Samsung Galaxy S23 FE – Review

At the end of 2023, Samsung had introduced the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, which was an affordable alternative to the Galaxy S23. The decision was a rather curious one because the launch of the Galaxy S24 was mere months away. The Galaxy S23 FE (Fan Edition) offers specs that are close to what you find in a flagship device and are offered at a lesser price.

Design and build

As the name makes it clear, Samsung has opted to stick to the design of the Galaxy S23 for the most part when it comes to the Galaxy S23 FE. It is bulkier, bigger and a bit less refined, but it looks quite similar otherwise. It weighs around 209g and measures 158 x 76.5 x 8.2mm, which makes it heavier and bigger than the Galaxy S23 Plus. But, Samsung has opted not to switch to plastic with this phone. You get glass, even if it is Gorilla Glass 5 and it has an aluminum frame.

The frame is slightly curved, but it has a pronounced edge. This edge aligns perfectly with the back glass panel and display. The biggest concession that has been made in terms of design can be seen in the form of the chunky bezels and the large chin.

Screen and speakers

The display of the Galaxy S23 FE takes the middle ground, as it measures about 6.4-inch. The size is quite nice, as it is ample, but not too overwhelming. The AMOLED technology means that the display is vibrant, even if it is not completely color accurate. The 1080 x 2340 resolution as well as the 120Hz refresh rate means the phone can compete with the S23 range. It also offers support for HDR10+ content.

The hole-punch selfie camera can be a bit distracting and makes the phone look cheap. Otherwise, the display is value for money. As for the audio output, Samsung has opted to provide a solid set of stereo speakers. The one of which is in the earpiece and the other on the bottom. They are quite loud in terms of sound.

Specs and performance

Instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Samsung has switched to its own custom silicon. The Exynos 2200, which was also used in the S22+ and S22 Ultra. The chip is an inferior one, but the real-world performance of the Galaxy S23 does not give you any reason to complain. You can unlock the phone using the in-display fingerprint sensor easily, jump between apps, load up web pages. Double tap the power button to jump into the camera app in the same way you would on a ‘flagship’ phone.

You will notice a drop in performance when you turn up the graphics, but otherwise the phone works perfectly fine. It has 8GB of RAM and storage capacity options are 128GB and 256GB. No microSD card support means it cannot be expanded.

Cameras

The cameras of the Galaxy S23 FE have been scaled back a bit. The main 50Mp camera and the 12Mp ultra-wide cameras are the same as the Galaxy S23. But, the FE has an 8Mp 3x telephoto camera. Nonetheless, Samsung is still offering a triple camera system, which is usually offered in a flagship device. The 50Mp shooter is clearly the best and it delivers nicely-detailed and well-exposed shots, even if it does not have the newest sensor. The other two cameras are also fairly decent and Samsung’s AI works wonders. The 10Mp front camera is also a good one and the image processing feature also helps with the selfies.