Samsung has announced its new Fan Edition smartphone today, and we can say right off the bat that it's already shaping up to become a good upgrade proposition for Galaxy S20 FE users. The Galaxy S23 FE seems to tick all the right boxes, and a lot has changed for the better since the S20 FE was originally released three years ago.
One of the most striking upgrades consists of the Galaxy S23 FE's design. The new Fan Edition model has a Gorilla Glass 5 back panel and an aluminum frame, which makes it heavier and sturdier than the 2020 model. It's also rocking the 2023 design language with flat panels and three circular cutouts for the rear-facing cameras. And don't worry; the IP68 rating is still present.
Another significant upgrade for the Galaxy S23 FE is the newer chipset(s). The phone sports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in some markets and the Exynos 2200 SoC in others. But no matter which version we look at, it offers way better performance than the Galaxy S20 FE's Exynos 990 or Snapdragon 865 5G chips.
The Exynos 990 SoC was rather problematic, and even if the newer Exynos 2200 doesn't have a great reputation, it seems to be working brilliantly on our test S23 FE unit so far. Samsung ironed out the kinks in its Exynos 2200 SoC, and the Galaxy S23 FE is bound to offer a significant performance boost over the S20 FE.
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New software features, better cameras, and more
Naturally, the Galaxy S23 FE ships with Android 13 and One UI 5.1, and will benefit from four OS upgrades. Meanwhile, Android 13 is the last upgrade for the Galaxy S20 FE. But there's more to it than that. The Galaxy S23 FE also benefits from more advanced features such as Samsung DeX and Vision Booster.
The Galaxy S23 FE also comes with an upgraded camera system featuring a 50MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The 2023 model is capable of 8K video recording and has many camera bells and whistles you'd find on a modern flagship, like 2x portrait crop and the full version of Director's View.
Samsung has priced the new Galaxy S23 FE at $599, and the phone is set to hit the shelves on October 5. Is it a worthy upgrade for Galaxy S20 FE users? We'd say so. You can check out our spec comparison sheet below for additional hardware details.
Samsung
Galaxy S23 FE
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Samsung
Galaxy S20 FE
Samsung
Galaxy S20 FE 5G
General Information
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Model Name
Galaxy S23 FE
Galaxy S20 FE
Galaxy S20 FE 5G
-
Model type
Bar
Bar
Bar
-
Colors
Mint ()Cream ()Graphite ()Purple ()Indigo ()Tangerine ()
Navy (Cloud Navy)Red (Cloud Red)White (Cloud White)Lavender (Cloud Lavender)Mint (Cloud Mint)Orange (Cloud Orange)
Navy (Cloud Navy)Red (Cloud Red)White (Cloud White)Lavender (Cloud Lavender)Mint (Cloud Mint)Orange (Cloud Orange)
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Announced
2023, October
2020, September
2020, September
-
Released
2023, October
2020, October
2020, October
Physical specifications
-
Dimensions
Bar: 158 x 76.5 x 8.2 mm
Bar: 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm
Bar: 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm
-
Weights
209g
190g
190g
-
IP rating
IP68
IP68
IP68
Operating system
-
Operating system
Android 13
Android 11
Android 10
-
One UI version
One UI 5.1
3.0
2.5
Networks
-
SIM
Dual SIM model
Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)
Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot)
-
SIM card sizes
Nano-SIM (4FF)
Nano-SIM (4FF)
Nano-SIM (4FF)
-
Networks
2G3G4G5G
2G3G4G
2G3G4G5G
-
eSIM support
Yes
No
No
Display
-
Kind
Main Display
-
Name
Infinity-O Display
Infinity-O Display
Infinity-O Display
-
Technology
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Super AMOLED Display
Super AMOLED Display
-
Size
6.4 inch / 162.6 mm
6.5 inch / 165.1 mm
6.5 inch / 165.1 mm
-
Resolution
FHD+ / 2340x1080 pixels
FHD+ / 2400x1080 pixels
FHD+ / 2400x1080 pixels
-
Pixel density
411 PPI
407 PPI
407 PPI
-
Screen to body ratio
~84.8%
~84.8%
-
Refresh rate
120Hz
120Hz
