Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE packs a powerful punch for the price point, featuring a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and 8GB of RAM. Samsung pairs that power with a colorful 6.4-inch OLED panel refreshing at 120Hz. It sports more power, reliable software updates, and a better camera for the same money as the Moto Edge.
Motorola Edge (2023)
The Motorola Edge (2023) features a large and colorful 6.6-inch OLED display with a high refresh rate, solid battery life, and fast charging speeds. Unfortunately, lackluster performance and spotty software updates are sacrifices buyers will have to live with if they choose the Edge over the similarly priced Samsung Galaxy S23 FE.
Motorola’s new Edge for 2023is a well-built, quality smartphone with many crowd-pleasing features, but its lack of power and questions about software updates make it a tough sell against the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. However, sincebudget phonesaren’t judged by raw performance alone, does the Moto Edge do enough to compete in other areas to win your dollars?
Price, availability, and specs
The Moto Edge is available through Motorola and other retailers for $600. It comes in one color and configuration: Eclipse Black with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
TheSamsung Galaxy S23 FEcan be purchased through the usual places starting at the same $600 price (though, oddly enough, it’s $630 direct from Samsung). The base model has 128GB of internal storage, with a 256GB model available for an additional $60. It’s widely available in four colors: Graphite, Purple, Cream, and Mint, with two Samsung exclusive colors, Tangerine and Indigo, only available through its website.
With its thin aluminum frame and eco-leather back, the Moto Edge feels premium in the hand. While most companies have shied away from curved displays, Motorola fitted the Edge with a heavily tapered panel. If you’re a fan of waterfall screens, the Edge doesn’t disappoint. It’s also light, weighing a mere 168g — practically weightless for a smartphone in 2023. Despite being thin, the Moto Edge doesn’t feel fragile and still sports IP68 dust and water resistance for use in inclement weather.
Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a tad bulky, appearing more like an armoredGalaxy A54than a sleek smartphone. Unlike its slightly older cousin, the A54, the S23 FE features an aluminum band to give it a more premium look and feel. While Moto opted for a curved display on the Edge, Samsung gave the S23 FE a flat panel, protected by Gorilla Glass 5, an upgrade over the NEG glass used on the Edge. The glass back and thicker aluminum band make the phone heavier, with the S23 FE tipping the scales at 209g. It also sports IP68 dust and water resistance.
One of the highlights of the Moto Edge is its positively gorgeous 6.6-inch POLED panel that’s capable of a 144Hz refresh rate. It features excellent color saturation and deep contrast, making it an absolute joy for your next social media scroll. Furthermore, it has a 1080p display with 1,200 nits of brightness, which is more than enough for outdoor viewing. While there may be more than a few reasons not to choose the Moto Edge, the display isn’t one of them.
Not to be outdone, Samsung ships a stellar panel of its own on the Galaxy S23 FE. It’s a tad brighter than the Edge’s display at 1,450 nits, with more color saturation. At 6.4 inches, it’s smaller than the panel on the Edge, so it might be an issue if you’re looking for that extra viewing room. It also features a 1080p resolution but is capped at a 120Hz refresh rate — still plenty fast for a smartphone in this price range. It’s a close call, but the S23 FE has the better display overall.
Motorola and Samsung have different philosophies when it comes to Android skins. Moto’s My UX is a clean, relatively stock version of Android with slight modifications sprinkled throughout. If you like the company’s previous devices, all your favorite Moto gestures remain on the Edge. A wrist twist will bring up the camera app, while a quick chop will turn on the flashlight.
In addition, the Moto Edge featuresReady For, Motorola’s answer to Samsung DeX. It works well on the Edge and allows you to stream multiple apps to your PC, screen share, and transfer files between devices. Motorola promises three major Android upgrades and four years of security updates on the Edge. While Moto’s track record on updates has been spotty, it’s done better with recent releases. One major disappointment with the Moto Edge is its lack of always-on display. Although Moto’s Peak Display functionality isn’t awful, it doesn’t compete with a full-featured AOD.
By comparison, Samsung’s One UI is the company’s heavily modified version of Android. It’s anything but a stock experience, and the added features and functionality are a favorite for many smartphone buyers. It runs well on the S23 FE, with smooth animations and a fantastic AOD. The S23 FE also featuresSamsung DeX, which is sometimes missing on the company’s sub-$1,000 smartphones.
Samsung promises five years of security updates for the S23 FE, with major Android upgrades expected through Android 17. Unlike Motorola, Samsung has an excellent track record when it comes to security patches and updates, with monthly updates a standard for its premium devices.
Performance
A MediaTek Dimensity 7030 chipset powers the Moto Edge. While the Edge is not a bad performer, it’s not nearly as powerful as the S23 FE and others in the same price range. Day-to-day tasks run fine, and scrolling Instagram will feel smooth on the device’s 144Hz display, but when you call for more power with an intensive game, the Edge falls flat. We would’ve liked to have seen a more competitive chipset, considering Motorola has raised the price of the Edge back to $600.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 FE blazes with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It’s not the 8+ Gen 1 that other devices around this price have, but it’s more than enough for moderate gaming and editing photos and video. The S23 FE also features a vapor chamber to help dissipate heat and keep peak performance longer than the S22 series of devices, which used the same chipset. It’s an improvement, as the S23 FE doesn’t get nearly as hot during peak use as its older siblings. If you’re looking for raw performance and future-proofing from your smartphone, the S23 FE is the clear choice.
Battery life
Despite a slight difference in battery size, the Moto Edge outperforms the S23 FE with nearly 7 hours of screen-on time. While the Dimensity 7030 isn’t overly powerful, it is power-efficient, stretching the 4,400mAh battery out an entire day. The Galaxy S23 FE has a 4,500mAh battery, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is significantly more power-hungry, resulting in just over 6 hours of screen-on time.
When it’s time to recharge, the S23 FE is no match for the Edge’s charging speeds. The S23 FE charges at a rather pedestrian 25W wired, while the Edge features Moto’s TurboPower technology, allowing the phone to recharge at a zippy 68W. If you’re someone who often forgets to plug in their phone at night, the Edge’s faster recharge will be a relief. Both devices can recharge wirelessly at 15W.
Even though Motorola has released some rather disappointing camera systems over the years, the Moto Edge is a pleasant surprise. Photos from its 50MP main shooter look sharp with rich, saturated color. It still requires decent lighting for a good shot, but it’s not the soft images we’re used to from the company. The Edge also features a 13MP wide-angle lens, but there is a noticeable downgrade in quality, producing a dull image by comparison. Selfie images are decent, with a respectable portrait mode.
The Galaxy S23 FE’s camera system comprises three lenses: a 50MP main shooter, an 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide. As noted in our review, images from the S23 FE are a bit of a mixed bag. Samsung’s MO regarding computational photography is reflected in these images, which are slightly oversharpened. They are not lousy photos, but the difference can be jarring if you’re used to natural colors or warmer tones. All told, it’s still a better, more versatile system than the Moto Edge, but it’s not a blowout.
Which is right for you?
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE holds advantages in too many key areas to ignore, especially for the same price as the Moto Edge. With the more powerful processor, the S23 FE ensures years of usage without slowdowns, and you’ll enjoy better gaming performance. When you add in the benefits of One UI, it’s an easy choice between the two devices.
More bang for your buck
If you value a light and thin phone with a curved display, the Moto Edge has much to offer. We wish it had more power under the hood, but it features excellent battery life and an impressive camera for the money.
Sleek device if you like stock Android and Moto gestures
The Motorola Edge (2023) features a large, colorful, 6.6-inch OLED display with a high refresh rate, solid battery life, and fast charging speeds. Unfortunately, lackluster performance and spotty software updates are sacrifices buyers will have to live with if they choose the Edge over the similarly priced Galaxy S23 FE.
