Samsung didn’t launch any new lower-cost, lower-powered “fan version” cellphone final yr within the months because it launched the Galaxy S22. As a substitute, the corporate took its time and gave it a full yr earlier than it could come out with a full refresh. This implies the Galaxy S23 FE, at its $600, advantages from a great deal of time and a spotlight. From its silhouette to its massive bezels, the cellphone doesn’t appear all that thrilling. If you happen to have been questioning, that’s the entire level.
Samsung has finished quite a bit to make this new FE cellphone way more attractive than the S21 FE from two years in the past. The S23 FE begins at $600 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It’s working on a last-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, however even then, it’s definitely the most effective worth for the {hardware} the FE line has needed to date, with higher specs than in previous years. Samsung’s newest cellphone is $100 lower than the S21 FE, and it has a much better digicam.
On the similar time, that worth means it straddles each the inexpensive and the mid-range markets. It’s not fairly low-cost sufficient to advocate to these on a strict funds, and it’s hovering only a few hundred {dollars} lower than some corporations’ premium choices, together with Samsung’s personal S23.
Being spoiled by alternative shouldn’t be dangerous for shoppers by any stretch, however the present cellphone ecosystem has gotten to the purpose the place you’ll discover minuscule variations between one sub-$1,000 cellphone and one other. You possibly can sit there and notice each characteristic which may be obtainable on the $700 Google Pixel 8 or the $600 Nothing Phone (2) that’s not on Samsung’s low-cost cellphone, and vice versa. There’s merely no level to that train.
The S23 FE shouldn’t be as low-cost as final yr’s $500 Galaxy A53 or this yr’s Google Pixel 7a. Nonetheless, the FE remains to be a strong cellphone for its value. If you happen to just like the Samsung ecosystem and also you don’t wish to spend an excessive amount of cash, you’ll be able to soar on the FE for easy efficiency and some hiccups. If you happen to’re in search of some new characteristic you haven’t seen on a $600 cellphone earlier than, you might want to look elsewhere.
You received’t get all essentially the most thrilling options of a premium cellphone, like Samsung’s personal Galaxy S23 Ultra. Hell, it received’t even match as much as the $800 Galaxy S23 when it comes to uncooked energy, battery life, and show. It received’t match the video and photograph high quality of a few of Google’s higher Professional sensors, regardless of the 50 MP most important sensor improve.
However it’s nonetheless a strong cellphone with a strong efficiency that’s higher than what its specs suggest. In case your max funds is $600 for a brand new cellphone, getting this as a present for the Android lover who needs a no-frills, no-big-thrills cellphone is tough to go incorrect.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Design and Show
The FE Shares A few of the Finest and Worst Components of its Extra Costly Brother
At first look, the S23 FE cellphone seems to be mild, nearly plastic-y in look. It doesn’t assist that the glass-backed colours are additional vivid. I’m personally not a fan of the shade of purple Samsung selected for its cheaper Galaxy cellphone, however I assume I favor a darker purple that basically brings out the goth-that-never-was in me. The cellphone’s different standout colours embody a pleasant, clear mint, however apart from the brilliant tangerine shade that’s unique to orders on Samsung.com, there aren’t many different standout shades.
Whenever you really come up with the brand new FE, it’s not fairly as mild because it appears. It’s snug to carry or have in your pocket, and it seems like a feather in comparison with the aluminum-cased iPhones in my life. Ergonomically, it’s simply not for me. The rounded edges don’t really feel snug to carry, and it’s additionally too slippery in my hand regardless of its somewhat vital 6.4-inch display dimension. The glass again can be somewhat susceptible to smudging should you maintain it along with your grubby fingertips. I’ve had points with Samsung’s backs getting scratched up, and whereas I appear to have been extra ginger with this cellphone, I can see it persevering with to be a problem for many who eschew the case.
The display dimension is round 6.3 inches when factoring within the somewhat massive bezels. The black borders are constant across the high and sides however are far more pronounced on the chin. It’s the sort of factor that’s noticeable at first, however you get used to it somewhat shortly.
The cellphone is rated IP68, which means it’s dust-resistant and might survive half-hour underneath 5 toes of water. That’s in keeping with the opposite Samsung units, however I’m glad to see they’re constant regardless of prices.
The display itself is good and vibrant, precisely what you count on from Samsung. It’s a 120Hz, HDR10+ show that peaks at a pleasant and vivid 1450 nits, a minimum of on paper. I discovered the adaptive brightness wasn’t as sturdy as on Apple’s telephones, and it generally required some handbook adjustment.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Efficiency
The S23 FE Runs Smoother Than the Final-Gen Chip Implies
The S23 FE is working on a two-year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Samsung normally makes some modifications to Qualcomm’s chipset for its telephones, however on its face, it’s nonetheless a much less highly effective CPU in comparison with similarly-priced units. The Nothing Cellphone (2) makes use of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which is barely extra highly effective than the sooner model.
Benchmarks inform a barely completely different story. The S23 FE carried out reasonably effectively on GeekBench 6 and simply beat different telephones from final yr’s {hardware}, such because the Google Pixel 7. It solely barely underperformed in comparison with the newer Pixel 8.
Contemplating Google’s efforts to meet up with its proprietary chip, which may be higher information for the Pixel’s Tensor chip than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon sequence. The FE was, in fact, beneath the common S23 on each single-core and multi-core settings, however not by quite a bit. It additionally managed to match its older brother on WebXPRT 2015 for a way effectively it may deal with browser-based duties like photograph modifying and face detection.
It’s a easy expertise general. I couldn’t level to any time utilizing it that I reminded myself I used to be utilizing a $600 cellphone in comparison with something costlier. There aren’t any issues with working a number of duties, streaming video, and light-weight gaming. You’re not doing something loopy with the FE, and that’s to its profit. You don’t have Google making an attempt to shove new AI features in front of your face. You don’t have to fret about what sorts of buttons or ports you do or don’t get with the latest iPhone, relying on how a lot you spend.
Generally, it’s good to have a tool the place what you see is what you get. You get a cellphone that works for all the things you’re already used to doing.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Digicam
The FE’s 50 MP Sensor is Nothing to Scoff At
From the rear, the FE seems to be a hell of quite a bit just like the common $800 S23. It has a three-camera array with three pronounced sensors, although the flash was moved barely decrease than Samsung’s premiere Galaxy. Extra importantly, the S23 FE is packing a 50 MP most important sensor with an f1.8 aperture. It’s a fairly large step up over the S21 FE’s 12 MP extensive angle lens, although the newer cellphone’s different sensors are a way more customary 12 MP ultrawide at f2.2 and an 8 MP telephoto lens at f2.4, the identical because the final time Samsung made a fan version.
There’s additionally the standard, no-nonsense 10MP entrance digicam you’ve come to count on. I needed to see how a more moderen, 12 MP Samsung sensor would evaluate to the bigger one on the FE. I used Samsung’s Z Flip 5 with its two smaller lenses. The small print are crisper and fewer grainy on the 50 MP, although there’s not a lot of a giant distinction in shade seize between the 2. These are Samsung cameras by means of and thru, however the layperson received’t be capable of inform the distinction regardless of the soar in pixel dimension.
The ultrawide sensor can be in the midst of the street. It received’t make out the most effective element at a distance, and it’s not greatest for capturing the radiance of a late-September sundown. I did plenty of taking pictures with it on my morning walks to the practice station, and Samsung’s sensors are nonetheless not the most effective within the biz. They’ve a considerably washout high quality that is still disappointing, regardless of the pixel dimension.
The additional beefiness on the primary FE sensor remains to be appreciated, particularly because it helps it compete with Google’s providing. The Google Pixel 8 is simply $100 extra and doesn’t embody a telephoto lens, but the FE’s closeup sensor received’t wow anyone with the quantity of element it may choose up.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Battery
The 23 FE’s Battery Life Isn’t Finest in Class
The most recent Galaxy FE makes use of a 4500 mAh non-removable battery. I’ve used it for a full 8-hour workday and spent my time watching YouTube movies at night time and noticed it dip right down to 40%. With heavier use, I’ve seen how the battery appears to wane sooner than what I’m used to on different units.
With that mentioned, I’ve by no means run into any situation the place I used to be left bereft of a cellphone. The machine remains to be new, and battery life may change with time till it turns into an issue. I’ve additionally seen that even when the cellphone is on with none applications working, the battery does nonetheless drain to a shocking diploma, even when sitting in a pocket in my backpack not being actively used.
As with all smartphone, you might want to make it final a full day till you will get it to a charger. Nonetheless, longevity could also be a sticking level for some. Google has promised seven years of software program updates in comparison with Samsung’s regular 4. Then once more, that’s should you belief Google to observe by means of on its guarantees. That firm had beforehand promised customers years of offers with the Pixel Pass before unceremoniously killing it.
With the S23, you get Android 13 in addition to Samsung’s OneUI so as to add an additional little bit of customization on high of all the things, together with the corporate’s newfangled floating app home windows that make far more sense on a foldable like the Z Fold 5 than on any common sweet bar cellphone.
And like several sweet bar, the sweetness can solely final for therefore lengthy. This isn’t your $50 70% darkish chocolate bar from skilled sweet Swiss sweet smiths. The Galaxy S23 FE is a strong Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. Generally that’s all you need. And while you get it, hell, that hits the spot.
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