Smartphones & Tablets | December 28, 2023
| Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Fan Edition) | Poco F5 | |
| Screen | 6.4 inches of Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, 19.5:9 format, FullHD+ resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels, 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate (60-120 Hz), 240 Hz touch sampling rate, maximum brightness of 1,450 nits, HDR10+ and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection | 6.67 inches of AMOLED technology, FullHD+ resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz touch sampling rate, 1,000 nits maximum brightness, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Main camera | – 50 megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 focal aperture with video recording capacity in 8K resolution at 24 frames per second – Secondary sensor with 8-inch telephoto lens megapixel with f/2.4 focal aperture and 3X optical zoom – Tertiary sensor with 12 megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.2 focal aperture | – 64 megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 focal aperture and support for 4K video recording at 30 frames per second – Secondary sensor with 8 megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.2 focal aperture – Tertiary sensor with 2 megapixel macro lens with f/2.4 focal aperture |
| selfie camera | 10 megapixel main sensor with f/2.4 focal aperture with video recording capacity in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second | 16 megapixel main sensor with f/2.5 focal aperture with support for FullHD 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second |
| Internal memory | 128 or 256 GB UFS 3.1 | 256 GB UFS 3.1 type |
| Extension | Not available | Not expandable |
| Processor and RAM memory | – 4-nanometer, eight-core Exynos 2200 at 2.8 GHz max. (Europe and other regions) – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 4-nanometer eight-core 3.0 GHz max. (United States) – 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM | – Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 4 nanometers and eight cores at 2.91 GHz max. – 8 or 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh with 25W fast wired charging (charger not included in the box) and wireless charging | 5,000 mAh with 67W fast charging (charger included in the box) 46 minutes |
| OS | Android 13 under One UI 5.1 | Android 13 under MIUI 14 for POCO |
| Connections | 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, NFC for contactless payments and USB type C input | 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, NFC for contactless mobile payments, 3.5 mm jack input for headphones and USB type C |
| SIM | Dual nano SIM | Dual nano SIM |
| Design | Colors: black, mint, cream and purple | Colors: black, white and blue |
| Dimensions and weight | 158 x 76.5 x 8.2 millimeters and 209 grams | 161.1 x 75 x 7.9 millimeters and 181 grams |
| Featured Features | Under-display optical fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and IP68 waterproof rating (submergence-proof) | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, facial recognition, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, internal cooling, infrared sensor for controlling home devices, and IP53 grade water resistance certification (splash-proof) |
| Release date | Available | Available |
| Price | From 780 euros | From 360 euros |
The Galaxy S23 FE is now available, but at a higher price than expected. This phone was introduced as a variant of the well-known Galaxy S23, so it’s not surprising that it shares some of its features and is, therefore, one of Samsung’s most advanced devices right now. The same can be said for the Poco F5, being one of the top-performing phones in Poco’s lineup, with the difference that it offers a more attractive price-performance ratio, making it a significant rival to Samsung’s phone. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. And, based on each user’s demands and budget, one may be more interesting than the other, leading us to determine which is better and why. To do this, we’ll analyze their differences in terms of features and prices in this Galaxy S23 FE vs Poco F5 comparison. Who will win? Let’s find out.
The prices mentioned in the article may vary over time, so, we limit ourselves to analyzing the differences as of the publication date.
Aesthetically, the Galaxy S23 FE recycles what we’ve already seen in other Samsung phones, featuring a design based on a screen with the typical punch-hole for the front camera and a triple-camera setup on the back. There’s not much to highlight or discuss here, but not in a bad way, as it’s a functional and attractive design that has worked well for the South Korean company.
The Poco F5, on the other hand, has a more interesting and original appearance. It also has a screen with a punch-hole for the front camera, but its three rear cameras have a different arrangement, as seen in the images. Among the two, it’s the phone that stands out the most in the market.
In terms of construction and materials, while the Galaxy S23 FE has flat edges, the Poco F5 has slightly curved edges, making it a more ergonomic phone. Regarding build materials, Samsung’s phone has a glass back, unlike the Poco F5, which is made entirely of plastic. Additionally, the Galaxy S23 FE has aluminum frames, giving it a more premium feel. However, the Poco F5 is much lighter by almost 30 grams, but both have similar dimensions.
There are also differences in the displays of the Galaxy S23 FE vs Poco F5. The former has a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with Full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels (19.5:9), while the latter features a larger 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a Full HD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels (20:9).
Both screens have a 120Hz refresh rate, but the Galaxy S23 FE’s, being adaptive, can vary and drop to 60Hz depending on the usage, helping to save battery. However, both share the same 240Hz touch sampling rate. They are also compatible with the HDR10+ multimedia standard, but only the Poco F5 supports Dolby Vision. However, the Galaxy S23 Fan Edition’s display is much brighter, reaching a maximum brightness of 1450 nits, compared to the Poco F5’s screen, which goes up to 1000 nits. Both displays are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with different processors depending on the market. In European countries, it comes with the Exynos 2200, while in the United States, it is sold with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Historically, Qualcomm processors have outperformed Exynos counterparts in terms of performance, power efficiency, and temperature management. This remains the same. The Galaxy S23 FE variant with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 offers better performance than the one with the Exynos 2200. However, both provide high-end performance, handling heavy apps and graphics-intensive games smoothly. In other words, the smoothness you get with the Galaxy S23 FE will be top-notch, regardless of the version you bought.
As for the Poco F5, it is also a very powerful phone. It is slightly more powerful than the Galaxy S23 FE with the Exynos 2200 but a bit less powerful than the S23 FE with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Benchmark tests, including AnTuTu and Geekbench, indicate that both phones are practically on par in terms of performance, making neither significantly more powerful or slower than the other. Both are perfect for running demanding applications and graphics-intensive games with the utmost smoothness.
Both the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE and the Poco F5 have 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, but only the Poco F5 has a 12GB variant. Additionally, both come with 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage, but only the Galaxy S23 FE 5G has a 128GB version. Both devices lack a microSD card slot.
The camera setup is another aspect we’ll review in this comparison of the Poco F5 vs Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. Both phones feature a triple rear camera setup, but their configurations are different.
The Galaxy S23 FE has a triple camera setup led by a 50-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.9 aperture that can record 8K video at 24 frames per second. The accompanying secondary lens is an 8-megapixel telephoto with an f/2.4 aperture and 3x optical zoom. Lastly, there’s a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture.
In the case of the Poco F5, it has a 64-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and support for 4K video recording at 30 frames per second, an 8-megapixel ultrawide with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 2-megapixel macro with an f/2.4 aperture.
On the front, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Fan Edition has a 10-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.4 aperture that can record in 4K at 60 frames per second. The Poco F5’s front camera has a higher resolution at 16 megapixels but has a smaller aperture at f/2.5 and records in Full HD 1080p at a 60Hz refresh rate.
Considering these aspects, the Galaxy S23 FE achieves better photographic results, as well as in videos. Beyond the resolution of the sensors, the Samsung phone stands out positively in this area.
The issue of autonomy is one where the Poco F5 regains some advantage over the Galaxy S23 FE because it has a larger battery and a much more powerful fast charging capability. So, while the Poco F5 has a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery with 25W fast charging, the typical charging for most of Samsung’s mid-range and high-end phones. Thanks to this, the Galaxy S23 FE takes more than 1.5 hours to fully charge, unlike the Poco F5, which takes less than 50 minutes. Additionally, only the Poco F5 includes its charger in the box. It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy S23 FE has wireless charging, something the Poco F5 lacks.
In terms of connectivity, the two are very close, but there are a couple of differences between the Poco F5 vs Galaxy S23 FE that we should highlight. The first is that the Poco F5 comes with Wi-Fi 6, while the Galaxy S23 FE has Wi-Fi 6E, a more advanced version. The second concerns the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is only present in the Poco phone. Other than that, both have Bluetooth 5.3, GPS with A-GPS and Glonass, NFC for mobile payments, and support for 5G and 4G LTE networks. They also include a USB Type-C port, but only the Poco F5 is equipped with an infrared sensor that allows it to be used as a remote control for TVs, air conditioners, and other home devices.
Regarding other features, both phones are equipped with dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. They also have facial recognition, but the Poco F5’s fingerprint reader is physical and located on the right side, while the Galaxy S23 FE’s is optical and located under the display. Both come with water resistance, but the Poco F5 has an IP53 rating (splash-proof), while the Galaxy S23 FE has an IP68 rating (submersible). Additionally, something only the Poco F5 has is internal cooling, which helps prevent overheating more easily.
In terms of software, both run on Android 13, but the interface of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is One UI 5.1 (soon to be One UI 6), and the Poco F5 runs on MIUI 14. However, the S23 FE will be upgradable to Android 17, as it has four years of guaranteed operating system updates. The Poco F5, on the other hand, only has two years of updates, so it will be upgradeable in the future to Android 15.
The price at which the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE was introduced in Europe starts from 780 euros. The Poco F5, on the other hand, is much cheaper, with a base price of around 380 euros currently, although it was initially launched at around 430 euros. In any case, the Poco F5 is a much more interesting option if the goal is to save money, as it offers a better price-performance ratio.
