The Samsung Galaxy A55 vs. Galaxy S23 FE is sort of an unlikely duo for one among our devoted versus articles, however Samsung’s pricing technique led us right here. After launching this yr’s common Galaxy A55 at round €450 (now just a bit over €400), the corporate has positioned it too near its funds flagship, the Galaxy S23 FE.
However these units aren’t created equal by any means. The Galaxy S23 FE remains to be the dearer of the 2 (now promoting for round €500), however it additionally delivers a flagship-like expertise, whereas the A55 tries to strike a very good stability between {hardware} and value. They’ve two completely different goal audiences and really related worth tags.
There’s quite a bit to undergo, so we higher get began, however earlier than we do, head over to our specs web page and examine the Galaxy A55 and the S23 FE to grasp what to anticipate on this comparability.
Measurement comparability
The Galaxy A55 and the S23 FE are related in dimension, however there are notable variations. The S23 FE is the extra compact selection, with a barely smaller display (0.2″ distinction), leading to a shorter and a tad narrower physique.
The distinction in absolute dimension could not appear like a lot on paper, however you may really feel the distinction when holding the 2 facet by facet.
The Galaxy S23 FE arguably feels extra comfy in hand as a consequence of its rounded facet body. It feels nicer to carry, whereas the Galaxy A55’s sharp edges delve into your palm. However, others will just like the A55’s design extra visually.
Construct high quality is sort of related – Gorilla Glass sheets on the back and front held by aluminum facet frames. Notably, the A55 takes the lead with a more moderen Gorilla Glass Victus+ sheet on the entrance, whereas the S23 FE settles for Gorilla Glass 5. Alternatively, you’ll have a bit of additional peace of thoughts given the S23 FE’s increased IP68 ingress safety in comparison with the A55’s IP67, which implies it has a barely increased water resistance.
Show comparability
Other than the display dimension, the Galaxy A55 and S23 FE have the identical shows. In case you are searching for a barely greater panel, the A55’s 6.6-inch OLED will seemingly go well with you higher, whereas the S23 FE’s 6.4-inch OLED will enchantment to customers searching for a extra compact resolution.
Each show panels help HDR10+; they tick at 120Hz, the decision is 1080p+, and we measured the identical most brightness in guide and auto modes. The latter is equally vibrant with each – at round 1,000 nits.
Battery life
The distinction in battery life between the 2 units is evening and day, and the smaller cell contained in the Galaxy S23 FE is partly in charge.
The A55 sports activities a typical 5,000 mAh unit, whereas the S23 FE settles for a 4,500 mAh battery. However the distinction in endurance is so massive that we will not blame whole capability alone.
Do not forget that we’re evaluating the A55 to the Exynos model of the Galaxy S23 FE as a result of the A55 just isn’t but obtainable within the US the place you’d normally discover the Snapdragon S23 FE, which objectively has higher battery life throughout all exams.
The Galaxy A55 blows the Exynos S23 FE out of the water in our battery endurance exams. The midranger has an Energetic Use Rating of 13:27h towards the S23 FE’s underwhelming 8:28h Energetic Use Rating.
Regardless of its greater display, the A55 scored higher in all 4 exams. Video playback runtime was twice as lengthy. The Exynos 1480 is way simpler on the battery than the flagship Exynos 2200.
Charging velocity
The charging velocity is not the robust go well with of both of the 2 telephones. Samsung has rated the charging functionality of the A55 and S23 FE at 25W over the Energy Supply normal. Neither comes with a charger contained in the retail field too.
As anticipated, the distinction in charging instances is negligible regardless of the S23 FE’s smaller cell. The 2 appear equally sluggish on the 15 and 30-minute marks, however the A55 outpaces the S23 FE by a couple of minutes on the finish of the charging cycle. Nonetheless, the distinction will stay unnoticeable in the true world.
It is essential to notice the S23 FE’s wi-fi charging capabilities, which the A55 lacks. The previous helps 15W wi-fi charging and reverse wi-fi charging as effectively, which might come in useful to your wearable equipment that help wi-fi charging
Speaker take a look at
The 2 handsets function an identical hybrid stereo audio system setup, that means one of many audio system doubles as an earpiece. However tuning appears to be very completely different, in addition to loudness.
The Galaxy S23 FE is undoubtedly the louder one, reaching a “Very Good” loudness rating of -23.7 LUFS, whereas the A55 follows with -25.7 LUFS, however nonetheless rated as “Very Good”.
Upon nearer examination, nevertheless, the Galaxy A55 would be the more sensible choice when audio high quality is anxious. The Galaxy S23 FE will get barely deeper bass, however it’s barely noticeable. The A55 sounds cleaner total, with extra pronounced vocals and fewer distortion at excessive quantity ranges.
Efficiency
It is no shock to anybody that the Galaxy S23 FE outperforms the Galaxy A55 by a fantastic deal. In spite of everything, the Exynos 2200 contained in the S23 FE is a flagship chipset, and the Exynos 1480 is a mid-range chip, even when extra lately launched.
Reminiscence configurations are the identical, with each units providing 8GB/128GB by default and capping at 256GB inside storage. The S23 FE offers you solely as much as 8GB of RAM, although, whereas the A55 can go as much as 12 GB. The latter has a microSD card slot as effectively.
Benchmark efficiency
We already know that the S23 FE (Exynos 2200) is extra highly effective, however by how a lot? Properly, in pure CPU benchmarks, the Exynos 2200 outpaces the Exynos 1480 by round 18%, and the hole widens in single-core duties – by as much as 41%.
In mixed workloads, such because the AnTuTu 10 take a look at, the distinction is difficult to disregard. The Exynos 2200 is about 56% sooner than the Exynos 1480, and the Xclipse 920 GPU might be the primary motive.
A good greater hole could be noticed in GPU-intensive exams resembling 3DMark Wild Life, the place the Xclipse 530 GPU contained in the Galaxy A55 is greater than twice as sluggish in comparison with the S23 FE’s Xclipse 920.
Digicam comparability
Apparently, the 2 units have very related digicam methods. They provide 50MP major cameras utilizing a 1/1.56″ sensor dimension, f/1.8 aperture and 1.0µm pixels. Each are optically stabilized too. The one distinction is the distributors.
The ultrawide cameras are virtually identicall as effectively – 12MP with f/2.2 aperture and 123-degree discipline of view. The S23 FE will get a tad greater sensor behind the optics, although.
The Galaxy S23 FE is a extra versatile resolution because it has a devoted 8MP telephoto digicam with 3x zoom. This alone could sway patrons who’re on the fence and are searching for the higher photography-oriented resolution of the 2
Picture high quality
Concerning precise picture high quality, nevertheless, the 2 units take very related stills with their major cameras. We discover it onerous to seek out any significant distinction between the 2. Nevertheless, the S23 FE’s ultrawide resolution produces barely higher photos – they’re cleaner and have a wider dynamic vary.
The 3x telephoto digicam beats the 2x crop zoom from the A55 any day of the week. This one’s a reasonably clear reduce.
Galaxy A55: 0.6x • 1x • 2x
Galaxy S23 FE: 0.6x • 1x • 3x
The S23 FE pulls forward at evening with higher processing and picture high quality. It could possibly be because of the chipset’s extra succesful ISP. Usually, photos are cleaner and provide a wider dynamic vary.
Verdict
By inspecting the specs sheet, the Galaxy S23 FE is the higher bang for the buck regardless of its increased worth. It has superior {hardware} underneath the hood and is the extra succesful photographer too. And in case you might be searching for a extra compact and cozy resolution, the Galaxy S23 FE will certainly suit your palm higher.
A deeper dive reveals that the Galaxy A55 can get you a very good a part of the identical distance at a barely lower cost. The A55 surprises with far superior battery life, the identical show high quality and options, comparable major digicam efficiency in numerous situations and arguably higher stereo speaker setup.
So, except uncooked efficiency and digicam versatility aren’t your high precedence, the Galaxy A55 is the extra good selection of the 2.
- The lower cost.
- The longer battery life.
- Nicer audio system.
- The bigger show.
Get the Samsung Galaxy A55 for:
- The stronger digicam setup.
- The a lot better efficiency.
- The marginally louder audio system.
- The extra compact and cozy design.
Get the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE for: