The Galaxy S23 FE might be the best Samsung phone many of us can't have. And that's a real shame, but it is a reality that millions of potential Galaxy S23 FE buyers in Europe are facing.
Samsung has released this year's Fan Edition phone in several markets, including the USA and numerous countries in Asia. However, the Galaxy S23 FE is not yet available in Europe, and fans in this region will have to wait until 2024.
Thankfully, we got a Galaxy S23 FE review unit early on and spent about a week with the device before Samsung announced it. Thanks to this, we were able to write our full Galaxy S23 FE review and shoot our hands-on and review videos based on those experiences.
Story continues after our Galaxy S23 FE review video
While we are happy that we could create this content for our readers and YouTube subscribers, many SamMobile members who are based in Europe are disappointed that there is no Galaxy S23 FE in sight, and that the phone likely won't hit the shelves in Europe before 2024.
It certainly feels like Europeans drew the short straw and were left behind. Think about it… Not only does the Galaxy S23 FE feature the Exynos 2200 chip in Europe instead of the better Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, but Europeans also have to wait for months before we can even buy the inferior version.
Is there a silver lining to this late Galaxy S23 release in Europe?
Something good might come of this massively staggered Fan Edition release, but only if Samsung wants to do right by Galaxy S23 FE customers in Europe.
Because the Galaxy S23 FE probably won't hit the shelves before 2024 (according to Samsung's fine print), chances are that Android 14 and One UI 6.0 will already be available for the Galaxy S23 FE by the time the phone goes on sale across the old continent.
Samsung already promised four Android OS upgrades for the Galaxy S23 FE, and if the device ships to Europe late enough to run Android 14, then it might receive support throughout Android 18 instead of losing support after Android 17.
That is, of course, if Samsung wants to make up for the delay. The company could also sneakily release the phone in Europe running Android 13 and provide a day-one Android 14 update.
Or maybe Samsung will mess up more and delay One UI 6.0 for customers in the USA and Asia until the Galaxy S23 FE reaches Europe. However, we doubt this will be the case. Judging by Samsung's roadmap, One UI 6.0 has been scheduled to go live on the Galaxy S23 FE this month.
So, in the best-case scenario, given this delayed release for Europe, the Galaxy S23 FE might get an extra OS upgrade to Android 18. In the worst-case scenario, European FE buyers will get the phone late, an Exynos 2200 chip, and a day-one One UI 6.0 update that will invalidate one of the promised four OS upgrades.
As much as we like the Galaxy S23 FE for what it is, this European release has left a lot to be desired. Needless to say, we're not thrilled with how Samsung is handling the S23 FE's launch in this market and how it might affect long-term Android support.
If you don't have to worry about any of this and are in a region where Samsung has already released the Galaxy S23 FE, you can get one by hitting the Buy button below.
