After skipping the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung has brought back the ‘Fan Edition’ smartphone for the Galaxy S23. Offering flagship-level specs at relatively affordable pricing, the Fan Edition smartphones are hugely popular among users looking for the highest value they can get for their buck. This year’s Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is priced at Rs 59,999. HDFC Bank’s credit/debit card holders can avail an instant discount of Rs 10,000 on the smartphone. The smartphone gets some important updates over the S21 FE, but does it justify its price tag? Let’s find out in our Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review.

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review: Design and Display

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE ships in a compact black box, much like the flagship Galaxy S23 lineup. Inside, you get the smartphone, a USB Type-C charging cable, a SIM ejector tool, a regional lock guide, and a quick start guide. There is no power adapter inside the retail box, which is a trend that has also seeped down to the Galaxy A, M, and F series.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE gets a glass back (Corning Gorilla Glass 5) which is a significant upgrade from the plastic panel on the S21 FE. For a smartphone priced at Rs 60,000 in 2023, anything less would be a compromise. There are three colour options on offer – Mint, Graphite, and Purple. We got the Mint variant for this review. The pastel colour theme works very well for the smartphone, even though some may find it a bit pale. If that’s the case with you, the Graphite and Purple variants would be more up your alley.

The vertical camera array has been the common theme for all Samsung smartphones this year, from the flagship S series to the M, F, and A series. This universal design language robs individual smartphones of their unique personality. Since Samsung’s Fan Editions are based on the flagship S Series lineup from their respective year, a new design for them is out of the question. The Galaxy S23 FE gets aluminium rings around the camera bumps. If you compare the back panel of the S23 FE with the regular S23, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any differences apart from their size.

The chunky aluminium frame on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is similar to the one we saw on the Galaxy A54 a few months ago. This frame has a matte finish in contrast to the glossy back panel. A sleeker frame would have massively amped up the ‘premium’ factor of the smartphone and brought it closer to the flagship segment. The right side of this frame houses the volume rocker and the power/Bixby key. The USB Type-C port, primary microphone, and speaker grille are positioned at the bottom edge. The left side of the frame is left bottomless while the SIM card slot and the secondary microphone lie at the top edge. The smartphone’s earpiece doubles up as a stereo speaker.

As you’d expect with a Samsung offering, the Galaxy S23 FE’s display is one of the best in its segment. It gets a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X unit with a 120Hz refresh rate. This display can reach a peak brightness of 1,450 nits under direct sunlight, which is an improvement over the Galaxy S21 FE. In comparison, the entry-level Galaxy S23 can reach 1,750 nits. The touch response and fluidity of this display are as good as its flagship counterpart. Scrolling through the interface and switching between different apps is a seamless experience. The display registers even the faintest of touches and its touch response rate is unmatched in this price segment.

Consuming Full HD content on this display is a very enjoyable experience. The videos pack a lot of detail and are tuned to perfect in terms of contrast and dynamic range. The 1,080 x 2,340p resolution is not the highest we’ve seen in this segment, but the image optimisation on this display does not make you feel like you’re missing out on anything. Surprisingly, there is no HDR support for Netflix on this smartphone. This is certainly not ideal, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for us.

The only complaint we have is with the thickness of the bezels surrounding the display. Samsung loyalists will know what we’re talking about as this issue is prevalent across every series bar the flagship S23 lineup. The bezels on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE get thicker around the chin, which is certainly not ideal given the smartphone’s price tag and costs it some brownie points in our review.

On the bright side, the smartphone gets an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. While we didn’t dunk the device in a glass of water, it was unfazed by minor splashes and light rainfall. Samsung claims that the S23 FE is water resistant up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review: Performance and Cameras

The Galaxy S23 FE gets Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2200 SoC inside it. While this 4nm process chipset is an upgrade over the Exynos 2100 on the S21 FE and the Exynos 1380 on Samsung’s 2023 midranger, Galaxy A54, it has some pretty significant flaws. And yes, they are directly related to the smartphone’s thermal management.

On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE performs decently, scoring 1,379 points on the single-core test and 3,606 points on the multi-core test on the Geekbench 6 app. However, in everyday use, the smartphone runs a little warm even while carrying out the most basic of tasks. We noticed the temperature of the phone rose after taking a few photographs under direct sunlight. The device warmed up even more drastically while recording 8K resolution videos. Heating issues aside, we did not come across any unwanted lags or stutters while using the smartphone. Routine tasks like web browsing, media playback, instant messaging, and video calling were handled with expertise.

There is some bad news for gamers, however. The thermal management issues become even more prominent while playing games like BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile. It takes around 10-15 minutes of gameplay for the smartphone to warm up. Not something you’d expect of a device in this price range. While we didn’t experience any major stuttering or frame drops during gameplay, the fluidity and seamlessness we were expecting were not delivered by the smartphone.

OS duties on the S23 FE are handled by Android 13 and One UI 5.1. There is a hint of bloatware in the form of Netflix, Facebook, Spotify, and a bunch of Microsoft apps. The good news is that the smartphone gets flagship-exclusive features like Samsung DeX and Knox security. On top of that, you also get privacy features like Secure Folder and Private Share. One UI also offers some cool video call effects, which allow users to change their background to a monochromatic colour, blur, or a different image on WhatsApp, Google Meet, and Facebook calls. Samsung promises 4 years of major OS upgrades and 5 years of security upgrades that are only surpassed by Google on the newest Pixel 8 series.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE offers a pretty standard one-day battery cover. After a day of moderate to heavy usage, we were left with a 15-18% charge. With 25W charging support, the 4,500mAh battery takes just under an hour to fully charge.

The camera performance of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE blows almost every smartphone in this category out of the water, as you’ll find out in this review. This is largely due to the updated 50MP main sensor which is also found on the flagship Galaxy S23. Images taken in outdoor conditions using the primary shooter were tuned to perfection. They displayed an excellent dynamic range, balanced contrast, and vibrant colours without coming across as too overprocessed. We were pleased with the way the sky was exposed in the images. Objects in the background were captured with an adequate level of detail.

The 12MP ultrawide camera surprised us with the way it retained the colour composition within the images. While the pictures feel a bit softer, they do not appear washed out at all. The same cannot be said about most of the smartphones in this price segment. You can rely on the Galaxy S23 FE’s ultrawide lens to take solid shots under ideal daylight conditions. The 8MP telephoto lens is a good addition to the smartphone’s camera array. The 3X optical zoom produces good results. Even with 5X zoom, there is no significant drop in image quality.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE continues its stellar camera performance in limited lighting conditions as well. The handy night mode gets rid of the grain in the images and does a great job of artificially lighting up the subject. The camera app also has a Portrait Mode which takes great shots of the subject up close. The camera can intelligently separate the subject from the background and apply the optimum level of blur.

Another significant upgrade to the S23 FE’s camera is the ability to record videos in 8K. While the camera may warm up if you’re shooting in 8K under direct sunlight, the result is absolutely worth it. The smartphone can also record 4K videos at 30fps. The 10MP selfie camera up front takes good quality selfie shots without overcorrecting the skin tone and texture. It is capable of recording 4K videos at 30fps as well.

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Conclusion

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE has all the makings of a flagship killer. It rocks one of the best display units in the segment while delivering the camera performance that matches the Galaxy S23 flagship. The only letdown is the Exynos 2200 SoC, which falls a little short in managing the smartphone’s heat levels. Having said that, if you’re not interested in power-intensive tasks like photo editing or gaming, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE’s design, display, and camera performance may sway you in its favour. 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: Pros

• Excellent display
• Flagship-grade primary camera
• Glass back

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: Cons

• Warms up easily
• Bezels are slightly thicker around the chin

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