This time, we’ve got a two-fer review, marking the return of Samsung’s Fan Edition devices with the Galaxy S23 FE and Galaxy Buds FE after a brief hiatus in 2022.
The S23 FE is a smartphone that marked two big firsts for me: using an in-display fingerprint reader and really diving into what the Samsung DeX experience has to offer. Despite having heard for years that under-screen fingerprint sensors are sluggish and inconsistent, Samsung appears to have bucked that trend, with the S23 FE having snappy unlocks and rarely failing to properly detect my finger.
The productivity it offers with DeX is also pretty outstanding, especially if you’re after word processing, general use of Microsoft Office apps, and web browsing – I even wrote part of this review using DeX! In theory, some light gaming is possible in DeX mode, though an external controller is recommended since touch controls don’t exactly translate seamlessly to the mouse and keyboard.
The S23 FE is still a flagship-tier smartphone despite the lower price, with an Exynos 2200 processor offering a snappy experience alongside creature comforts like a 120Hz refresh rate display and IP68 water and dust resistance. Though Exynos chips have previously resulted in reports of overheating and lower benchmark scores, I didn’t face issues during my gaming tests.
The device’s 6.4in Amoled 2X display sits between the Galaxy S23 and S23+ in size and looks good to boot, with rich colours and a maximum brightness level that makes it more than usable outdoors.
Moving on to the triple camera setup, the S23 FE has a 50-megapixel main wide sensor, a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, and an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor capable of 3x optical zoom. Photos taken with the 50-megapixel camera had noticeably more detail, but in practice, the size of images taken using the sensor can range from about double to triple that of those from the other sensors.
The selfie camera uses a 10-megapixel sensor, performing decently enough in portrait mode with nice digital bokeh effects, though people with messier hair (like myself) may notice some awkward blurring depending on the effect’s intensity.
Aesthetically, the smartphone looks much closer to the S23 and S23+ than the S23 Ultra, with sharper bezels and a grey-silver outer rim. Differing from the mainline S23 devices, which had Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the FE model uses Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back, which should still provide ample protection. However, the display bezels felt noticeably thicker than what I am used to, although they provide better grip.
Alternatively, you can buy now and be protected by a 1-year warranty for the device.
