Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review: a potential fan favourite

Name: Samsung Galaxy S23 FE 5G
Item: Samsung Galaxy S23 FE 5G
Rating: 7.5
Author: Ashish Kumar

Published On: October 10, 2023

Review Summary

Expert Rating
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7.5/10

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is the new ‘Fan Edition’ smartphone that has recently been introduced in India. The handset has been priced just below the regular Galaxy S23 model and comes with a few trade-offs in comparison. That being said, the smartphone aims to deliver a flagship-grade experience with its premium design, high-end chipset, and triple rear camera setup, which comprises an 8MP telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom.

To gauge how well it performs in real-life usage and how it stacks up against its competitors, continue reading this Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review.

Table of Contents

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes across as an interesting proposition. At a discounted rate of Rs 49,999, the handset appears to be a good choice for both fans and smartphone enthusiasts. However, at its regular price of Rs 59,999 for the 8GB/128GB variant and Rs 64,999 for the 12GB/256GB model, it does feel priced a bit on the higher side.

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE design quite similar to that of the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus (review) flagships, and understandably so. The handset features a flat back adorned with a glass layer and three distinct camera rings. Its frame is constructed from aluminium and showcases gracefully curved edges. However, it’s worth noting that the corners of the device may feel somewhat sharp, which is particularly noticeable given its weight. The handset weighs 209 grams, which might pose a slight inconvenience to users who like to hold their device for long for streaming and more.
Moreover, the Galaxy S23 FE doesn’t fit into the compact category by any means. The device measures 8.9mm in thickness and stands at approximately 6.22 inches in height. That being said, I appreciate the phone’s clean and minimalistic design, as well as its Mint colour option. Besides Mint, the handset also comes in Purple and Graphite colours. Moving on, the S23 FE is IP68 water and dust-resistance certified and comes with a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, located at the bottom edge of the device.

On the front, the Galaxy S23 FE showcases a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display featuring FHD+ resolution, an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Regrettably, the display doesn’t achieve the same level of bezel-less design as the pricier Galaxy S23 series smartphones. Nevertheless, it retains the trademark richness and colour vibrancy associated with Samsung’s AMOLED panels.
Furthermore, the S23 FE impresses with its wide viewing angles and excellent visibility in direct sunlight. The handset also holds Widevine L1 certification, ensuring a delightful viewing experience when streaming content in FHD resolution from various OTT platforms. This is nicely supported by the phone’s Dolby Atmos-powered stereo speakers, which get plenty loud and offers crisp audio.
For security, the Galaxy S23 FE features an in-display fingerprint scanner that is conveniently located and quickly unlocks the smartphone.

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE boasts a triple rear camera setup, consisting of a 50MP primary sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, and an 8MP telephoto lens. It’s worth noting that the telephoto lens has seen a reduction in capabilities compared to the regular S23 5G, supporting only 3x digital zoom instead of the 10x offered by its counterpart. On the front, the phone houses a 10MP snapper for selfies and video calls in a punch-hole setup.
While the image quality may not quite reach flagship standards, it delivers highly detailed images with vibrant and vivid colours. There is some post-processing involved, which tends to oversaturate colours a bit. That being said, the exposure levels are commendable, and highlights are reasonably well-preserved, particularly in well-lit conditions.

Surprisingly, the telephoto lens produces more colour-accurate images with a 3x digital zoom. It also preserves details exceptionally well, even in shadowy areas. This lens offers up to 30x optical zoom with image stabilisation, ensuring that you can capture sharp, blur-free images. While the results may not match the quality of the regular Samsung Galaxy S23, the images remain usable with a respectable level of detail in favourable lighting conditions. However, in low-light situations, the images appear average at best, with the lens limited to a 10x zoom capacity when utilising night mode.
Ultra-wide shots exhibit some distortion around the edges of the frame, but aside from that, the images look impressive in daylight. Indoors or when the sun goes down, the ultra-wide images look a bit bland, lacking richness and sharpness. The main sensor produces much sharper images with vivid colours and good contrast. There is noticeable noise, but you can limit it to an extent with night mode.
Seflies from Samsung Galaxy S23 FE appear social media-ready with peppy colours. Facial detailing could have been better though.

Performance and software

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE has the 4nm Exynos 2200 chipset ticking at its core. For the unaware, this proprietary chipset rivals Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC in terms of performance. This chipset enables the smartphone to effortlessly handle all tasks thrown its way, delivering raw computing power. In everyday use, the smartphone runs seamlessly, exhibiting no hints of lag or stutter. Gaming performance is also consistently smooth, though it’s worth noting that there may be a slight increase in temperature when running graphically intensive games such as BGMI.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE proves itself as a reliable device for everyday performance, ensuring that you can confidently depend on it for all your daily tasks and activities. The handset is available in a couple of RAM and storage variants: 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB. There is no slot for a microSD card to further expand the phone’s storage, so choose your variant wisely.
Here are the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE benchmark scores:

When it comes to the software, the Galaxy S23 FE has OneUI 5.1 running atop Android 13 out of the box. The software isn’t anything different from the Samsung smartphones launched over the last year. The phone has a few apps pre-installed, but otherwise, it is largely clean and intuitive. It also comes with a handful of customisation options and features such as call recording and screen recording. Samsung has promised four years of major software upgrades and another two years of security updates for the smartphone.

Battery and charging speeds

Equipped with a modest 4,500mAh battery, the Galaxy S23 FE is good enough to last you an entire day, if not more, with regular usage. The handset offers a decent 5 hours of screen-on-time (SOT) with mixed usage. On the PC Mark battery test, the handset returned a respectable score of 9 hours and 35 minutes.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE supports 25W charging; however, it’s important to note that the charger is not included in the box. When using a non-Samsung 80W charger, it took more than 90 minutes to fully charge the device from 10 to 100 percent.

Final verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE boasts several noteworthy features, most notably its telephoto lens, which excels at capturing impressive zoomed-in shots. Moreover, the phone offers a robust build and design reminiscent of the flagship S23 models. It also boasts a vibrant AMOLED display with a high refresh rate and houses a capable Exynos 2200 chipset for seamless performance. On the software front, the phone enjoys commendable support, and its battery life holds up reasonably well.

My only qualms with the device are the relatively slow charging speeds, thick bezels, and the price tag, which might dissuade potential buyers, prompting them to explore alternatives such as the Vivo X90 and OPPO Reno 10 Pro+ 5G. Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE provides a relatively cleaner software experience, making it a solid choice for those seeking a blend of features and value.

Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10

Reasons to buy

The handset boasts a sturdy design with an IP68 design.
The S23 FE display impresses with its wide viewing angles and excellent visibility in direct sunlight.
The smartphone can effortlessly handle all tasks and demands thrown its way.
The cameras deliver highly detailed images with vibrant and vivid colours.