Samsung Galaxy A55 vs. Galaxy S23 FE (Exynos)

The Samsung Galaxy A55 vs. Galaxy S23 FE is sort of an unlikely duo for one in all 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 finances flagship, the Galaxy S23 FE.

However these gadgets aren’t created equal by any means. The Galaxy S23 FE continues 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 comparable 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.

Dimension comparability

The Galaxy A55 and the S23 FE are comparable in dimension, however there are notable variations. The S23 FE is the extra compact alternative, with a barely smaller display screen (0.2″ distinction), leading to a shorter and a tad narrower physique.

The distinction in absolute dimension might not seem like a lot on paper, however you possibly can really feel the distinction when holding the 2 facet by facet.

The Galaxy S23 FE arguably feels extra snug 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 comparable – Gorilla Glass sheets on the back and front held by aluminum facet frames. Notably, the A55 takes the lead with a newer Gorilla Glass Victus+ sheet on the entrance, whereas the S23 FE settles for Gorilla Glass 5. Alternatively, you will have a bit of additional peace of thoughts given the S23 FE’s larger IP68 ingress safety in comparison with the A55’s IP67, which implies it has a barely larger water resistance.

Show comparability

Except for the display screen dimension, the Galaxy A55 and S23 FE have the identical shows. If you’re on the lookout for a barely larger panel, the A55’s 6.6-inch OLED will probably go well with you higher, whereas the S23 FE’s 6.4-inch OLED will attraction to customers on the lookout for a extra compact answer.

Each show panels help HDR10+; they tick at 120Hz, the decision is 1080p+, and we measured the identical most brightness in handbook and auto modes. The latter is equally brilliant with each – at round 1,000 nits.

Battery life

The distinction in battery life between the 2 gadgets is evening and day, and the smaller cell contained in the Galaxy S23 FE is partly accountable.

The A55 sports activities a regular 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 won’t blame complete 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 isn’t but out there within the US the place you’d often 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 Lively Use Rating of 13:27h in opposition to the S23 FE’s underwhelming 8:28h Lively Use Rating.

Regardless of its larger display screen, 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 pace

The charging pace 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 customary. 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 gradual 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 actual world.

It is necessary 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 nicely, which might turn out to be useful in your wearable equipment that help wi-fi charging

Speaker take a look at

The 2 handsets characteristic an analogous hybrid stereo audio system setup, which 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, attaining 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, nonetheless, the Galaxy A55 could 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 an ideal deal. In any case, the Exynos 2200 contained in the S23 FE is a flagship chipset, and the Exynos 1480 is a mid-range chip, even when extra not too long ago launched.

Reminiscence configurations are the identical, with each gadgets providing 8GB/128GB by default and capping at 256GB inside storage. The S23 FE provides you with 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 nicely.

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 tough to disregard. The Exynos 2200 is about 56% quicker than the Exynos 1480, and the Xclipse 920 GPU might be the principle purpose.

A good larger hole will be noticed in GPU-intensive exams comparable to 3DMark Wild Life, the place the Xclipse 530 GPU contained in the Galaxy A55 is greater than twice as gradual in comparison with the S23 FE’s Xclipse 920.

Digital camera comparability

Curiously, the 2 gadgets have very comparable digicam methods. They provide 50MP important 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 nearly identicall as nicely – 12MP with f/2.2 aperture and 123-degree discipline of view. The S23 FE will get a tad larger sensor behind the optics, although.

The Galaxy S23 FE is a extra versatile answer because it has a devoted 8MP telephoto digicam with 3x zoom. This alone might sway patrons who’re on the fence and are on the lookout for the higher photography-oriented answer of the 2

Picture high quality

Concerning precise picture high quality, nonetheless, the 2 gadgets take very comparable stills with their important cameras. We discover it exhausting to search out any significant distinction between the 2. Nonetheless, the S23 FE’s ultrawide answer 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 minimize.

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 might be because of the chipset’s extra succesful ISP. Usually, photos are cleaner and supply a wider dynamic vary.

Verdict

By analyzing the specs sheet, the Galaxy S23 FE is the higher bang for the buck regardless of its larger worth. It has superior {hardware} underneath the hood and is the extra succesful photographer too. And in case you’re on the lookout for a extra compact and cozy answer, 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 important 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.