Samsung Galaxy S23 FE launch could be imminent – expect a powerful upgrade

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The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE could get the excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip

Samsung Galaxy S23 review back
The Samsung Galaxy S23 (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

If you’ve been holding out for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE then your wait might almost be over, because according to the latest leak it will launch in September.

This comes from tech tipster Yogesh Brar posting on X (formerly Twitter), and it’s especially notable because back in March, Brar claimed the Galaxy S23 FE wasn’t even in development, which made us uncertain whether it would launch at all. Now though, they’ve not just concluded that it is in development, but that it’s landing very soon.

Of course, since they were seemingly wrong before we’d take this updated claim with a pinch of salt. But Brar has accurately leaked a number of things in the past, and this September claim is in line with Samsung Galaxy S23 FE release date rumors we’ve heard elsewhere. However, it’s worth noting that we’ve also previously heard that the Galaxy S23 FE might get a staggered release, with some regions not seeing it until months later.

In any case, Brar’s latest leak also includes various specs, the most notable of which is the chipset, which will apparently be either a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or an Exynos 2200.

That likely means some regions will get one chip and others the other. And while we’re not generally fans of different chipsets being offered in different regions, we’d previously heard the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE would use the Exynos 2200 everywhere. The latter is a slightly lesser chipset than the Snapdragon, so at least some regions might get a better chipset than expected.

One other point of note is the cameras, as Brar mentions a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 12MP telephoto camera, and an 8MP sensor that's presumably going to be paired with an ultra-wide lens. Now, we’ve heard those numbers before from leaker Tech_Reve, but they claimed the 8MP sensor would be used for telephoto shots with the 12MP one taking ultra-wide duties.

Tech_Reve also mentions a 12MP front-facing camera, while Brar says to expect a 10MP one. So we’re not sure who is right on those details.

Expected specs and lengthy support

Beyond that, the listed specs are largely either things we’ve heard before or things we expected based on the previous model. This includes a 6.4-inch FHD+ screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 4,500 mAh battery with 25W wired charging, wireless charging support, and an IP rating for dust and water resistance.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE will also apparently ship running Android 13 with Samsung’s One UI 5.1 on top, and be supported with four years of major Android updates and five years of security patches. That's in line with what the company offers for the best Samsung phones, and is better than what most rival brands offer.

If these specs are accurate then the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE will be significantly less powerful than the standard Samsung Galaxy S23, as that phone has a newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. But perhaps this will help Samsung keep the cost down, which would be a good thing, as our Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review noted that its high price was one of its biggest problems.

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James Rogerson
James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.