Google revealed the Pixel 8 series and Pixel Watch 2 today, but that’s not the only news today in the world of Android devices. Samsung just surprised us with four new budget-friendly devices under its “Fan Edition” label: the Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9+ FE, and Galaxy Buds FE.
First up is the Galaxy S23 FE, which is the first Fan Edition phone we’ve seen in a while—there was no S22 FE last year (possibly due to chip shortages), and the S21 FE before that wasn’t a great purchase. This model is a slightly trimmed-down version of the Galaxy S23, with a 6.4-inch AMOLED 120Hz screen, three rear cameras (with a 50MP main sensor), 8GB RAM, 128 or 256GB storage, a 4,500mAh battery, Android 13, and an IP68 water resistance rating.
The phone is priced at $599, which is $200 less than the regular Galaxy S23. It’s better in some ways than the regular S23, and worse in others—the battery and display are larger on the FE, but the FE has an older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset (which should still perform well) and slightly worse cameras. Samsung is also promising four major Android updates and five years of security updates, which is the same as the company’s other flagship phones, but worse than the $699 Pixel 8 and its seven years of OS updates and security patches.
Samsung also revealed the Galaxy Tab S9 FE, an Android tablet with a 10.9-inch screen, and the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ with a larger 12.4-inch display. Both models have a 90Hz refresh rate, an IP68 rating for water resistance, a microSD card slot for additional storage, and an S Pen stylus included in the box. The Tab S9 FE will ship with either 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, or 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Meanwhile, the Tab S9 FE+ starts at 8GB RAM and 128BG storage, with an additional option for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
Finally, the Galaxy Buds FE are the company’s new entry-level true wireless earbuds, priced at $99. They support active noise cancellation (ANC), ambient sound pass-through, and a promised 8.5-hour battery life on a single charge (30 hours with the case).
The Galaxy S23 FE will be released on October 5, with the Galaxy Tab S9 FE series and Buds FE arriving later on October 10.
Source: Samsung
