Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Samsung targets mid-range market with affordable S23 FE
Seen are Samsung Electronics’ new Galaxy S23 FE smartphone, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablet PC and the Galaxy Buds FE earbuds. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Baek Byung-yeul
Phone maker takes on Apple with new phone to retain top-selling brand
Samsung Electronics unveiled a new mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy S23 FE, as it takes on Apple in the global smartphone market in the fourth quarter and looks to maintain its position as the world’s top-selling smartphone maker, according to the company, Wednesday.
Samsung has titled FE, dubbed the Fan Edition, for its budget Galaxy S series smartphones. It said the new product maintains the key specifications of its higher-priced Galaxy S23 series while significantly lowering the price, a strategy countering Apple's recently launched iPhone 15.
Samsung did not disclose domestic pricing but said the phone will sell for $599 in the U.S., about 25 percent to 30 percent less than the Galaxy S23.
In addition to the S23 FE, Samsung said it will launch new FE products, including the tablet PC Galaxy Tab S9 FE and wireless earphones Galaxy Buzz FE, in major countries around the world starting on Thursday.
Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S23 FE smartphone / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
For the Galaxy S23 FE’s application processor (AP), Samsung said it is “equipped with an AP made with an improved 4-nanometer process," but did not provide a specific product name. However, the industry view is that different countries will use different APs, either Samsung's Exynos 2200 or Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. These are a generation older than the CPUs in the S23.
The new mid-range tablets, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ with bigger screens, will be released on the 10th of this month with a starting price of $449 in the US.
“At Samsung, we are committed to bringing world-class innovation to everyone through epic mobile experiences that fit their lifestyle,” Roh Tae-moon, president and head of Samsung’s mobile business, said. “Our new FE devices are packed with crowd-pleasing premium capabilities that, on their own or as part of a connected ecosystem, let Galaxy users maximize their creativity and productivity.”