As you may already know, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is coming in the third quarter of this year. Being a part of the FE lineup, it will be a no-nonsense member of the Galaxy S23 series. In other words, like the predecessor, it aims to offer the most bang for the buck.
However, it appears that all the regions will not get the same Galaxy S23 FE. Geekbench and official website listings confirmed that the device will have two different versions. One of them will come with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, while the other will feature Exynos 2200.
That said, as the US version of the Galaxy S23 FE is coming with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, it’s quite obvious who Samsung is targeting with this release. Yes, it’s the recently launched Nothing Phone (2)!
About the Two Versions of Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
Before getting into how the phone will compare against the Nothing Phone (2), let’s look at the versions closely. So, according to Geekbench and official website listings, you will find the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE in two model numbers. The first is SM-S711B, and the second is SM-S711U1. Here, the second one is likely a US-exclusive model. Curious about knowing how?
If you look at past releases, Samsung has offered Exynos versions everywhere other than the US. This frustrated users in other regions as the Snapdragon version performs better than the Exynos variant. Now, on paper, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE’s Exynos 2200 chipset should perform similarly to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
However, there’s a difference in terms of energy efficiency. The Exynos 2200, which is the same chipset found in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, is from Samsung’s 4nm manufacturing process. On the other hand, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is based on TSMC’s 4nm process. Even though the process is the same, TSMC’s process is superior in efficiency.
This is the reason why the Exynos 2200 could not keep up with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 US version of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. And we are bound to see the same happening with the Galaxy S23 FE versions as Samsung did not refine its 4nm process.
That said, the good news is that the Geekbench listings showed that the other specs of the Galaxy S23 FE versions are the same. This means the camera, display, battery, and other hardware will be the same regardless of where you pick the phone from.
Analysis: How Will the US Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Compare Against the Nothing Phone (2)?
Nothing Phone (2), which has just been released, comes with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. This is the main highlight of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE US version, as the Geekbench listing has disclosed that the SM-S711U1 will come with the same chipset.
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As a result, both the Nothing Phone (2) and the US version of Samsung Galaxy S23 FE will offer similar performance. The big differences may lie in terms of camera and batteries. As you might already know, Nothing Phone (2) features a 50MP primary and 50MP ultrawide on the back.
Camera Comparison
While there’s no official information about the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE camera setup, a May report suggests that we will see a 50MP camera on the back. This will make the primary sensor of the phone comparable to Nothing Phone (2) ‘s main sensor.
However, the secondary sensors of the S23 FE are said to be identical to those found in the regular S22 and S21 models. That means we might see 10MP and 12MP units on the back of the upcoming Galaxy phone release.
Now, if Samsung indeed releases the phones with those sensors, the Nothing Phone (2) will be the winner in terms of the camera as it has a 50MP secondary camera on the back.
Battery Comparison
According to a recent official battery certification, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE will bring a 4500mAH battery. And this official certification has also confirmed that the phone will bring 25W fast charging. In comparison, the Nothing Phone (2) features a 4700mAh battery, meaning that it will offer better battery life than the S23 FE.
Additionally, the Nothing Phone (2) sports 45W fast charging. Compared to the Samsung S23 FE’s battery, 45W fast charging will offer lower charging time. In other words, the Nothing Phone (2) will charge faster than the S23 FE.
But It Will All Boil Down to the Price
Marginally better secondary cameras and battery specs will not matter much if Samsung competitively prices the Galaxy S23 FE. As you might already be aware, the Nothing Phone (2) launched at $599. For that price, you get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
While there’s no official confirmation about the pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, it will reportedly be cheaper than the regular S22. And if you recall, the Samsung Galaxy S22 launched at $699, which is $100 higher than the launch price of Nothing Phone (2).
Now, if Samsung does price it cheaper than the regular S22 and slightly lower than the Nothing Phone (2), it goes without saying that Nothing will face troubles in the US market. But again, there’s no official pricing information about the S23 FE.
So, it’s not clear yet whether it will offer better value than the Nothing Phone (2). Stay tuned as we will be covering more about the Galaxy S23 FE as new information lands.