The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: A Worthy Flagship Contender, But With a Few Compromises
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is here, continuing the legacy of the "Fan Edition" series – a line of smartphones lauded for offering flagship-level specs at a more approachable price. This year, Samsung has equipped the S23 FE with a powerful Exynos 2200 SoC, a capable triple camera system, and a vibrant Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, all wrapped in a familiar Samsung design. But does this latest addition to the FE lineup truly deliver the flagship experience at a value proposition, or does it fall short in some key areas? Let’s dive into this detailed review of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE to find out.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Price in India
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE launched in India with a starting price of Rs. 59,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. You can also opt for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, priced at Rs. 64,999. This pricing strategy places the S23 FE directly against popular flagship contenders like the OnePlus 11, making it a crucial component of the smartphone’s success. While the additional storage option is welcome, the lack of a RAM upgrade for the higher storage variant might leave some users desiring more. The S23 FE is available in several attractive color options: Mint, Graphite, and Purple, with exclusive Indigo and Tangerine editions sold through Samsung’s official website.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Design
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE embraces a design language that is both familiar and elegant. It borrows heavily from the Galaxy S23 series and the Galaxy A54, featuring sleek, matte-finished aluminum side rails and a responsive power button that epitomizes a flagship experience. The smartphone utilizes a dual nano SIM card slot, allowing for either two physical SIMs or one physical SIM and an eSIM. Unfortunately, expandable storage is absent, a notable omission considering the device’s price point. The S23 FE includes a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port and surprisingly loud stereo speakers, adding to its premium appeal.
The smartphone comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on both the front and back, but this glossy finish is susceptible to fingerprints and smudges. At 8.22mm thick and 209 grams, the S23 FE leans towards the thicker and heavier side. Nevertheless, the smartphone boasts IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, a valuable feature for everyday use. Though it’s undeniably stylish, the glossy finish and lack of a case can lead to scratches and a slippery hold. Despite these minor drawbacks, the S23 FE undeniably maintains the premium aesthetic synonymous with Samsung flagships.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Display
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE boasts a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution, offering remarkable sharpness and vibrant colors. However, the bezels surrounding the screen, particularly for a smartphone priced above 50K, are noticeably thick. While they may fade into the background when engrossed in content, they remain noticeable and contribute to a less premium look.
The display is HDR10+ certified and achieves an impressive peak brightness of up to 1450 nits. This makes content viewing indoors and outdoors exceptional, with minimal discolouration even in harsh sunlight. The S23 FE offers a standard 60Hz refresh rate as well as an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring a consistently smooth experience for scrolling through the UI, navigating apps, and playing games.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Camera
The S23 FE sports a triple rear camera system, headlined by a 50-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a 24mm focal range. This camera boasts OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) for enhanced stability. Complementing the primary camera is an 8-megapixel telephoto camera featuring 3x optical zoom, an f/2.4 aperture, and a 75mm focal range with OIS. Lastly, there’s a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera with an f/2.2 aperture, capturing expansive scenes with ease.
The S23 FE exhibits commendable performance when focusing on moving subjects, thanks to the inclusion of PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) for both the primary and telephoto cameras. Daylight shots from the primary camera are consistently excellent, delivering sharp images with impressive detail in shadows and highlights. The bokeh effect achieved without portrait mode is aesthetically pleasing, and remarkably, the S23 FE avoids over-saturation, a common issue in smartphone cameras.
The telephoto camera maintains the same color saturation levels as the primary but delivers slightly softer images. The ultrawide camera matches the color palette of its counterparts, but suffers from noticeable distortion at the corners, potentially an issue that can be addressed with future software updates.
For selfies, the S23 FE relies on a 10-megapixel front-facing camera that captures detailed images in daylight, nighttime, and portrait settings. The front camera maintains the color consistency of the rear cameras, and a slight post-processing delay following capture is noticeable.
The S23 FE supports up to 8K video recording at 24fps using the primary camera, a feature rarely seen in this price range. Handheld 8K video recordings produced excellent results, displaying stability, remarkable detail, and substantial dynamic range for post-production. The smartphone also captures 4K video at 60fps and the front camera can shoot videos at up to 4K 60fps, making it an appealing option for content creators.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Battery and Charging
The S23 FE is powered by a 4500mAh battery, offering decent performance for light daily usage. However, incorporating tasks like gaming and video streaming, with the high refresh rate enabled, results in a significantly reduced battery life. In our rigorous battery loop test, the S23 FE lasted for 16 hours and 25 minutes, a respectable figure. However, the lack of a charger in the retail package leaves some users disappointed, especially considering the limited 25W charging support in 2023. In our testing, the S23 FE reached 25% charge in 30 minutes and 65% in an hour, lagging behind the charging speeds of competing devices in this price bracket.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Performance
The S23 FE is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2200 4nm SoC in India, a departure from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 found in the US version. Performance benchmarks reveal solid results. The S23 FE achieved a score of 1,174,800 on AnTuTu v.10.0.10 and 1130 single-core and 3232 for GeekBench 6. Gaming experiences proved equally impressive. Benchmark testing was conducted on titles like Call of Duty and Real Racing 3 with smooth gameplay at high graphic settings. Although a slight warming sensation was noticeable after extended gaming sessions, the S23 FE consistently delivered a smooth and responsive gaming experience.
The S23 FE comes pre-installed with OneUI 5.1, based on Android 13. This interface offers a smooth and uncluttered user experience with minimal pre-installed apps.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is undoubtedly tailored for consumers seeking a flagship experience without the steep price tag of devices like the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+. It carries on the FE legacy with remarkable camera capabilities, a good display, decent battery life, and a capable processor for virtually any task. The overall experience is undoubtedly premium, but the notably thick bezels on a smartphone priced above 50K in 2023 might be a deal-breaker for some. The absence of expandable storage further magnifies this concern, as the base 128GB storage might fall short for many users. Upgrading to the 256GB storage variant pushes the price closer to the sub 65K category, where strong competitors like the OnePlus 11 offer superior performance and a modern-looking curved display.
Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a solid option with unique strengths, a compelling design, and attractive features. However, its price point and the missing expandable storage option require careful consideration, especially when weighed against the competition.
