Galaxy S23 FE vs Galaxy A54: do the telephoto camera and flagship processor justify a $150 price gap?
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Intro
Not everyone can get or wants a flagship phone and all the bells and whistles they come with. That's why there are different categories, from super-budget, to budget, to a wide range of mid-rangers. Like many other phone manufacturers, Samsung is actively trying to make its more affordable phones — like the new Galaxy S23 FE or the Galaxy A54 — as good as possible for their lower price tags, cutting all the right corners to achieve that.
So, we are here to compare these two phones, the S23 FE and A54 5G, and see which one is the better deal. Is that $150 price difference for the base models worth it? Given how often you can find deals on the latest Fan Edition Galaxy phones, you might not even have to. But let's see some details about how these two phones compared in our tests.
Galaxy S23 FE vs Galaxy A54 in a nutshell:
- A significantly more powerful processor with S23 FE
- Expandable storage on A54
- Higher RAM for base S23 FE (8GB vs 6GB)
- S23 FE has a telephoto camera vs macro on A54
- Camera system on the S23 FE is noticeably superior
- A54 has a larger battery
- Higher protection against dust and water on the S23 FE
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
The main differentiator is durability
Samsung has carried its flagship design all the way down to its very affordable Galaxy A54, and the Galaxy S23 FE is no stranger to this adaptation. Both phones look very similar, with the difference being the larger camera modules on the back of the new Fan Edition, and the difference in colors.
When we take a look at the level of durability and the materials used, however, the story is a bit different. The Galaxy S23 FE comes in an aluminum frame and with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. In comparison, the Galaxy A54 has a plastic frame and an IP67 rating. Surprisingly, both phones come with Gorilla Glass Victus 5 used for the back and front.
When it comes to comfort, both phones are hefty and can feel cumbersome to hold. If you don't like big phones these two might not be for you. We found the S23 FE to have especially sharp edges, and so does the A54, so slapping a case on them will not only protect the phones themselves, but also your hand from getting dug into.
Colors-wise, the options that the Galaxy S23 FE comes in are more saturated and rich (besides the Cream and Graphite), including the Mint, Purple, Indigo, and Tangerine. The Galaxy A54 colors are Lime, Graphite, Violet, and White. We got to test the Purple and Violet options here, and most of us prefer the more saturated and darker look of the S23 FE.
Display Differences
Basically the same
Both phones come with a 6.4-inch display, which for all intents and purposes looks the same when placed next to each other. That's because both come with the same resolution of around 2340 x 1080 pixels and the same 120Hz max refresh rate.
That said, the S23 FE's display does get brighter going up to 1450 nits, while the A54 maxes out at 1000 nits. Although, as you will see below in our tests, it was hard to make that difference in brightness visible.
As you can tell from our tests, the S23 FE and A54 5G have virtually the same display, even when it comes to color accuracy. What's a bit surprising is that they also seem to overall match up in terms of maximum and minimum brightness levels in our tests. This bodes well for the less expensive A54, as even with its $150 lower price it delivers eye-watering display quality.
Performance and Software
The most deciding factor
This is the part that gets a bit more interesting, as the chipsets that the Galaxy S23 FE comes with are noticeably more powerful compared to the one inside the Galaxy A54. More precisely, we are comparing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/ Exynos 2200 (both built on the 4nm process) against the Exynos 1380 (5 nm).
Now, the chipsets that the S23 FE is rocking are one generation older by this point in time, but they are still of the flagship level, which brings them way higher up on the processor ladder compared to the mid-ranger Exynos 1380. In our experience with the two phones, more intensive games such as Minecraft Mobile ran better with the S23 FE, and the benchmark results further solidified that:
The S23 FE dwarfs the Galaxy A54 5G an all fronts as far as chipset performance goes. At the end of the day, this is what your are mainly paying for when deciding to spend an extra $150 for the S23 FE. The A54 is still capable enough for most people, able to handle most of what you would typically do on your phone everyday, the S23 FE will simply do it faster, with less hiccups.
When it comes to software updates the situation is the same for both phones, meaning 4 years of major OS updates and 5 years of security patches.
Camera
To telephoto, or to macro?
The most obvious difference when taking a look at the S23 FE and A54 spec sheets besides the different chipsets is that the former comes with a 8MP telephoto camera while the latter has a 5MP macro shooter. Typically, dedicated macro cameras produce garbage images with these mid-range phones, but the A54 has one that is actually good. So, it boils down to what's more important for you.
The other two cameras at the back, the 50MP main (wide) and the 12MP ultra-wide, seem to be the same based on their megapixels and other camera specs, but there is actually a noticeable difference between the two. In fact, you might be a little surprised when you check out the ultra-wide camera samples.
Main Camera - Day
Galaxy S23 FE
Galaxy A54 5G
Galaxy S23 FE
Galaxy A54 5G
Galaxy S23 FE
Galaxy A54 5G
Galaxy S23 FE
Galaxy A54 5G
For the most part, the Galaxy S23 FE's main camera produces more true-to-life colors. If you start to pixel peep, you might also notice that the images have more detail and them and they are sharper in comparison. One peculiarity that we noticed is that the A54 5G brightens the areas in shadow more than the S23 FE.
Main Camera - Low-light
Both phones include a lot of noise when shooting in very dark conditions with their main cameras, but the A54 takes the cake, which is why at a closer inspection the S23 FE's shots once again have more detail. There is also the visible shift in colors with the A54, which tends to introduce a magenta hue in the lighter areas, and a blue tint in the darker ones.
Zoom Quality
As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A54 5G does not have a telephoto camera, so there is no optical zoom whatsoever, however, the camera app gives you a choice of 2X digital zoom next to the 0.5X (ultra-wide) and 1X (main). With its 3X dedicated telephoto camera, this is a clear win for the S23 FE.
Ultra-wide Camera
For whatever reason, Samsung seems to have made the ultra-wide camera on the Galaxy S23 FE worse than the one on the Galaxy A54. At least based purely on the sharpness these two cameras produce. Color reproduction does seem to be more accurate on the S23 FE though.
Selfies
Here, the 10MP selfie camera on the S23 FE seems to be sharper in comparison. Also, just like with the rest of the photo samples, the A54 tends to tint the colors to more unnatural hues, while the S23 FE tries to keeps things normal.
Video quality
Interestingly, when comparing the camera systems of the Galaxy S23 FE and the more affordable A54, the latter's ultra-wide camera seemed to produce an image with higher detail, especially when it came to sharpness. Another peculiarity we noticed was that the S23 FE exposed better for the highlights, with brighter areas containing more information, whereas the A54 tends to handle shadows better.
Of course, the main camera on the Galaxy S23 FE is visibly sharper, but something the two phones share is really good stabilization.
One of the most significant differences is the lack of a dedicated telephoto camera on the A54, which gives you a default 2x digital zoom. The S23 FE, on the other hand, has a 3X telephoto camera at the back, the video from which looks quite good for this price point.
Audio Quality and Haptics
The audio quality on the Galaxy S23 FE sounds overall similar to that of the A54 5G. They are perfectly fine for playing your favorite podcast while getting ready in the morning or enjoying a YouTube video before bed. That being said, we wouldn't recommend going up to the maximum volume, as both start to sound somewhat tinny.
As for haptics, since Samsung improved its A5x series in that area we are happy to say that there aren't any major differences between the S23 FE and its more affordable sibling. That is good news, by the way, with vibrations being strong and precise.
Battery Life and Charging
A surprisingly similar experience
The Galaxy S23 FE comes with a 4500mAh battery, while the A54 comes with a 5000mAh one. However, both of phones seemed to last around the same amount of time while we were using them, except when gaming wa involved, which is when the more powerful Exynos 2200 inside the Fan Edition draw more power and therefore more battery.
As for charging, both phones support a maximum of 25W via a cable, and the S23 FE also comes with 15W wireless and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, while the A54 does not. The 500mAh difference in battery size resulted in a quicker charging time of 1 hour and 14 minutes for the S23 FE, compared to the 1 hour and 21 minutes with the A54.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick look at the Galaxy S23 FE specs vs the Galaxy A54 specs.
| Galaxy S23 FE | Galaxy A54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 158 x 76.5 x 8.2mm, 209g | 158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2 mm, 202.0 g |
|
|
|
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200 (4nm) | Exynos 1380 (5 nm) |
|
| 6/128 GB — $450 8/128 GB 6/256 GB 8/256 GB *microSDXC for expandable storage |
| Software | OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13, expected to go up to Android 17 | OneUI 5.1 based on Android 13, expected to go up to Android 17 |
|
|
|
| Battery | 4500mAh | 5000mAh |
| Charging | 25W wired, supports wireless and reverse wireless charging | 25W wired, no support for wireless charging |
Summary
So, does the Galaxy S23 FE justify its $150 higher price tag over the cost for a Galaxy A54? Well, we say it does. The two might share a lot of similarities, like the battery life, the stellar display, and overall battery experience, but the S23 FE offers noticeable upgrades in the camera department and the performance.
If you think that the gap of image quality between the two is big enough, and if you want to future-proof yourself and have tasks/apps work quicker on your phone, then the S23 FE might be worth the extra cash after all. There's are also some of the smaller differences like the better water and dust protection rating, or the fact that you get a dedicated telephoto camera instead of a macro.
In case you don't need all of those upgrades though, the A54 5G is probably one of the safest phones you can buy at the moment, as it will cater to most if not all of your needs. It is arguably the perfect middle ground — go a little below and you start to make some unwanted sacrifices, a little above and you start to spend money on perks that you might not necessarily need.
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