Samsung’s Fan Edition series has seen its ups and downs.
After some hiccups and halts, Samsung's back, showing off its firm commitment to the FE series with 4 new launches.
So, with this Galaxy S23 FE now launched, let's see if it can revive the "Fan" in you.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Design
I reviewed the Galaxy A54 earlier this year, and when I first held this S23 FE in hand, I was like… wait, did I unbox the right phone?!
This smartphone has a striking resemblance with the A54, accentuated by the fact that both these phones have 6.4-inch displays with pronounced bezels.
However, this mint green colour on the smartphone, combined with the silver frame, does give it a personality of its own.
The aluminium frame and the glass back of the smartphone look and feel great, but unlike other S23 phones, the back panel is not matte on the FE.
The S23 FE is also on the heavier side for a phone of this size. On the flip side, some will appreciate the perceived quality feel that this added weight provides.
Those who were not happy with the plastic build of previous FE smartphones will surely like this new design direction.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Utility
The S23 FE comes with 128GB or 256GB of storage options.
Unlike other S23s, it does not get the advanced ultrasonic fingerprint scanner either. But, the optical scanner worked fine in my experience.
The smartphone comes with Gorilla Glass 5 protection at the front and back, as well as an IP68 rating for better durability.
The stereo speakers on the S23 FE deserve a special mention, as they are loud and pump out very good levels of bass as well.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Display
The 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display on the FE is one of its highlights as it produces vivid colours and deep blacks.
The viewing angles are excellent, and the peak brightness, at 1450 nits, ensures that the display remains viewable under direct sunlight.
The display has a variable refresh rate of 120Hz. The great thing is that the display manages to retain 120Hz in most apps, unlike many phones out there which have issues with retaining the max refresh rate.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Camera Review
The more expensive S23 models stand out for their camera capabilities, but can the same be said about the S23 FE?
The FE has a triple rear camera setup which includes 50MP primary, 12MP ultrawide and 8MP telephoto sensors.
When capturing photos in outdoor environments, the primary 50MP shooter produces outstanding results. The images showcase fantastic HDR performance, well-balanced contrast, and vibrant colours without looking oversaturated.
The main camera maintains its impressive performance even in low-light situations. The convenient night mode reduces grain from the images and enhances the lighting.
Videos from the main camera remain wonderfully stable and well-exposed even in challenging conditions.
The images from the 12MP are impressively colour-matched with the main camera’s. The dynamic range is impressive here, but ultrawide photos do suffer from barrel distortion.
Ultrawide videos are also extremely impressive with great dynamic range and stability.
The 3x zoom telephoto camera is good, but not as impressive as the other two. It is well colour-matched with the other two sensors and also has a good dynamic range. But it refuses to fire up most of the time, and the phone does a 3x crop from the main camera instead.
You also get 30x hybrid zoom on the S23 FE and it is impressive thanks to Samsung’s post-processing.
The 10MP front camera on this smartphone takes pretty good selfies and can film 4K 60fps videos as well.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Performance and Software
In the past, FE smartphones have had the same chipset as their more expensive counterparts, but that changes with the S23 FE.
Instead of the excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, the FE is powered by an Exynos 2200 from last year.
In fact, this is the first Exynos 2200-powered smartphone to be sold in India.
The Exynos 2200 is a 4nm chipset which comes with a custom-made GPU called Xclipse, that’s based on AMD's RDNA2 architecture.
Theoretically, it outperforms the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in the GPU department. But, the Snapdragon is ahead when it comes to CPU performance.
Samsung claims to have added a big vapour chamber on this phone to help with its thermal performance, however, the phone can get a bit warm under heavy load quickly.
Anyway, on the software front, the S23 FE runs on One UI 5.1 based on Android 13. I review multiple phones every month, and trust me, One UI’s balance of features and stability is unmatched in the world of Android.
I did not face any hiccups with this smartphone’s day-to-day performance as everything was flagship-level smooth.
There are a few bloatware apps out of the box, but they can be uninstalled.
You’d also be getting 4 major Android updates and 5 years of security updates with this phone, and Samsung now has a proven track record of delivering updates on time.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Battery life
The S23 FE has a 4,500mAh battery, which frankly, could have been bigger since 5,000mAh is fast becoming the new standard.
But still, after using the phone moderately to heavily throughout the day, there was around 15% battery remaining, which makes the S23 FE a full-day battery life smartphone.
Additionally, the phone supports 25W fast charging, allowing the battery to be fully charged in around an hour. Wireless charging at 15W is also supported.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review
The S23 FE may not follow the older FE tradition of flagship performance on a budget, but it brings a lot to the table. With its amazing camera capabilities, reliable performance, and feature-rich hardware, it’s a tempting pick.
The smartphone has been launched at ₹59,999, but it can be picked up for ₹49,999 after discount.
So, if you can grab one for under ₹50,000, the S23 FE is quite an irresistible camera phone to buy.
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