Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs Galaxy S23 FE: Should you upgrade?

For the patient, Samsung’s FE models can be a way of getting many of the features of the company’s flagship phones without paying flagship prices. The last great FE was the Galaxy S20 FE however, and Samsung skipped the option entirely with the S22 series. So now that we have the Galaxy S23 FE, should you consider an upgrade?

It might surprise some people to learn that there are actually a few downgrades in the S23 FE. As you can see, there’s a slightly smaller screen, no microSD slot for expandable storage, and a 10MP selfie camera, although the S20 FE’s camera was binned down from 32 to 8MP anyway. Really the only thing you’re going to miss is that microSD slot, but that’s unfortunately rare on any modern phone.

Otherwise, it’s all good news. The biggest upgrade is the leap to a new processor — a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 if you’re lucky, or an Exynos 2200 in most of the world. Either way the S23 FE should feel significantly faster, although that’s what you’d expect from a phone released three years later.

Connectivity has also improved. You don’t have to buy a separate 5G version of the phone, and depending on where you live, you may have access to eSIM (not just dual SIM slots). For local connections, you can take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 if you’ve got compatible devices.

The main wide-angle camera on the rear has leapt ahead from 12 megapixels to 50. That offers the potential for a lot more detail, and you’ll get Samsung’s advances in low-light shooting as well. We’ll talk more about camera tech in a minute.

Build quality has evolved, with Gorilla Glass 5 replacing plastic on the back and Gorilla Glass 3 on the front. We would’ve preferred Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and you’ll still need a case to protect against cracking, but the design is tougher overall.

The last thing to mention here is that the S20 FE is at the end of its rope in terms of software updates. Some Samsung-exclusive features like DeX and Vision Booster are already off-limits, and you can’t update it beyond Android 13. If you want to install Android 14 when the time comes, you’ll have to upgrade, whether to an S23 FE or something else.

The S23 FE is a bit shorter and thinner than the S20 FE, yet slightly wider and heavier. Corners are a little more rounded, which should help it feel better in the hand.

Otherwise there’s not much to say here. We will point out that the S23 FE is a lot more aesthetically appealing from the back, thanks to Gorilla Glass and separate cutouts for each lens and the flash. The S20 FE lumps everything under a single camera bump, which isn’t a terrible idea, but doesn’t look as “premium” as Samsung’s latest designs.

As mentioned, the only serious camera upgrade on the S23 FE is its wide-angle sensor, which rockets from 12 megapixels to 50. Max aperture is unchanged at f/1.8, and both phones have optical image stabilization (OIS) to combat blur. We’ll need to spend more time testing the S23 FE and producing sample galleries, but suffice it to say that you’ll enjoy the detail and flexibility of 50MP, especially if you want to crop or use digital zoom (which simply blows up an image, unlike optical zoom).

The phone’s telephoto and ultra-wide cameras are effectively unchanged, coming in at 12MP f/2.2 and 8MP f/2.4, respectively. They’re nothing remarkable, although it’s nice to have any kind of telephoto option on a non-flagship device, and keeping some specs frozen is how Samsung is keeping prices in check. The 10MP selfie camera is even technically a downgrade, although we’ll have to test to find out if that’s true in practice. As pros know, a 10MP camera based on excellent lens and sensor technology is worth more than a 100MP camera that struggles in dim lighting. Samsung is promising quality low-light selfies with its Dual Pixel tech.

In the meantime, check out some samples from the S20 FE below.

There’s literally nothing different here in terms of hardware specs. Both phones have 4,500mAh batteries, and are capable of 25W wired charging, or up to 15W in wireless mode. There’s reverse wireless support if you want to top up accessories like earbuds. Somewhat ironically, that’s not an option with the Galaxy Buds FE.

The only change is that whereas the S20 FE bundled a 15W charger in the box, you’ll need to get your own charger for the S23 FE. You should be able to use anything that supports USB-C, though if you’re upgrading from the S20 FE, we’d strongly suggest buying something rated at 25W or higher. 15W is slow for wired power.

We’ll need to continue testing the S23 FE to see how its battery performs in real-world conditions. Newer processors and display tech can sometimes make a huge difference in power consumption, so it’s possible that the new phone will have extended runtime.

Samsung no longer sells the S20 FE, as you might imagine, and it’s increasingly hard to find elsewhere. Refurbished units are sometimes available. In fact if you still want the phone, it’s best to avoid “new” units from places like Amazon, since prices are artificially inflated due to scarcity.

The S23 FE is launching in the US on October 26, 2023, with a $599 pricetag, but should already be out in some other countries such as India. Note that the US price is a full $100 lower than what the S20 FE 5G cost at launch in October 2020.

If you need a new phone and want one from Samsung, but don’t want to pay the company’s flagship prices, the answer is yes. The S23 FE should feel like a pretty substantial leap in performance and build quality, and camera tech has improved in meaningful ways, if not dramatically. It’s even a better-looking phone, and if you want a chance at Android 14, you can’t stay with the S20 FE.

The real question is whether your next phone should come from Samsung. Google just released the Pixel 8, and while that phone costs $699, you might find the overall package more impressive, particularly when it comes to AI and photography tech. Google is even promising 7 years of OS upgrades and feature drops, which is unprecedented in the Android world. Forget about Android 14 — your Pixel could eventually be running Android 21.