Galaxy S23 FE – The falling price makes it attractive

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE offers a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that has a Full HD+ resolution and refresh rate of 120 Hz. It is run by the former top SoC from Samsung, the Exynos 2200. This is supported by 8 GB of working memory in both storage configurations, with either 128 or 256 GB of internal storage. There is no storage expansion option via microSD card. In addition, 5G-Sub6, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, USB 3.2, and eSIM are also supported. The 4,500 mAh battery can be charged at up to 25 watts using a wired charger, and Qi charging is also supported.

At first glance, this sounds like a well-rounded overall package that is completed by a long update provision of five years. But is this really a Fan Edition (FE)? If so, we would have at least expected microSD support, and the fact that compared to the now two-year old predecessor, Samsung is changing from a Snapdragon SoC to an inhouse Exynos was surely not based on requests from fans. Particularly, since the Exynos 2200 is really no efficiency champion but instead gobbles up all the potential advantages of the large battery with its hunger for power.

The design is clearly oriented on the Galaxy S series, which is quite attractive. But it remains a mystery to us, why the S23 FE has become so much heavier compared to the predecessor. At the same time, Samsung has still created a good high-end smartphone with the Galaxy S23 Fan Edition, which is able to impress with very extensive equipment and an attractive system performance. With its MSRP of 699 Euros (~$761), it started out very close to the current market price of the Galaxy S23. But at this point, it is already available from 516 Euros (~$562), which makes it a powerful alternative.

In the US, the Galaxy S23 FE is available at the Samsung shop starting from ~$550 and also at a similar price from Amazon, for example.