Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: everything we know so far and what we… – Android Authority

Samsung hasn’t had the most consistent relationship with its Galaxy S Fan Edition line. Since the launch of the Galaxy S20 FE model in 2020 to much fanfare, the company has only released one other FE phone, namely the much less well-received Galaxy S21 FE. While Samsung originally planned to supplement its flagship Galaxy S series with a new affordable model every year, it conveniently gave the Galaxy S22 FE a pass. We never even got a reason from Samsung to cancel the S22 FE. However, the company reportedly failed to execute its plans due to the global chip shortage.

Now, new rumors have once again raised hopes for Samsung’s Fan Edition. The Galaxy S23 FE is reportedly in the works to replace one of Samsung’s A-series devices. Will the company resurrect the glory of the Galaxy S20 FE? Or will it completely ignore the 2023 FE phone? Here’s everything we know about the Galaxy S23 FE.

If rumors are to be believed, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE will replace what would be the Galaxy A74 to join the current Galaxy S23 lineup. It would have been the highest-end A-series phone to launch globally in 2023, following last year’s Galaxy A73, which introduced 108MP cameras to the lineup.

Despite many rumors surrounding the Galaxy S22 FE last year, Samsung finally ditched the phone. Of course, the same fate could befall the S23 FE. Roland Quandt from Winfuture – a reporter with a fairly good track record of revealing information before it’s announced – took to Twitter recently to say, “it sure doesn’t look like there’s going to be an S23 FE this year.”

Meanwhile, a little-known Korean publication called SisaJournal has publicly stated that Samsung is indeed planning to launch the Galaxy S23 FE in the fourth quarter of this year. That would give it a launch time anywhere between October and December 2023. However, we wouldn’t believe it too much as we can’t guarantee the media’s credibility.

So, for now, the existence of the Galaxy S23 FE is still up in the air. We’ll have to wait for Samsung to give us an official confirmation, but that could happen just as the phone is launching. That’s if a Galaxy S23 FE comes out at all.

• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE — September 23, 2020
• Samsung Galaxy S21 FE — January 11, 2022

As you can see from the previous launch dates of Samsung’s Fan Edition phones, there is no set timeframe for the release of a new FE model by the company. The scattered nature of previous FE launches tells us nothing about the release date of the Galaxy S23 FE. There’s the Q4 launch prediction by the Korean publication we mentioned above. Another Korean outlet, Hankooki, reported that Samsung may be planning to launch the Galaxy S23 FE as early as August or September. However, the phone’s undecided fate gives us little to no hope of predicting a concrete release schedule.

We’ll keep an eye out for more Galaxy S23 FE launch rumors and update this article with any potential release information.

Design

Fan Edition phones generally take design cues from the higher-end Galaxy S series. Although there are no leaked renders or images of the Galaxy S23 FE yet, we expect it to closely resemble the Galaxy S23 phones, especially the vanilla model. Of course, there’s always a chance the company could do something different, but we doubt the S23 FE will deviate much from the design principles of the S23 series.

Without more reliable information, it’s hard to say what the Galaxy S23 FE will look like. One thing we know for sure is that if the phone exists, we’ll surely see it leak before it’s officially announced.

One of the main selling points of the series has been its affordability, paired with the same processor you get on more high-end Samsung flagships. It’s possible that Samsung decided to downgrade the Galaxy S23 FE’s processor to cut costs and possibly give customers a device that doesn’t pinch their pockets.

We have already mentioned a summary report from a Korean publication on the launch of the S23 FE in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, most of the other phone rumors come from the same source. The most important piece of information the outlet claims to know is that the phone will feature the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor that powered the S22 series. The chip was mired in power efficiency and sustained performance issues, so this could be a disappointment for those hoping the S23 FE will be a powerful flagship alternative to the S23 series.

Elsewhere, the aforementioned publication also claims that the Galaxy S23 FE will feature a triple-camera setup and a 120Hz OLED display.

Watch this space for more as leaks reveal new things about the Galaxy S23 FE.

According SisaJournal, the Galaxy S23 FE is expected to be priced around 20-30% cheaper than the $799 Galaxy S23 base model with 256GB of storage. That would make the price of the S23 FE somewhere between $560 and $640.

Again, we advise you to take this information with a generous dose of salt. Nothing can be said for sure about the Galaxy S23 FE until more credible sources come forward to spill the beans on the phone.

A chip no older than the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1

There were several issues with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, ranging from power consumption to overheating issues. Samsung should avoid the chip and opt for a newer SoC. We wouldn’t mind the slightly older Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 at all. It is much more efficient than Gen 1 thanks to TSMC’s superior manufacturing node compared to chips like the 8 Gen 1 produced by Samsung’s foundry.

Camera upgrades

The Galaxy S23 FE is long overdue for a camera update. The photographic skills of the S21 FE did not impress as it featured the same basic capabilities as the S20 FE. We really hope Samsung moves on from the aged main + 12MP ultra-wide shooters and the useless 8MP telephoto sensor it featured on the previous Fan Edition phone. It would be great if the company could match the camera setup of the standard Galaxy S23 model or at least retain the larger pixel size and improved AI photography skills of devices like the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

More RAM

The Galaxy S21 FE offered a paltry 6GB of RAM on the base model. We hope Samsung increases this to at least 8GB so multitasking and opening heavy apps won’t be a problem on the Galaxy S23 FE.

Do you have any Galaxy S23 FE leaks to share with us? Send us a tip, and we’ll be sure to check it out.