The FE series is back with another release. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is is here to offer an affordable flagship version of the all mighty Galaxy S23. The Galaxy FE series brings previous years’ specifications repackaged in a fresh new design two years after the Galaxy S21 FE.
Design and hardware
Design wise, the S23 FE retains the same language as the flagship Galaxy S23. The device has a flat glass back, a Gorilla Glass front with a matte brushed aluminum frame. The cameras get their own cutouts on the top left side of the back. You also get an IP68 water resistance rating.
Samsung decided to launch the smartphone with 4 different colors this time around.You get your standard cream white, graphite gray (which I am reviewing), mint green and purple. One thing we’ve noticed is that the F23 FE is a bit heavy for a smartphone of this category, it weighs 209 grams. Nevertheless, the device is comfortable to hold and use for long stretches of times.
Overall we think that the Galaxy S23 FE’s design is a successful blend of minimalism, elegance, and functionality.
Display
The Galaxy S23 FE features a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a 2340 x 1080 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. In its adaptive mode, and when activity is high, the screen runs at 120Hz, otherwise, it holds at 60Hz as a standard. The Galaxy S23 FE’s display’s brightness is limited to 1,450 nits. We’ve test it under direct sunlight, and the results were ok over a short period of time. The display also supports HDR10+ and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
Colors wise, the S23 FE produces some nice colors, not tot the S23 level for sure, but considering the category it competes with, it does a really good job. Overall the colors were very striking, with good balance. One of the best things about the Galaxy S23 FE display is that it is very easy to see from different viewing angles. There is no noticeable color shift, even when you’re looking at the screen from an angle. There’s also an in-display fingerprint scanner preforms well.
Performance and software
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is powered by the Samsung Exynos 2200 chip, which is a 4nm octa-core processor with a single Cortex-X2 core clocked at up to 2.8GHz, three Cortex-A710 cores working at up to 2.5GHz balancing performance and efficiency, and four Cortex-A510 at up to 1.8GHz little cores for power efficiency.
Although the Exynos 2200 has been criticized in previous Samsung devices, it seems to handle the Galaxy S23 FE quite well. The phone is responsive and snappy in day-to-day tasks, and it can handle demanding games and multitasking without any issues.
Benchmarks show that the Exynos 2200 is not quite as powerful as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but it still holds its own in most tasks. For example, in Geekbench 5, the Exynos 2200 scores around 1,100 for single-core performance and 3,300 for multi-core performance. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 scores around 1,200 for single-core performance and 3,700 for multi-core performance. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with Exynos chip is a capable performer that can handle most tasks with ease.
Software wise, the Galaxy S23 FE runs Android 13 with One UI 5.1, which the company promises to provide “up to” four years of OS upgrades and five years of security patches. The overall software features is what you’d normally find on other Samsung devices running ui 5.1.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE sports a triple-lens rear camera system, comprising a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide sensor. The front-facing camera has a resolution of 32 megapixels.
The primary sensor takes sharp and detailed photos in good lighting. In low light, the photos are still good, but there is a bit of noise in certain scenarios. The 8-megapixel telephoto lens allows you to zoom in on subjects without losing too much detail. The 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor is great for taking wide-angle shots, but the photos do tend to be a bit soft at the edges.
The rear camera system also supports a number of features, such as Night Mode, Single Take, and Scene Optimizer. Night Mode takes brighter and clearer photos in low light. Single Take takes multiple photos and videos simultaneously, so you’re sure to capture the perfect moment. Scene Optimizer automatically optimizes the camera settings for the scene you’re shooting.
Photo samples
Cameras specs
Rear Camera – Resolution (Multiple)
50.0 MP + 12.0 MP + 8.0 MP
Rear Camera – F Number (Multiple)
F1.8 , F2.2 , F2.4
Main Camera – Auto Focus
Yes
Rear Camera – OIS
Yes
Rear Camera – Zoom
Optical Zoom at 3x , Digital Zoom up to 30x
Front Camera – Resolution
10.0 MP
Front Camera – F Number
F2.4
Front Camera – Auto Focus
No
Main Camera – Flash
Yes
Video Recording Resolution
UHD 8K (7680 x 4320)@24fps
Slow Motion
960fps @HD, 240fps @FHD
Night shots
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery which lasted a little over 9 hours when streaming an HD videos from YouTube with the screen at full brightness. We had no issues at all getting the phone to last all day a well with the regular use which combined watching videos, browsing, social media use, and music streaming along with taking occasional photos and videos.
The Galaxy S23 FE also supports fast charging, so you can quickly top up the battery when you’re in a hurry. With a 25W fast charger, you can go from 0% to 50% in about 30 minutes. And with a compatible 45W charger, you can fully charge the battery in about 1 hour and 35 minutes. In addition to fast charging, the Galaxy S23 FE also supports wireless charging.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a good all-round smartphone that offers a great user experience at a competitive price. It has a bright and colorful display, a powerful processor, a versatile camera system, and a long-lasting battery. It also comes with a long-term software support commitment from Samsung.
If you’re looking for a good all-round smartphone that won’t break the bank, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a great option for sure.
