After a brief hiatus, Samsung's vaunted Fan Edition series has a new entrant - the Galaxy S23 FE - and just in time to fill the missing screen size link in its 2023 S-line of phones. This time a Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9 FE+, as well as the brand new Galaxy Buds FE entrant join the Galaxy S23 FE release.
Its predecessors were a smashing success and some of the best value for money phones from a brand-name manufacturer around, so has Samsung managed to pull the same feat again? Let's review the Galaxy S23 FE price, specs, and design to find out...
Galaxy S23 FE design and specs
Looks and brains
Size and display
The Galaxy S23 FE takes design cues by, unsurprisingly, the S23 family. That's the first time it is styled after the Ultra line in its entirety, though, so the S23 FE fits amazingly well in the series.
Its 6.4-inch 1080p display with 120Hz refresh rate is bridging the gap between the 6.1-inch S23 and the 6.7-inch S23+ rather successfully. The 76.5 X 158 X 8.2mm dimensions, and the 209g of weight, on the other hand, make it a bit larger and heavier than its predecessor.
The S21 FE was 6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 inches (155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm) and 6.00 oz (170.0 g) but then again, it was a plastic puppy, albeit not one with removable battery.
Samsung teases great Galaxy S23 FE battery life
Galaxy S23 FE colors
Tangerine dream
Mint
Cream
Graphite
Purple
Indigo
Tangerine
The Galaxy S23 FE comes in cool Mint, Cream or Graphite colors. As usual, the fans of Samsung's Fan Edition line of phones can find cool new colors to pick from exclusively at Samsung's own store, and for the Galaxy S23 Fe those are Purple, Indigo, or lovely Tangerine which in person would be a sight to behold.
Camera
The Fan Edition line has always followed the great camera cues of its namesakes from the spring flagship crop and, thankfully, Samsung didn't skimp on the Galaxy S23 FE camera specs, too.
The handset comes with a modern 50MP main camera sensor with Adaptive Pixels for sharp focus, a 12MP ultrawide cam with 123-degree view, as well as 3x telephoto lens above the 8MP zoom camera sensor. A perfect balance, rounded by Samsung's impressive 10MP front camera sensor that produces fine selfies even in low-light conditions thanks to its largish sensor pixel size.
"After dark, Nightography on Galaxy S23 FE lets you take clear selfies and portraits in lifelike colors," hints Samsung, referring to its new night mode that made a cameo on the S23 in the spring. In the phone's Pro Mode, the aspiring mobile photographer "controls for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and more can be manually adjusted," plus there are automated features available via the Camera Assistant app companion.
Processor and storage
Samsung keeps mum on the exact processor type that makes the Galaxy S23 FE tick. It only mentions that this is an "advanced 4nm processing" chip that "may differ by market and carrier." The rumors that the Galaxy S23 FE will be powered by both the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Exynos 2200 may hold water in the end, so we can't wait to benchmark the S23 FE to check what's inside and how does it perform.
The Galaxy S23 FE memory and storage situation is much simpler. It is always available with 8GB RAM and either 128GB of base storage or in a 256GB version depending on the buyer's needs and budget.
Battery life and charging
Samsung put its tried and true 4,500 mAh battery pack in the Galaxy S23 FE again, which, given the 1080p display resolution should bring about above average battery life of a full day away from the charger.
The charging speeds are 25W, again a rather popular speed for Samsung phones, which would bring the 4,500 mAh battery to 50% capacity in about half an hour. We'll run our Galaxy S23 FE battery life test and let you know how long it lasts in different usage scenarios.
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Galaxy S23 FE pricing and release date
The sweet spot
$599 (128GB)
First things first, how much is the new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE and when will it launch? Well, both depend on the region, but the base Galaxy S23 FE would command a sweet $599 tag with the 256-gigger costing $50 more when Samsung releases the Galaxy S23 FE stateside in the coming days. That's way cheaper than its predecessor and the best price Samsung has let a Fan Edition phone out at. Any takers?
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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