When the S23 popped up earlier this year and the S22 FE was nowhere in sight, I was pretty bummed, thinking the cool FE series was done, especially after the S21 FE. But now, the Galaxy S23 FE is here, and honestly, it’s a bag of mixed feelings. I’m mostly stoked it’s back! The FE series has always been good looking and it accommodates those who seek a decently priced phone that doesn’t skimp on the good stuff. Sure, there’s a bit of “Will it stick around this time?” But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
The FE series has always been the lesser power but still mighty version of the flagship S-Series phone released earlier in the year. The S23 FE is no different in this case. Despite its label as a cheaper option, I had a brief but convincing hands-on experience with the phone. But before we go any further, this is what the phone specs look like – including its different variants and prices.
| Dimension | 158mm x 76.5mm x 8.2mm (thick) |
| Weight | 209 grams |
| Build | Gorilla Glass 5 (Both Front and Back), Aluminium Frame |
| Display |
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| Screen | 6.4-inch FHD+ |
| Resolution | 2340 x 1080 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) |
| OS | Android 13, One UI 5.1 |
| Chip | Exynos 2200 (International) Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (US) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) – International Octa-core (1×3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) – USA |
| GPU | Xclipse 920 – International Adreno 730 – USA |
| Memory |
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| Main Camera |
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| Selfie Camera (Front) |
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| Battery |
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| Colours | Mint, Graphite, Purple, Cream |
| Prices | Original Price: 8GB|128GB RM 2,999 8GB|256GB RM 3,299 Offer price (as of publishing date): 8GB|128GB RM 2,699 8GB|256GB RM 2,999 |
Right out of the box, we have the S23 FE phone itself plus its charging cable and a sim-eject pin – the standard Samsung phone packaging.
Design and Build
Being a budget-friendly option of the flagship S23 phone means Samsung would have to cut down some of its costs when making this phone. The Gorilla Glass 5 replaces what was the Gorilla Glass Victus at the rear panel, turning what felt tough and secure on the S23 into a more plastic feeling on the FE phone. But I didn’t mind it one bit.
Our publication received the Cream coloured version of the phone and its beauty more than made up for the small trade in its build material. This may be a mid-range phone, but it looked (and somewhat felt) like a top-range device. However, its glossy surface finish also makes it certain that fingerprints will be seen, leaving a smudged-looking surface if you don’t clean it regularly. The phone also comes in 3 other colours – Mint, Graphite, and Purple.
Built with an IP68 rating, the phone is water resistant up to 1.5m in depth but only in Fresh Water. The phone is also protected from dust, all without the need for extra cases/protection.
Hardware
The S23 FE comes in either 128GB or 256GB variants, both with 8GB RAM. This should be enough to cater to most mid-ranged phone seekers although the limited storage space may be a challenge they have to overcome in the long run.
In the Processor’s department, the flagship S23 model came with the impressive Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip although that wouldn’t be the case with the FE model. For cost reasons (probably), the FE carries either the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 if you are in the US, or the Exynos 2200 chip if you are outside of the US. The phone we got from Samsung came with the latter. It’s not a bad chip and can easily satisfy the casual crowd but for anything beyond, we’ll have to discuss it in the full review of the phone after I’ve experienced the phone a bit more.
Camera
On the camera side, the S23 FE comes with a 50MP Wide lens on its rear. This is complemented by a 12MP Ultrawide lens, as well as an 8MP telephoto lens that offers up to 3X Optical Zoom, allowing users some great zooming abilities. At the front, there’s a 10MP wide lens for any selfie needs.
I’ll be leaving most of my camera talk in the full review but I did do one small run with the phone’s camera at night – taking photographs from my balcony that oversees a highway and the surrounding area. Samsung phones have for the past few years, been rather amazing when it comes to handling low light/night conditions. I wanted to see how the S23 FE performs in such settings and the result did not disappoint.
I took this photo with my hands shaking a little (I’m afraid of heights) and still managed to get a decent result from the phone’s camera and image processing. I’m hopeful for more good results as I play around with the camera some more and will share my findings with you folks soon.
Battery
If I have to pick one major worry about this phone based on its spec sheet alone, I’d single out the battery department for sure. The phone has a 4,500mAh battery, which is nice. But the charging speed is only 25W on wired charging and 15W on wireless. 25W is slow by the market’s standard and I do foresee users feeling stressed about having to wait for their phone to charge.
But this remains to be seen. There’s also how well the phone’s processor manages its software and hardware when it comes to power consumption (efficiency).
Stay tuned to the full review
I’m happy that the FE series is back. But whether or not the comeback is worth celebrating is a conclusion I’ve yet to form. But so far, things do look promising and I’ll be back soon with more in-depth information and details of my experience with the phone after spending a few more days using it as my day-to-day phone.
