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Samsung's Galaxy S23 FE could resemble the Galaxy S22 and not the S23 in one important way

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Aug 01, 2023, 9:40 AM

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Samsung's Galaxy S23 FE could resemble the Galaxy S22 and not the S23 in one important way

Do you remember where you were or what you were doing the first time you saw the Galaxy S23 FE name mentioned in a rumor or news story? Given that we're talking about something that probably happened more than a year ago, we think not, but despite all the time that's passed since then, there are incredibly still question marks lingering around Samsung's first Fan Edition device in over 18 months.

Luckily, the same super-reliable source that purportedly solved the primary camera mystery all the way back in May is seizing the limelight once again today to bring us one step closer to a complete (and credible) S23 FE spec sheet. Make that technically two steps, as the folks over at GalaxyClub in the Netherlands are revealing a somewhat surprising detail and a totally unsurprising one in their latest report (translated here) based on inside information.

Fewer megapixels, better selfie quality

Yes, that is very much possible in today's mobile industry, and in fact, it happens quite often for a seemingly inferior image sensor to produce superior and sometimes vastly superior real-world photography and videography performance.

On that note, we fully expect the Galaxy S23 FE's rumored 10MP front-facing camera to help you obtain clearer and prettier selfies compared to the 32MP snapper housed in the S21 FE's centered hole punch.

The S23 FE could share a 10MP selfie cam with the Galaxy S22 (pictured here).

That's because the S23 Fan Edition is likely to employ the same 10-megapixel sensor found on the front of last year's premium Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, which was obviously no pushover. The S22 Ultra, of course, used a 40MP selfie shooter that happened to be extremely capable both on paper and in real life, while this year's S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra all switched to a very solid 12MP front-facing sensor.

Although it's certainly a little disappointing to hear that the Galaxy S23 FE will not adopt the same selfie camera as the rest of the S23 family, we should probably focus on the positive and be glad that Samsung is (purportedly) planning an improvement in this area over the early 2022-released S21 FE.

Alas, that might not be the case for the S23 FE's secondary telephoto rear-facing camera, which sounds identical to the one on the S21 FE, with 8 megapixels in tow and 3x optical zoom capabilities. In contrast, the "vanilla" Galaxy S23, for instance, comes with a 10MP telephoto sensor on its back supporting the same 3x optical zoom technology.

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When is the Galaxy S23 FE coming out and what will it be all about?

Aside from these newly revealed tidbits, which are not exactly mouth-watering, we also "know" that the long-gestating sequel to the Galaxy S21 FE will substantially step things up in the main rear camera department with a 50MP sensor (probably borrowed from the S23 and S23+) while most likely packing a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor either stateside or worldwide.

Recently rendered as essentially a cross between the Galaxy S23 and mid-range Galaxy A54 5G (with a closer overall resemblance to the latter model), the S23 FE is all but guaranteed for an imminent official announcement.

This is (most likely) the S23 FE design.

How imminent? Well, we could totally see the handset go on sale, possibly alongside a similarly affordable Galaxy Tab S9 FE, as early as late this month or sometime in September.

Rumored to offer a relatively modest (by 2023 high-end standards) 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage in an entry-level configuration, the Galaxy S23 Fan Edition sounds like it will have to be very aggressively priced to take on the likes of Google's Pixel 7, OnePlus 10T, and Motorola Edge+ (2023), as well as the upcoming Pixel 8 in the "budget flagship" segment. A $500 or $550 starting price would probably do the trick, but it's still too early to make such predictions with any reasonable degree of confidence.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.