Samsung Galaxy S23 FE to launch soon but only in select markets
After a brief hiatus last year, Samsung will be resurrecting its famed value-for-money Fan Edition line this season. Last we heard, the Galaxy S23 FE could even be released this month, ahead of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 announcement that is likely scheduled for July 26.
Exynos 2200 with AMD Xclipse 920 GPU
6.4 Gbps LPDDR5 6/8 GB RAM
UFS 3.1 128GB/256GB
Front camera: 12 MP, 1.12um
Wide-angle camera: Wide-angle 50 MP 1.0um GN3
3x telephoto camera: 8 MP 1.0um Hi-347
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE release date
Not so fast, says an even fresher tip, which pegs the Galaxy S23 FE launch for Q3 that starts next month. The S23 FE release, however, will be limited to "select countries," tip SamMobile insiders, while a complete global rollout will happen later, which somewhat explains the competing release date rumors.
Not only that, but the Galaxy S23 FE release schedule may continue into the first quarter of next year, and it is not really clear if the US will be among the first countries to get it. Given the high visibility of the US market, the S23 FE launch on this side of the pond should be in the initial batch of releases, but the rumor that it will be powered by an Exynos 2200 chipset gives a bit of a pause.
Galaxy S23 FE specs to expect
6.4 Gbps LPDDR5 6/8 GB RAM
UFS 3.1 128GB/256GB
Front camera: 12 MP, 1.12um
Wide-angle camera: Wide-angle 50 MP 1.0um GN3
3x telephoto camera: 8 MP 1.0um Hi-347
Ultra wide-angle camera: 12MP, 1.12um IMX258
4,500 mAh battery
That Exynos powers the Galaxy S22 series and wasn't the best marriage of processing and graphics subsystems, so Samsung decided to go with a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the entire Galaxy S23 lineup. If the Exynos 2200 rumor holds water for the Galaxy S23 FE, Samsung could as well call it S22 FE and should sell it at a really good price if it wants a healthy dose of interest in the new Fan Edition line phone.
While 6.4-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate could attract many buyers towards the S21 FE in 2021, high refresh rate displays are par for the course in 2023 even on low-key midrange phones like the Galaxy A54, for instance.
On the other hand, if the display size fits between the small 6.1-inch panel of the Galaxy S23 and the 6.7-incher of the S23+, Samsung would have a nice alternative for those who want just an average sized phone and don't really care what processor is inside, riding high on the S23 brand name. Again, it will all depend on the eventual Galaxy S23 FE price point.
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