Comparison between Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy S23 FE (Exynos).

The Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy S23 FE are a completely unexpected pairing for one of our dedicated comparison articles, but Samsung’s pricing strategy brought us here. After launching the popular Galaxy A55 this year for around 450 euros (now just over 400 euros), the company is now positioning it very close to its budget flagship, the Galaxy S23 FE.

But these devices are by no means equivalent. The Galaxy S23 FE is still the more expensive of the two devices (now available for around 500 euros) but it also offers a flagship experience, while the A55 tries to find a better balance between hardware and cost. They have two different target groups and very similar price tags.

There’s still a lot to do, so we’d better get started, but before we do, check out our specs page and compare the Galaxy A55 and S23 FE to get an idea of ​​what to expect in this comparison.

size comparison

The Galaxy A55 and S23 FE are similar in size, but there are noticeable differences. The S23 FE is a more compact version with a slightly smaller screen (0.2 inch difference), resulting in a slightly smaller and narrower case.

The absolute size difference may not seem big on paper, but you can feel the difference when you hold the two side by side.

The Galaxy S23 FE is probably more comfortable to hold due to its rounded side frames. It feels more comfortable in the hand and the sharp edges of the Galaxy A55 blend into the palm. Others, however, will prefer the A55’s sharper design.

Build quality is pretty similar – front and back Gorilla Glass panels are held together by aluminum side frames. It’s worth noting that the A55 has the new Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front, while the S23 FE is set for Gorilla Glass 5. Alternatively, you can have peace of mind thanks to the S23 FE’s superior IP68 protection compared to the A55’s IP67. This means that it has slightly higher water resistance.

show comparison

Apart from the screen size, the Galaxy A55 and S23 FE have the same display. If you’re looking for a slightly larger panel, the A55’s 6.6-inch OLED display is probably better for you, while the S23 FE’s 6.4-inch OLED display will appeal to users looking for a more compact solution.

Both displays support HDR10+; It’s limited to 120Hz, resolution is 1080p+, and we measured the same maximum brightness in both manual and automatic modes. The latter is equally bright on both sides – all around 1000 nits.

battery life

The difference in battery life between the two devices is night and day, and the smaller cell inside the Galaxy S23 FE is partly to blame.

The A55 comes with a 5,000mAh unit as standard, while the S23 FE settles for a 4,500mAh battery. However, the difference in endurance is so great that we cannot blame the overall performance alone.

Note that we’re comparing the Exynos version of the Galaxy S23 FE with the A55 because the A55 isn’t yet available in the US, where you’ll usually find the Snapdragon S23 FE, which has the best battery life. test

The Galaxy A55 outperformed the Exynos S23 FE in our battery stress test. There are average security guards Active usage level is 13:27 hours Against the disappointing S23 FE 8:28 hours due to active use.

Despite its large screen, the A55 performed well in all four tests. Video playback time was twice as long. The Exynos 1480 is significantly more battery-friendly than the flagship Exynos 2200.

Transmission speed

Charging speed is not enough for both phones. Samsung specifies the charging capacity of the A55 and S23 FE as 25 W in the Power Delivery Standard None of these devices come with a charger included in the sales packaging.

As expected, the difference in charging time is negligible despite the S23 FE’s smaller cell. The two felt equally sluggish at the 15 and 30 minute marks, but at the end of the charge cycle the A55 beat the S23 FE by a few minutes. However, in the real world the difference will not be noticeable.

It’s important to note the S23 FE’s wireless charging features, which the A55 lacks. The former supports 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, which can be convenient for portable accessories that support wireless charging.

Speaker test

The two phones have a similar hybrid stereo speaker setup, meaning one of the speakers acts as an earpiece. But the mood seems completely different, as does the volume.

The Galaxy S23 FE is undoubtedly the loudest, earning a “Very Good” volume rating -23.7 LOVswhile the A55 follows -25.7 LOVsBut still rated “very good”.

However, on closer inspection, the Galaxy A55 might be the best choice when it comes to sound quality. The Galaxy S23 FE gets a slightly deeper notch, but it’s hardly noticeable. The A55 sounds cleaner overall, with clearer vocals and less distortion at higher volumes.

performance

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Galaxy S23 FE significantly outperforms the Galaxy A55. After all, the Exynos 2200 in the S23 FE is a flagship chipset and the Exynos 1480 is a mid-range chip, even if it was released recently.

The storage configuration is the same, with both devices offering 8GB/128GB standard and a maximum of 256GB of internal storage. On the S23 FE you only get up to 8GB of RAM, while on the A55 you can get up to 12GB. The latter also has a microSD card slot.

Reference performance

We already know that the S23 FE (Exynos 2200) is more powerful, but how powerful is it? Well, only in CPU benchmarks, the Exynos 2200 outperforms the Exynos 1480 by about 18%, and the gap widens in single-core tasks – up to 41%.

In batch workloads like AnTuTu 10 tests, the difference is hard to ignore. The Exynos 2200 is about 56% faster than the Exynos 1480 and the Xclipse 920 GPU is probably the main reason.

An even bigger gap is seen in GPU-intensive tests like 3DMark Wild Life, where the Xclipse 530 GPU on the Galaxy A55 is more than twice as slow as the Xclipse 920 on the S23 FE.

Camera comparison

Interestingly, the two devices have very similar camera systems. They offer a 50 MP main camera with a sensor size of 1/1.56 inch, aperture of f/1.8 and 1.0 µm pixels. They are both apparently stable. The only difference is the vendors.

The ultra-wide-angle cameras are pretty much the same too – 12 MP with f/2.2 aperture and 123-degree field of view. However, the S23 FE gets a slightly larger sensor behind the optics.

The Galaxy S23 FE is a more versatile solution as it has a dedicated 8MP telephoto camera with 3x zoom. This alone can affect buyers who are on the fence and looking for better photography solutions

Image quality

In terms of actual image quality, the two devices take very similar stills with their main cameras. We find it difficult to find any meaningful difference between the two. However, the S23 FE’s ultra-wide resolution delivers slightly better images – they’re sharper and have a wider dynamic range.

The 3x telephoto camera beats the A55’s 2x zoom any day of the week. It’s a very clear cut.

Galaxy A55: 0,6x • 1x • 2x

Galaxy S23 FE: 0,6x • 1x • 3x

At night, the S23 FE performs better and improves picture quality. This may be due to the more powerful ISP on the chip. Overall, images are sharper and offer a wider dynamic range

assessment

A look at the data sheet reveals that the Galaxy S23 FE offers the best price-performance ratio despite the high price. It has superior hardware under the hood and is a more powerful photographer. If you’re looking for a more compact and comfortable solution, the Galaxy S23 FE definitely fits better in the palm of your hand.

A closer look shows that you can achieve almost the same distance with the Galaxy A55 for a slightly lower price. The A55 dazzles with superior battery life, the same display quality and features, comparable main camera performance in various scenarios, and a better stereo speaker setup.

So unless pure performance and camera versatility are your top priorities, the Galaxy A55 is the more logical choice of the two.