Analysis: Why the Galaxy S23 FE is nothing to cheer fans about

Last week was the Galaxy S23 FE presented, the Fan Edition, offers the virtues of the top model at a probably lower price. The problem, however, is that Samsung does not want to bring the new smartphone onto the market in this country until spring 2024. The price? Still unknown, but probably a bit too high.

With the Galaxy S23 FE wants Samsung to make fans of the series happy again with selected features from the upper class. The only question is when that will happen and whether it will still be worth buying Samsung’s newest member of the Galaxy S family by then or whether it would make more sense to buy an older, supposedly worse smartphone that is below Dash is the better choice.

Presented in October, not available until 2024

The background is the frankly rather strange market launch of the Galaxy S23 FE – at least in Germany. In the USA, it was presented on October 4th Smartphone can already be ordered at a price of around 600 US dollars before taxes, but it will not come onto the market in this country until spring 2024. If you calculate conservatively, even before additional taxes that apply in Germany are taken into account, you can expect a price in this country of at least around 675 euros including VAT. The Samsung launched Galaxy S21 FE in January 2021 for 749 euros on the market, so you can expect more for the Galaxy S23 FE.

Samsung itself has better smartphones

The only problem is that you can get significantly better smartphones for this money, even from Samsung itself. A Galaxy S23 is currently from 685 euros to get the Galaxy S22, which is a year older from 559 euros and the Galaxy S22+ from 744 euros. Why should you spend the same money on the ultimately stripped-down fan edition of a top model when you could also get the flagship itself?

The Galaxy S23 FE doesn’t close any gaps

Samsung argues that the Galaxy S23 FE with its 6.4-inch display closes the gap between the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+, which come in at 6.1 inches and 6.6 inches. The statement is not untrue based purely on the screen size, but it assumes that an interested party is actually looking for a device in exactly this gap and in return wants cuts in the display (no LTPO OLED), processor (no Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) or camera ( other sensors).

However, the argument does not hold when the absolute dimensions are considered. With a 6.4-inch display, a Galaxy S23 FE may be smaller than the Galaxy S23+ or Galaxy S22+, but both Plus models are slightly smaller overall, even though they have 6.6-inch screens.

Further price developments are expected

The high probability that a Galaxy S23 or Galaxy S22+ will have fallen further in price in three months, when the Galaxy S23 FE is expected to launch in Germany, has not yet been taken into account in the equation, making life even more difficult for the newcomer becomes. A Galaxy S22+ is already the better choice today, what will things look like for the FE after another quarter of a year?

The Galaxy S23 FE depends on its price and availability, and the signs are already bad on both counts. Samsung fans should not choose the Fan Edition, but rather one of the regular models from the Galaxy S series.