Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
Down to just $450 for Cyber Monday, the Galaxy S23 FE isthephone deal to beat this holiday season. This is a smartphone running at near-flagship performance being sold at budget-worthy prices. Meanwhile, the couple of places where the S23 FEdoesfall short — specifically with its camera — are easy to ignore with this type of deal.
There’s noshortage of deals this Cyber Monday— particularly if you’reafter a new foldable— but if you want a new smartphone that’s a little more familiar, you’re in luck. Although you’ll find devices from companies like Google marked down by a couple hundred bucks, most of their offerings remain pretty expensive. Even thePixel 8, abudget flagship championif there ever was one, is only discounted to $550. If you’re trying to score a powerful phone for discount prices, Samsung has you covered — in fact, you really only have to consider one device.
TheGalaxy S23 FEmight only be a month old, but it’s already seeing a massive $200 discount for Cyber Monday. For just $450, you can score a smartphone nearly as powerful as Samsung’s recent flagships for the usual MSRP of itsmost popular budget phone, the Galaxy A54. This is a great bargain and one you shouldn’t skip if you’re in the market for a new device.
Why you should buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
Although I’m tempted to let our review speak for itself, the story behind the Galaxy S23 FE is simple. This is, essentially, a Galaxy S22 in all but name, with near-identical specs squeezed into a chassis thatmatches the design of this year’s S23 lineup. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC may not be the newest or fastest around, but it’s much better than what you’ll find in other devices priced around $450 — especially when it comes to gaming. And although that chipset has a habit of running warm, AP’s Ara Wagoner noted in her review that the phone was far less prone to overheating that the S22 series before it.
Much of the rest of the phone shines as well, even at full price. The screen, a bright, vivid 6.4-inch 1080p OLED panel, is up to par with what you’d expect from Samsung. That Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip is paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The phone includes all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a more premium device, too: IP68 water and dust resistance, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, and 15W fast wireless charging. Not too shabby.
The biggest downside here — aside from the glossy plastic back, a problem quickly fixed with a trusty case — comes down to the camera. It’s notbad, per se; the main sensor can take some excellent shots with enough light. But the nighttime performance did leave something to be desired in most conditions, and the 3x telephoto lens — while we’re happy to see it on a device as affordable as this — just can’t perform as you’d expect from true flagship phones.
But when you’re only paying $450 for a phone, you know to expect some compromises. To that end, I think the Galaxy S23 FE is a no-brainer at this price. It outperformspractically every other device you’ll find in this price range, all while promising futureproof support. Remember, this phonejustcame out, which means it’s set to receive four OS upgrades and five years of security patches from last month. And while Android 14 does count as one of its upgrades, that still brings you to October of 2028 before Samsung finally puts the Galaxy S23 FE out to pasture.
Though the original deal on the Galaxy S23 FE brought it down to a whopping $400, this current sale price for Cyber Monday is still a solid offering. If you’ve been holding out for a smartphone deal that compromises perfectly on price and performance, it’s time to pull the trigger. You won’t see a device this capable at a price tag this low for the rest of the holiday season.
