issue due to faulty hardware, you will need a new Samsung S20 FE 5G. If you have recently bought the phone, you can still get a replacement if contacted within 10 days after the purchase. Note that some devices have a replacement period of 7 days so you will have to hurry.

If your phone is 7 or 10-days old and out of the replacement period, check if your phone’s warranty covers the issue or not. You can get a replacement unit if the warranty covers such defects. Another option is to buy a new phone in case there’s nothing you can’t do with the existing phone facing a dire phone not turning on an issue which is often because of fried or defective hardware issues.