Samsung Galaxy S23 FE was released in 2023, October 05. FE stands for cheapest Galaxy phone of the year. In 2024 if you want a cheap Galaxy phone, the S23FE is still the best option for you. It has almost every hardware you want in a flagship. Right now you can get it for 360$ for the base variant. Max variant with 256GB storage would be 400$. There is no 12GB variant. Both 128GB and 256GB storage come with 8GB of RAM. Now let’s dive deeper for more Insights into Samsung Galaxy S23 FE.
Design & Build Quality
The S23 FE is a premium alternative to other Galaxy phones. To make it more affordable they have to cut some corners here. Like they did in the previous FE series with a plastic back. But this time there is no sacrifice. The back of this phone is made of glass. The frame is also made of Aluminium. The aluminum frame has a nice matte texture. You are also getting IP68 water and dust protection. The front glass and back glass are protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The bezel of the display is slightly thick. S23 FE feels heavier than its predecessor with a weight of 203g.
Display
The display of the S23 FE is a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED, with 120Hz. Samsung displays are always the best. With high contrast and decent sharpness, the S23 FE’s display is on another level. It has a fast and reliable under-display fingerprint. This is an HDR10+-supported display with a peak brightness of 1450 nits. So there are plenty of details and brightness. Which leads to good outdoor visibility and media consumption quality is great. But this time the front glass is Gorilla Glass 5, not Gorilla Glass Victus like the previous model. Also, this display is not LTPO. So It can’t go to ultra 1Hz or 10Hz to save battery. But it can go down to 60Hz with a little help from software. So this is not a complete display. But overall it is a good display, especially considering the price.
Camera
S23 FE has almost the same camera as S23. It has a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, and an 8MP 3x telephoto lens. S23 has a 10MP telephoto lens instead. So we can expect a flagship-grade camera. By default, the main camera takes 12MP shots. Phots have plenty of details, high contrast, and wide dynamic range like other Samsung cameras. Night mode shots are good too. In low light conditions, we are always getting some bright photos. Samsung always produces much brighter and more contrasty photos. You can also shoot 8K videos up to 24 fps. You can also shoot 4k videos using any of these three lenses. There is also EIS and OIS support. Overall they produce natural-looking videos. The 8MP telephoto lens is also taking 12MP shots by default. Portrait mode is good too. With the 12MP ultra-wide lens you can get some detailed shots with minimum distortion in the edge. For Selfies, the S23 FE has a 10MP camera, which can shoot up to 4K 60fps videos. Shots from the selfie camera are decent, like typical Samsung.
Performance & OS
The FE series phones are known for using last year’s flagship chipset. The S23 FE comes with an Exynos 2200 or a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. The Snapdragon variant is only available in the USA, while the Exynos variant is for the International Market. The 8 Gen 1 is a very powerful processor, not as potent as today’s 8 Gen 3, but still ahead of any other mid-range chipset. So, it is quite ahead and feels very smooth and fast. It can handle all of your heavy tasks, but it can’t manage thermal issues flawlessly. So, sometimes, you may end up experiencing some drops in performance. Samsung promises up to 4 years of OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches for the S23 FE. Samsung One UI is clean and smooth with all of the customization features. You are getting the same software experience as on higher-end Galaxy models. Dex support is also here so you can connect your phone to a monitor and use it like a PC. So you are getting clean software with excellent performance.
Battery & Charging
The S23 FE has a 4500 mAh battery. With Samsung optimization, you can get amazing battery performance. It is a full-day phone and even more depending on your usage. Gaming can kill your battery faster. So it is not as good as S23. It supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. With Samsung battery features you can handle it in your way. With protect battery feature you can limit your charge to a maximum of 85%, which will extend the lifespan of your battery.
Conclusion
The speaker of the S23 FE is pretty loud and clear. Haptics are good too. All the connectivity like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G are up to date. The phone is slightly heavy with thicker bezel. Performance, Cameras, and Display are excellent. It is almost a complete package. Everything is not top-notch here. But almost like a flagship with a more affordable price. With some extra dollars, you can get S23, S24, and many other good options. If you don’t want a Samsung you can go for a Pixel, Nothing Phone, etc. But if you have a tight budget and you want a flagship go for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE.
