The launch of the Galaxy S23 FE is imminent at this point. According to mysmartprice, it is expected to be launched on October 26th. In contrast, the Galaxy S24 series will be launched in early February 2024. So, if you are planning to get a new phone with a preference for Samsung, should you wait for the galaxy S24? Let’s see if the S23 FE is worth your money.
Expected price
Galaxy S24 (8, 256GB) – $800
Note: The predecessor, Galaxy S23, has two different storage variants; the 128GB variant costs $800. Samsung reportedly upgrades the storage to 256GB as a minimum for the Galaxy S24 series. Although it’s reported to be priced the same as last year, the Galaxy S24 may cost $840-860, keeping parity with the 256GB variant of its predecessor (S23 256GB – $860).
S23 FE (8, 256GB) – $689 USD (expected)
S23 FE (8, 128GB) – $599 USD (expected)
Key differences
The Galaxy S24 has some obvious advantages over the Galaxy S23 FE, but it also costs more. Additionally, you will have to wait until February next year for the Galaxy S24.
So let’s discuss what instructive benefits you get with the S24, in case that makes sense for you.
Build and design
The Galaxy S24 houses a more premium build with a flat aluminum frame and matte glass back. Unlike the slightly rounded sides of the S23 lineup, the Galaxy S24 is going to follow the design steps of Apple. However, going completely flat from the slightly rounded design might not be a good decision and here’s the reason why. And also, the stronger titanium build is reserved for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, similar to the case with the iPhone 15 models.
In contrast, the Galaxy S23 FE houses a softer aluminum frame with a plastic back. Both devices are also inspired by Apple’s flat display design language. More about the displays a bit down the line.
Significant in this context, the Ultra model is going to ditch it’s signature curved display and follow the trend. However, renders show significantly thicker bezels on the S24 Ultra, pretty much comparable to the Galaxy A34, which is neither the industry standard nor a trend in the flagship space. It is kind of a big deal because the bezels contribute a lot to the overall appearance of the device.
Nonetheless, we are still months away from the launch and these are renders based on leaks, so we will have to wait a bit more for confirmation.
You need Performance?
This is another aspect where the price difference is reflected.
The Galaxy S23 FE will be powered by the Exynos 2200 chip in selected regions alongside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from the Galaxy S22 series. In contrast, the Galaxy S24 is powered by Exynos 2400 or Snapdragon 8 Gen3, depending on your region.
Yes, Exynos makes a comeback to the Galaxy S lineup even earlier than they initially indicated. And here’s the reason why Samsung is pushing Exynos.
So, for ~$800, you get better performance from the 8 Gen 3 chipset with the Galaxy S24. And as Exynos has been improving since the Exynos 2100, it’s expected that the Exynos 2400 on the Galaxy S24 will let you perform better than the Exynos 2200 on the S23 FE, which also costs nearly $680.
I would recommend waiting for the S24 if performance is something you need.
Cameras
The Galaxy S23 FE has very similar cameras to the Galaxy S24 on paper, i.e., a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto camera, and a very similar selfie camera (on paper).
However, the actual outcome will no doubt be better on the Galaxy S24, as it depends on the software processing algorithms, which are better tuned for the more premium Galaxy S series flagship, aka the Galaxy S24.
Battery life is different
The Galaxy S23 FE runs on a bigger 4500mAh battery, in contrast to the 4000mAh stacked battery of the Galaxy S24.
But battery life does not always follow the rule of capacity. The 8 Gen 3 on the Galaxy S24 is a lot more power-efficient than even the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 variant of the Galaxy S23 FE, which was fabricated by Samsung as opposed to TSMC.
The Galaxy S24’s Exynos 2400 also reportedly brings power efficiency improvements over the Exynos 2200, which will power the S23 FE. So, the difference in battery life may not be as significant as the battery capacity suggests, if not the reverse.
I will show you an example.
Here you can see that the S23 still had 27% battery left, which is equivalent to 1053mAh. But the battery capacities are 3900mAh for the S23 and 3700mAh for the S22, that means only 200mAh extra capacity. So, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is consuming a lot less power compared to the Samsung Foundry-fabricated Exynos 2200.
The same trend is expected to be seen between the Galaxy S23 FE and the Galaxy S24. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on the Galaxy S24 will likely outperform the S23 FE’s Exynos 2200 in terms of power efficiency, and the 500mAh extra capacity of the S23 FE won’t even matter. The flip side is thermal management, which will also be better on the Galaxy S24.
Summary
The Galaxy S24 definitely brings more value despite being costlier. If you can wait until February and can extend your budget, absolutely go for the S24 series.
However, if you want to save some money, and your use cases don’t require the highest available performance, then you can consider the Galaxy S23 FE. The Galaxy S23 FE should be fine for lightweight to moderate tasks, with decent battery life and camera performance for the price.
We are still months away from the S24 lineup, and the Galaxy S23 is also better than the S23FE for the most part. So it brings the question – Is the Galaxy S23 still a better choice than the S23 FE?
