Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review: Should you buy it?

A quick glance will tell you the Galaxy S23 FE is a Galaxy S phone — Samsung just cut a couple of corners to keep the price down. It’s got the same general shape, camera design, and button placement as the other S23 phones. Like those devices, the S23 FE has an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass on both the front and back. However, it’s Gorilla Glass 5 instead of the latest Victus 2, as seen on the S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra. It’s a well built phone overall that feels good in the hand, but it’s a shame we’re not getting more modern Corning glass when the similarly-priced Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 both have first-gen Victus protection.

One place you’ll notice the cut corners is, well, the corners. There’s a lot more space around the screen on this phone compared to the more expensive S23 phones. This wasted space makes the device larger than it needs to be — the S23 FE has a 6.4-inch display, but it’s slightly larger and heavier than the Galaxy S23 Plus with its 6.6-inch screen. I was also far more aware of the front-facing camera. There’s a reflective ring around the lens, which makes it stand out from the surrounding screen. That’s not the case with the other S23 phones. You also get stereo speakers (one bottom-firing and the other in the earpiece) that sound passable. There’s essentially no bass, but the sound is crisp until you push the volume almost to the max.

The OLED panel itself isn’t quite up to the standard set by the other members of the S23 family, but that’s not surprising, as displays are one of the most expensive smartphone components. The resolution is still good at 1,080 x 2,340, and the FE retains a 120Hz refresh rate. However, the brightness tops out at 1,450 nits, several hundred lower than the Galaxy S23. The S23 FE’s screen does look more dim and reflective outdoors compared to the more expensive models, but it’s still readable. There’s also a fingerprint sensor under the display, but it’s not the fancy ultrasonic variety. Instead, it’s a cheaper optical sensor. The speed is fine, but I saw more false negatives than most other phones I’ve tested with optical sensors.

In day-to-day use, the S23 FE felt more than fast enough to me. It’s running a flagship processor, but it’s not the latest model, with Samsung instead sticking with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from the Galaxy S22 series. The Gen 1 is still a very fast chip, at least at first. We already know from our extensive testing that this processor tends to overheat under sustained load, causing performance to tank. In a 20-minute 3DMark Wild Life GPU stress test, the S23 FE shed almost half of its speed due to thermal throttling. Qualcomm addressed this drawback with the TSMC-made Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 in mid-2022, but Samsung opted for the hotter (and probably cheaper) chip for the S23 FE.

The Galaxy S23 FE comes out of the box with Android 13 and One UI 5.1, the same software that runs on the other S23 devices. This phone has a capable processor, so Samsung didn’t have to skip any of its signature software features. You’ll find the DeX desktop mode (wireless and wired), multi-window, automatic hotspot, and more. Samsung’s Android software is more streamlined than it once was, but the menus are still cluttered, and there are some duplicative Samsung apps pre-loaded. There are also a few third-party apps like LinkedIn and Facebook that you may want to uninstall.

The Galaxy S23 FE will get the Android 14-based One UI 6 update as part of Samsung’s four-year OTA commitment, but it won’t get the update at the same time as other S23 phones. There’s a beta for Android 14 on the Galaxy S23 right now, but as the S23 FE runs a different chip, Samsung will have to develop a separate update. Nevertheless, Samsung’s update policy remains among the best in the business, albeit now behind Google in the Android world.

With a 4,500mAh battery, the S23 FE will make it through a day without trouble. I managed around five or six hours of screen time using the S23 FE heavily before it needed to go on the charger. The 25W wired charging isn’t particularly fast in 2023, but it’s the same you get on the base Galaxy S23 (which has a smaller battery). You have to step up to the Plus or Ultra to get 45W charging.

Samsung’s previous FE phones took a big step down in camera quality, but the S23 FE only loses a bit compared to the rest of the S23 lineup. The 50MP primary and 12MP ultrawide cameras are identical to the Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus, but the 3x telephoto steps down from 10MP to 8MP, and the selfie camera is 10MP instead of 12MP. Since you have the same primary sensor as the Galaxy S23, this phone shoots up to 8K video at 24 fps. It looks as good as the more expensive phone’s video, which is to say it’s better than the majority of Android phones.

Photos captured with the S23 FE’s primary and ultrawide cameras look as good as those shot on the Galaxy S23. The main camera bins shots to 12.5MP, captures images quickly, and retains good detail. However, the S23 FE seems a little more prone to over-brightening images, which blows out details in brighter areas. Zoom shots that use the telephoto camera can come out blurry if not shot in bright light, probably due to the lack of optical stabilization for that lens, which the more expensive S23 has. That said, very few phones in this price tier even have a dedicated telephoto lens.

You can check out full-res samples at this Drive link.

For $599, it’s hard to complain about what you get with the S23 FE. But while you can get the S23 FE for that price from Samsung’s carrier partners, Samsung is selling the device for $630. It’s still a good enough deal in spite of the arbitrary hike, but it’s also getting perilously close to the Pixel 8, which has an improved OLED display, Google’s more elegant take on Android, and captures better photos.

The S23 FE retails for $600-630, depending on where you buy it, and it’s not the only option in this near-flagship price range. Below are the top picks we’d suggest instead, but you can also head over to our dedicated S23 FE alternatives page to see more options.

• Samsung Galaxy S23 ($799 at Amazon): The Galaxy S23 is a better version of the S23 FE with a faster, cooler processor, slightly improved cameras, and narrower bezels. However, it costs $200 more.
• Google Pixel 8 ($699 at Amazon): Google offers a better camera experience on the Pixel 8, and the more elegant software will be kept up to date for an impressive seven years.
• Motorola Razr (2023) ($699.99 at Amazon): The Motorola Razr has a larger 6.9-inch OLED screen, and when you’re not using it, the phone folds in half. The camera isn’t as good, though.