Samsung Galaxy S23 F.E - Finally!

On October 4, the Korean company unveiled the Galaxy S23 F.E. Samsung's F.E. versions are normally less expensive than the base Galaxy S flagship, and this is still the case. In the United States, the base 8GB/128GB model will cost $599. The phone will be available beginning on October 26. The Galaxy F.E. series is known for providing flagship-level features at a more affordable price point, and the S23 F.E. is no exception. This entails powerful (but one-year-old) silicon, a 120Hz OLED screen, a sizable battery, and wireless charging. Don't expect a fancy look from Samsung's latest phone, which borrows certain design influences from the inexpensive Galaxy A series. However, you get a reassuring level of durability. The Galaxy S23 F.E. now offers a 50MP main camera compared to previous F.E. devices offering a 12MP shooter. This should translate into solid image quality thanks to pixel-binning as well as more detail in daylight conditions. Samsung is also touting so-called “Nightography” here, meaning we can expect improved low-light snaps. It stands to reason that the image signal processors in these new chips will help deliver better images as well. Otherwise, the phone sticks with a 12 MP ultrawide camera and an 8 MP 3x telephoto lens. These are fundamentally the same cameras as previous F.E. models. Look at the front, and you’ll see a 10 MP selfie camera instead of the S21 F.E’s 32 MP shooter. Those expecting the latest and greatest flagship silicon, like the original Galaxy S20 FE, might be a little disappointed here. The S23 F.E. sticks with either a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200 chipset, depending on the region. US consumers will get the Snapdragon variant. It’s also interesting to see Samsung using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 rather than the superior Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. This turn of events means that the Galaxy S23 F.E. will offer plenty of horsepower on paper, although it’s not quite on par with 2023’s flagship SoCs. We also lamented the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Exynos 2200’s sustained performance, so we’ll need to put the S23 F.E. to the test to see whether these complaints still hold water. Otherwise, Samsung’s F.E. phone also has 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage.