Samsung Galaxy A55 vs. Galaxy S23 FE (Exynos)

The Samsung Galaxy A55 vs. Galaxy S23 FE is kind of an unlikely duo for certainly one of our devoted versus articles, however Samsung’s pricing technique led us right here. After launching this 12 months’s common Galaxy A55 at round €450 (now just a bit over €400), the corporate has positioned it too near its price range flagship, the Galaxy S23 FE.

However these gadgets are usually not created equal by any means. The Galaxy S23 FE remains to be the dearer of the 2 (now promoting for round €500), but it surely additionally delivers a flagship-like expertise, whereas the A55 tries to strike a superb steadiness between {hardware} and value. They’ve two totally different goal audiences and really related worth tags.

There’s lots to undergo, so we higher get began, however earlier than we do, head over to our specs web page and evaluate 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 related in measurement, 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 measurement might not seem like a lot on paper, however you may really feel the distinction when holding the 2 aspect by aspect.

The Galaxy S23 FE arguably feels extra snug in hand because of its rounded aspect body. It feels nicer to carry, whereas the Galaxy A55’s sharp edges delve into your palm. Alternatively, others will just like the A55’s design extra visually.

Construct high quality is kind of related – Gorilla Glass sheets on the back and front held by aluminum aspect 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 could 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 suggests it has a barely larger water resistance.

Show comparability

Apart from the display screen measurement, the Galaxy A55 and S23 FE have the identical shows. If you’re in search of a barely greater panel, the A55’s 6.6-inch OLED will possible swimsuit you higher, whereas the S23 FE’s 6.4-inch OLED will attraction to customers in search of a extra compact answer.

Each show panels assist 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 night time and day, and the smaller cell contained in the Galaxy S23 FE is partly guilty.

The A55 sports activities an ordinary 5,000 mAh unit, whereas the S23 FE settles for a 4,500 mAh battery. However the distinction in endurance is so large that we won’t 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 is just not 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 greater display screen, the A55 scored higher in all 4 exams. Video playback runtime was twice as lengthy. The Exynos 1480 is far simpler on the battery than the flagship Exynos 2200.

Charging pace

The charging pace is not the robust swimsuit 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 occasions 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 actual 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 may turn out to be useful in your wearable equipment that assist wi-fi charging

Speaker check

The 2 handsets characteristic an analogous hybrid stereo audio system setup, that means one of many audio system doubles as an earpiece. However tuning appears to be very totally 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, nevertheless, the Galaxy A55 would be the better option when audio high quality is anxious. The Galaxy S23 FE will get barely deeper bass, but it surely’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 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 lately launched.

Reminiscence configurations are the identical, with each gadgets providing 8GB/128GB by default and capping at 256GB inner 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 check, 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 primary motive.

An excellent greater hole could be noticed in GPU-intensive exams equivalent to 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.

Digital camera comparability

Curiously, the 2 gadgets have very related digital camera methods. They provide 50MP fundamental cameras utilizing a 1/1.56″ sensor measurement, 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 subject of view. The S23 FE will get a tad greater sensor behind the optics, although.

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

Picture high quality

Relating to precise picture high quality, nevertheless, the 2 gadgets take very related stills with their fundamental cameras. We discover it laborious to seek out any significant distinction between the 2. Nevertheless, the S23 FE’s ultrawide answer produces barely higher pictures – they’re cleaner and have a wider dynamic vary.

The 3x telephoto digital camera beats the 2x crop zoom from the A55 any day of the week. This one’s a fairly clear minimize.

Galaxy A55: 0.6x • 1x • 2x

Galaxy S23 FE: 0.6x • 1x • 3x

The S23 FE pulls forward at night time with higher processing and picture high quality. It might be because of the chipset’s extra succesful ISP. Usually, pictures are cleaner and provide 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 might be in search of a extra compact and comfy answer, the Galaxy S23 FE will certainly suit your palm higher.

A deeper dive reveals that the Galaxy A55 can get you a superb a part of the identical distance at a barely cheaper price. The A55 surprises with far superior battery life, the identical show high quality and options, comparable fundamental digital camera efficiency in varied eventualities and arguably higher stereo speaker setup.

So, until uncooked efficiency and digital camera versatility aren’t your high precedence, the Galaxy A55 is the extra good selection of the 2.