The sum of its components

After the vacations — you open your fridge — and you have got the mammoth activity of what to do with all of your leftovers. You begin combining issues in ways in which possibly you should not and construct issues that would not usually exist.

It is obtained an outdated processor from a few years in the past, crammed in a tool that is just about similar to the Galaxy A54, however with a greater show and a correct zoom digital camera.

So why does this cellphone exist? It is not so good as the S23 series and is not as low-cost because the Galaxy A series. It is a bizarre in-between cellphone. I am going to clarify why on this evaluate, as a result of it positively has a reputable place in Samsung’s lineup.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 FE is designed to hit a selected value level by mixing outdated components with new items.

Professionals

• Large vibrant show with 120Hz refresh charges
• Water and dust-resistant, Quick and easy efficiency
• Extra reasonably priced than the S23+ or S24+

Cons

• Processor inside is kind of outdated
• Digicam efficiency could possibly be higher
• Dated design makes it appear to be a lavatory commonplace midrange cellphone

Pocket-lint

Worth, specs and availability

It is price wanting on the context of Samsung’s cellphone vary from 2023 to make extra sense of it. In order for you a flagship cellphone at a comparatively affordable value, which means going with the smallest Galaxy S23.

In order for you a much bigger display and flagship energy, the worth turns into not so affordable, rapidly approaching that $1,000 mark. Even on the time of writing — practically a 12 months after launching — once I regarded on the pricing for this evaluate, the Plus mannequin was nonetheless over $800, someplace close to the $900 mark.

So that is the place the Galaxy S23 FE matches — it has a giant 6.4-inch display like the larger Galaxy S23+, however crucially, it solely prices $599.

The place does the Galaxy S23 FE slot in Samsung’s lineup?

Some compromises have been made to get the S23 FE all the way down to its low value, and that is most blatant within the design. As a result of, in any case, the design is sort of similar to the funds Galaxy A54, which is a less expensive cellphone than Samsung’s flagship vary.

From the entrance, the cellphone does not have these super-skinny uniform bezels all the way in which across the show. It is one of many S23’s most hanging options visually, so it is apparent once you have a look at the S23 FE that it does not have these.

That is to not say bezels are chunky; they’re simply extra like what you’d count on in a less expensive cellphone, with the underside bezel being thicker than the opposite three sides. In contrast to the A54, nevertheless, the cellphone options an aluminum (not plastic) body across the edges. Samsung gave the S23 FE a extra sturdy construct and really feel than its funds sequence and likewise made it extra water and dust-resistant.

This cellphone is IP68 rated, similar to the costlier telephones. The glass on the back and front? Nicely, that is extra just like the older flagships or present mid-range units. It is Gorilla Glass 5, which — at one level — was the highest model of Corning’s tempered glass. At which level precisely? 2016, when the Galaxy Be aware 7 launched. It is nonetheless stable sufficient for 2024, although, and affords first rate safety in opposition to scratches and unintentional knocks.

The cellphone feels fairly chunky and hefty to make use of, and that slippery glass on the again makes it a bit cumbersome and tough to handle one-handed. And it will fortunately slide off issues. Massive telephones are just about the norm as of late, however I would advise getting a case or pores and skin simply to cease that slippery feeling.

A flagship show

What’s attention-grabbing in regards to the show is that it makes use of a panel that’s similar to what’s within the flagship S23 fashions. It is Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X, however a barely older model.

It is nonetheless an excellent show, although, delivering a brighter, extra vivid expertise than what you may discover on the extra reasonably priced Galaxy A-series fashions. It is really sensible for watching Netflix exhibits and even copes properly with HDR content material.

Its peak brightness reaches as excessive as 1,450 nits, which is not all that a lot lower than what the S23 correct affords. Plus, it might probably attain refresh charges as much as 120Hz.

It is obtained a fingerprint sensor constructed into the show as properly, and right here is one space I want Samsung had simply gone with the identical kind of sensor that is within the flagship fashions as a result of my expertise with this one has not been good. This mannequin makes use of an optical sensor for readability, whereas the flagship telephones use an ultrasonic sensor.

It took me 10–11 occasions to undergo the setup course of to register my thumbprint, which is not one thing I’ve skilled on another cellphone. And I’ve examined many, many telephones. And to unlock it, I discovered I needed to be tremendous particular about which a part of my thumb I pressed all the way down to get it to unlock. If I wasn’t purposeful, it’d fail, and it may be fairly irritating when this occurs a number of occasions a day.

As is typical, the cellphone is loaded with One UI baked on high of Android. Due to Samsung’s market-leading efforts to maintain telephones up to date, it already has Android 14 with One UI 6. As all the time, it is loaded with many Samsung extras, like the opposite flagship fashions, together with DeX over a cable. That is Samsung’s desktop-like interface, permitting you to make use of the cellphone like a pc whereas hooked as much as an exterior monitor.

There’s loads of bloat with Samsung’s software program, and it is the one factor that stands in stark distinction to one thing just like the Pixel 8 and even Pixel 7a. They each sit inside about $100 on both aspect of the S23 FE and ship a cleaner, extra fluid software program expertise, plus they are going to get software program updates for 7 years.

Samsung’s 4-5 years continues to be a stable promise, and — outdoors of Google itself — no third-party Android cellphone maker comes near rolling out updates on time or for so long as the Korean tech big.

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The Galaxy S23 FE is the sum of its components

As I’ve talked about, there’s an odd little bit of leftover {hardware} thrown into the combo with the S23 FE. Inside, have been you to go digging round within the elements, you’d discover both the Exynos 2200 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, relying in your market. These two chipsets first launched in January 2022 with the Galaxy S21.

They are not dangerous chips, but in addition, they have been by no means the best possible. In comparison with flagship processors, Exynos tends to be a bit much less environment friendly at managing its temperature and battery life. For related causes, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was changed by the 8+ Gen 1 just a few months after launching.

Regardless of lower than completely good efficiency, they’re nonetheless highly effective processors which can be significantly higher than the mid-range stuff you may discover within the Galaxy A sequence, particularly in relation to digital camera efficiency, which I am going to get into later.

The on a regular basis expertise of utilizing the Galaxy S23 FE is — for essentially the most half — quick, easy and responsive. It definitely does not really feel like utilizing a mid-range cellphone. It will load your favourite video games with out an excessive amount of bother.

It did not appear to have any points when it got here to enjoying these video games for prolonged intervals, both. Though it have to be stated, it is at the moment winter once I’m testing it, so overheating was by no means going to be an excessive amount of of an issue.

Battery life is equally robust, with the cellphone able to giving about 8 hours of energetic use time on a full cost. Even comparatively heavy cellphone customers should not battle to get to the tip of a protracted day with a full cost.

Pocket-lint

Nonetheless, the shocking factor is that it does not appear to be all that totally different in efficiency from the common S23, which has a smaller battery. A number of that’s possible all the way down to the very fact it has a much less environment friendly, two-year-old processor inside.

On the subject of refilling, you get 25W charging speeds, and there is no charger within the field. This implies it isn’t exceptionally speedy to refill an empty battery. Nonetheless, it isn’t particularly gradual, providing you with a few fifty p.c cost in half-hour. It might probably cost wirelessly, so that you get that comfort you probably have a wi-fi charger.

A more in-depth have a look at the S23 FE’s digital camera

The triple digital camera on the again has principal and ultrawide sensors just like the S23 and S23 Plus, however with a decrease decision, a 3x telephoto zoom thrown into the combo. Mixed with the facility from the processor inside, the outcomes are literally fairly robust throughout the board from all three lenses.

Whereas not utterly good, the power of the system is its versatility. The 3x optical zoom digital camera alongside the opposite two means you’ll be able to take sharp, colourful, vibrant pictures from all three cameras, switching between them with none extreme inconsistencies.

You’ll be able to stretch past the 3x and go as much as 10x or 20x digital zoom, however the additional you push the zoom, the extra the outcomes begin to look a bit extra like an oil portray than {a photograph}.

As a result of it has that flagship processor — albeit an outdated one — it does job of processing photos rapidly. It might probably elevate darkish areas within the photos, cease the shadows from turning into too darkish and crushed, and even out the highlights and shadows to supply color-rich, vivid photos even in low-light conditions.

Pictures nonetheless have that typical Samsung tendency of being actually colourful and vibrant. Colours aren’t pure, however they do this ‘pop’ to pictures that Samsung is understood for. Evaluating it with pictures from the cheaper Galaxy A54, the distinction in high quality was big.

The place the A54 can battle to elevate gentle and colour out of the darker components of the pictures and the shadows, the S23 FE does not in any respect. It lifts shadows, discovering colour, element and life in these areas and utilizing HDR images to good impact.

Night time mode is efficient throughout the board and solely appears to take a second or two to seize the picture. And no matter which digital camera you utilize, you may get sharp, vivid photos even when the one gentle out there is the odd streetlamp or two.

What I did discover with the ultrawide is that — in comparison with the first digital camera — it generated a bit extra noise in decrease gentle conditions the place it cranked up the achieve to make the picture brighter. That is significantly noticeable indoors, in shadowed/darker components of photos.

The video is nearly okay, too. I had some points with stabilization the place — when merely strolling — it could nonetheless have a noticeable soar on the finish of each step. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to shoot as much as 8K decision if you need or shoot at 4K/60. Nonetheless, at these extremes, stabilization is not out there.

Verdict

I requested why this cellphone exists at first of this evaluate, and I feel the reply solely actually turns into clear once you evaluate it to the S23 Plus or S24 Plus.

The S23 FE is successfully about providing that big-screen expertise with a strong, quick processor at a less expensive value than the Plus-sized Galaxy S cellphone. That, after all, means compromises, like raiding the spare components bin for older elements, however the expertise is significantly better than the cheaper Galaxy A sequence telephones.

It is positively not fairly pretty much as good as a Galaxy S Plus, however — crucially — it is solely about $600 to purchase, and if you need the most effective Samsung expertise for that kind of cash, and also you want a much bigger display than the smallest, older Galaxy S telephones can provide, that is nonetheless your finest wager.