Galaxy S23 FE: Samsung’s Galaxy FE Series Arrives

Galaxy S23 FE: Samsung's Galaxy FE Series Arrives

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Buds FE hands-on [Video]

Video uploaded by Engadget on October 3, 2023

Samsung Galaxy FE Family of Phone, Tablet and Earbuds On a Counter

Samsung’s expanding its affordable FE range this year, with the company now introducing the cheaper version the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2.

We haven’t seen a new Galaxy FE phone since the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE launched in January 2022, and the label has never been used for tablets or earbuds before. Samsung has clearly rethought its lower-cost offerings, and we’re going to explain everything that’s new.

FE used to stand for Fan Edition, but apparently it’s not an acronym anymore – it’s just FE. The idea is to keep a lot of the quality and high specs of the flagship-level products, while keeping more of a mid-range price point. Here’s how the range breaks down…

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE has been rumored for a while, and now it’s here: the phone runs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor from 2021, and comes with either 128GB or 256GB of storage.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE has been rumored for a while, and now it’s here: the phone runs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor from 2021, and comes with either 128GB or 256GB of storage. You get a 6.4-inch display, plus three rear cameras – a triple-lens 50MP wide, a 12MP ultrawide and an 8MP telephoto camera. There’s also a 10MP camera selfie camera on the front.

Inside, there’s a 4,500 mAh battery which Samsung says “lasts from morning to night” – stay tuned for our review for confirmation. Your color options are Mint, Purple, Cream, or Graphite. As you’d expect, Android 13 is on board.

It’s really the pricing that’s most important in making these devices appealing, and the Samsung S23 FE will retail for $599.99 / £599 / AU$999 (128GB) (UK pricing coming soon). That compares to a starting price of $799.99 / £849 / AU$1,349 for the standard Samsung Galaxy S23 with 128GB of storage.

With Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 shielding the front and back, Galaxy S23 FE is built to last. An IP68 rating means your device is water and dust resistant for extra durability.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 only launched in August, so Samsung has been quick in getting an FE version out. The big surprise is that the tablets are IP68 certified for water resistance. That means you can take them to the pool and they can survive a brief dip (be careful with saltwater, though). There are very few tablets that are built with this durability spec.

There are actually two models available: a 10.9-inch (2304 x 1440 pixel) Tab S9 FE, and a 12.4-inch (2560 x 1600 pixel) Tab S9 FE Plus. The larger FE Plus model will have Wi-Fi, of course, but the smaller model will have a 5G option.

A Samsung Exynos 1380 chipset is powering both models, and both come with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. The Plus model offers 8GB or 12GB or RAM with its storage options, as opposed to 6GB or 8GB on the smaller model. It also has a larger battery – 10,090 mAh rather than 8,000 mAh.

There are actually two models available: a 10.9-inch (2304 x 1440 pixel) Tab S9 FE, and a 12.4-inch (2560 x 1600 pixel) Tab S9 FE Plus.

Last but not least, we have the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE, offering “sound that suits you perfectly” in the words of Samsung. Available in graphite or white, these mid-range buds offer six hours of battery life with automatic noise cancelling on, or 9 hours with ANC off. The case boosts those figures up to 21 hours and 30 hours respectively.

There’s the ambient sound mode we’ve seen on other Samsung Galaxy Buds, allowing you to still hear important external sounds, and Auto Switch for quickly switching between different audio source devices (as long as they’re made by Samsung).