Samsung has been an undoubted leader in the android mid-range budget segment for a long time. The prominence and dominance are so much that the company even has a region-wise series of phones. Galaxy F23 5G is the newest addition to the F series Samsung phones which are exclusively sold in India, Bangladesh, and China. The phone was announced on 8th March 2022 with a scheduled release date on the 16th of the same year in India. Here is a detailed take on the Samsung Galaxy F23 5G device to see whether it holds up in the fiercely competitive mid-range market.
Key Features of Samsung Galaxy F23 5G
Design and Build Quality
The F23 5G is a mid-range phone which is apparent throughout its design and look. Though Samsung did try to upscale the design elements here and there, it ultimately falls short in the build. But then again, users are getting what they are paying for.
The phone is made from plastic all around with a matte finish which adds to a smooth hand feel and fewer fingerprints. The design is a trickling reminiscence of the flagship S 22 series with an albeit rectangular camera bump.
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The power button and the volume rocker are situated on the right. The power button also doubles as the physical fingerprint scanner for biometrics. The left edge houses the dual sim tray with a dedicated micro SDXC slot. The top edge of the phone is completely flush with the 3.5 mm headphone jack, Type-C port, while the single speaker is situated at the bottom. The overall build quality of the phone is passable at best. And considering the competition at this price point, it could have been better.
The Display
The display of the Samsung Galaxy F23 5G is somewhat a sweet and sour story. There are the usual bells and whistles of 120 Hz refresh rate, true tone, and the reliability of a Samsung panel. On the other hand, the display itself is an IPS LCD panel. It is no secret that the IPS LCD falls much short compared to AMOLED and even more to Samsung’s very own Super AMOLED panels. While no one expected Super AMOLED to be featured at this price, Samsung could have at least used an AMOLED Panel like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 and Realme 8 which are all priced in the same bracket.
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Moving on to the display itself, the 120 Hz on the 6.6-inch FHD+ display feels snappy, to say the least. The phone feels much faster than it actually is, which is a very good thing. Animations are smooth and instantaneous to the touch. Color reproduction seemed decent but like all IPS LCD panels, the blacks look a bit washed out. Other than that, there is nothing out of the ordinary in the panel.
The Camera
Samsung has always been big on the camera tech on their devices regardless of the price. The same holds true for the F23 5G. The device has a triple camera setup with the primary lens being a 50 MP Isocell JN1 sensor. This proprietary lens from Samsung uses pixel binding technology to take more detailed and sharper images. An 8 MP 123-degree ultra-wide lens and a 2 MP macro shooter are complementing the main lens.
The raw images combined with Samsung’s post-processing easily make the images stand out compared to the competitors. The images look sharp and bright with a decent amount of dynamic range in outdoor conditions. The edge detection in portrait mode is also significantly better than the previous iterations. Images do tend to become a bit soft in artificial light but that is just a general problem with almost all mobile cameras. Videography is limited to 1080P at 30 fps. It has been manufactured keeping the processing power of the mid-range chipset in mind.
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The front camera is a letdown considering the mere 8 MP resolution. But similar to the back camera, the selfie-shooter can also shoot 1080P at 30 fps. Overall, the camera on the F23 is nothing revolutionary and above average at best.
Processor and Performance
F23 5G is equipped with the Snapdragon 750G 5G processor built on an 8 nm architecture. It’s an upper mid-range processor with the main focus on efficiency and single-core outputs. The octa-core processor is designed with 2 2.2 GHz Kryo 570 and 6 1.8 GHz Kryo 570 chips. There is an Adreno 619 GPU to complement the graphic-intensive tasks.
In testing, the phone breezed through the day-to-day tasks with ease. The processor is perfectly capable of gaming as well. Users will be able to play graphic-intensive games without any visible lag for a long time. However, the plastic-built phone does get heated up pretty fast while gaming. Other than that, it’s a smooth ride all around.
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The phone will ship with One UI 4.1 based on Android 12. The current One UI has had a significant revamp compared to the previous OS iterations from Samsung. The super responsive UI combined with minimal bloatware makes for an impressive and immersive experience.
Battery and Charging
Samsung Galaxy F23 5G has been provided with a 5000 mAh battery. The 5000 mAh mark has become a standard over the years for mid-range devices. The phone supports up to 25W fast charging. Users can easily get 6 to 8 hours of continuous usage with a full charge.
But the problem is with the charger. To be more precise, the lack of a charger. Samsung won’t be shipping any charging brick with the F23 which is a major letdown. While it might be for an environmental cause, most people don’t have a fast charger lying around in their homes. This is just going to be an extra cut on the pocket for the buyers.
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Price of Samsung Galaxy F23 5G in Bangladesh
The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G is not officially available in Bangladesh. The expected price of the device in the Indian market is 15,999 Rs which roughly translates to 18,026 BDT (1 INR = 1.13 BDT). However, the price may be different in the Bangladeshi market depending on different factors like tax, supply, and company policy.
Verdict
So, is the Samsung Galaxy F23 5G worth the price? The answer can be both yes and no. Yes, because it brings an exceptionally good camera along with Samsung’s reliability at this price range. The performance is also very snappy. However, the phone does fall short in the display, build quality, and lack of a charger out of the box. This device is mainly for those looking for a reliable performer day in day out at a budget price. But for those willing to experiment, there are better options at this price range.
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