OPINION: After a two-month wait following its early October announcement, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is formally available for purchase within the UK – but it surely’s just a bit too late for the telephone to be the smash hit Samsung undoubtedly envisioned.
For these unfamiliar with Samsung’s FE branding, it stands for Fan Version. It’s primarily Samsung’s means of selling extra budget-friendly variations of premium merchandise just like the flagship Samsung Galaxy S23, although it’s actually not the primary Samsung product to get the remedy.
We’ve seen it earlier than with the Galaxy S21 FE, and we’ve additionally seen the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Buds FE seem extra not too long ago. All provide a broadly related look to the premium tech they’re making an attempt to emulate, and even embrace most of the identical core specs, however, in fact, there are compromises to assist carry the worth down.
In relation to the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, the telephone appears to be like and feels identical to the flagship with its minimalistic design and glass and aluminium physique, though the 120Hz AMOLED show is a contact bigger at 6.4 inches and the bezels are ever so barely thicker.
It sports activities the identical foremost 50MP and 12MP ultrawide cameras because the flagship, together with an 8MP 3x telephoto rather than the 12MP various. Though it doesn’t sport the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, the Exynos 2200 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 ship strong on a regular basis efficiency that outpaces a lot of the mid-range competitors.
Whereas I’m nonetheless not a large fan of the Exynos/Snapdragon break up that Samsung typically employs, the compromises throughout the S23 FE are fairly negligible. Even with the decrease decision telephoto lens, it stays one in all few mid-rangers with a devoted zoom lens, and components like Gorilla Glass 5 are extra widespread on the mid-range worth level too.
Throw in a premium glass and aluminium design, a high-end show and IP68 mud and water resistance and also you’ve obtained a recipe for a aggressive mid-ranger, proper?
That may’ve been a convincing sure if not for the Galaxy S23 FE’s greatest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S23.
“However how can the S23 be a competitor when the FE is designed as a less expensive model of the telephone?” I hear you cry. Reader, it’s all concerning the timing of the S23 FE’s launch.
You see, the Samsung Galaxy S23 was first revealed on 1 February 2023, with launch following on 17 February 2023. That signifies that the S23 has been on sale for simply shy of 10 months at this level, and with 2024 drawing ever nearer, it’s seemingly that we’re not too removed from the reveal of the next-gen Galaxy S24 vary.
As you’re effectively conscious, smartphones are likely to drop in worth the longer they’re accessible – and that, in fact, is true of the Samsung Galaxy S23. Whereas its preliminary £849/$799 price ticket put it comfortably in flagship territory, the identical can’t be mentioned in December 2023.
In reality, taking a look at Amazon product worth tracker Keepa, we will see that the Galaxy S23 has already dropped beneath the £599 asking worth of the Galaxy S23 FE, right down to as little as £546 in current months. It’s £599 at Amazon proper now.
If you will get the full-fat flagship S23 for a similar and even lower than the price range model of the identical telephone, what’s the purpose within the latter?
If Samsung had launched the Galaxy S23 FE alongside the flagship S23 earlier this yr, or even when it appeared a number of months after, it could’ve been a totally totally different story. The common S23 would’ve nonetheless been near its unique RRP, making the S23 FE appear like an actual steal.
However, in late 2023 with Galaxy S23 offers aplenty, the S23 FE doesn’t do sufficient to justify its existence. And that’s an actual disgrace. Possibly Samsung ought to launch the S24 FE a bit earlier subsequent yr…