Samsung has made two more of these in just one year: is the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE really that much better than last year’s S21 FE? Yes and no. There are several key upgrades especially related to the chipset and camera, but it’s still not at the level of the true S23 models (or even something like the S22+).
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the chipset. Samsung is generally silent on the topic and only says “4nm advanced processing.” We know it’s an either/or situation: you’ll either get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the Exynos 2200 and it will depend on where you live. Not impressive compared to 2023 phones and their “for Galaxy” chips, but still a solid upgrade over the Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100 in the S21 FE.
This year the base configuration includes 8GB of RAM, eliminating the outdated 6GB option. You can’t have more than 8GB, but the same goes for the S23 and S23+. Storage is 128GB or 256GB with no expansion slot.
That said, the next important thing to discuss is the updated main camera: it now sports a 50MP sensor, up from 12MP. That doesn’t mean the S23 FE is on par with the S23 or even S22 phones, as it still has lower resolution ultrawide cameras (10MP, 123°) and telephoto lenses (8MP, 3x). Additionally, the selfie camera inexplicably drops to 10MP resolution after two generations of 32MP sensors in the FE models.
The display is as expected: a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X flat panel with FHD+ resolution and 60-120 Hz refresh rate.
The phone measures 158 x 76.5 x 8.2mm and weighs 209g. This makes it larger than the S21 FE (155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm) and a little heavier at 177 g. The body and interior of the phone are made from recycled materials: pre-consumer aluminum and glass, as well as post-consumer plastic (sourced from discarded fishing nets, water barrels and PET bottles).
In terms of longevity, the Galaxy S23 FE trails other high-end Samsung devices with 4 OS updates and 5 years of security patches (note: the phone ships with Android 13/One UI 5.1 out of the box). The phone is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance, and you can subscribe to Samsung Care+ for cheaper accidental damage repairs.
Despite being bigger than its predecessor, this new model does not increase the battery capacity, which remains at 4,500 mAh, similarly cable charging remains at 25 W (0-50% is performed in 30 minutes). Wireless charging is also supported.
Prices and availability will be confirmed shortly.
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