Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) vs A36 5G
65
out of 100
VS
63
out of 100
Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.4-inch Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1) that was released on October 4, 2023, against the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and came out 1 year and 5 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
- The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
- 70% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1436K versus 844K)
- Handles wireless charging up to
- Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
- Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 3200 MHz
- Has 33% more RAM: 8GB versus 6GB
- Reverse charging feature
- 71% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1720 and 1004 points
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
- Shows 23% longer battery life (24:52 vs 20:15 hours)
- Delivers 25% higher peak brightness (1224 against 977 nits)
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.4)
- Has a 0.3 inch larger screen size
- Supports higher wattage charging (45W versus 25W)
- The phone is 1 year and 5 months newer
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate DeviceFacts Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 6.4 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 403 ppi | 385 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes (60-120 Hz) | Yes (60-120 Hz) |
| Max rated brightness | 1450 nits | 1200 nits |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | - | 1900 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Gorilla Glass Victus Plus |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 83.2% | 86.5% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | - | 99.9% |
| PWM | - | 120 Hz |
| Response time | - | 1 ms |
| Contrast | - | ∞ Infinity |
Screen space comparison
Galaxy A36 5G
6.7″ (19.5:9 ratio) = 17.1 in2
Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
6.4″ (19.5:9 ratio) = 15.6 in2
~9% more screen space
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 158 mm (6.22 inches) | 162.9 mm (6.41 inches) |
| Width | 76.5 mm (3.01 inches) | 78.2 mm (3.08 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.2 mm (0.32 inches) | 7.4 mm (0.29 inches) |
| Weight | 209 g (7.37 oz) | 195 g (6.88 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP67 |
| Advanced cooling | Vapor chamber | Vapor chamber |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Plastic |
| Colors | White, Black, Green, Purple | White, Black, Green, Purple |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-display | Yes, in-display |
| Repairability | - | Good (3.19/5) |
| Drop resistance | - | Good (C) · 90 drops |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 |
| Max clock | 3000 MHz | 2400 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A510 - 3 cores at 2.5 GHz: Cortex-A710 - 1 core at 3 GHz: Cortex-X2 |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 4 cores at 2.4 GHz: Cortex-A78 |
| L3 cache | 6 MB | - |
| Manufacturing | Samsung | Samsung |
| Lithography process | 4 nanometers | 4 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Hexagon | Hexagon |
| Graphics | Adreno 730 | Adreno 710 |
| GPU shading units | 1024 | 256 |
| GPU clock | 818 MHz | 1010 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~1675.3 GFLOPS | ~517.1 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | - | 3506 |
| Single-core score | 1720 | 1004 |
| Multi-core score | 4204 | 2919 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 516037 | 311567 |
| GPU | 391403 | 134619 |
| Memory | 186259 | 162720 |
| UX | 343264 | 235541 |
| Total score | 1436963 | 844447 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | [66 tests] |
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
| Stability | 68% | 98% |
| Graphics test | 6 FPS | 2 FPS |
| Graphics score | 793 | 315 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 11636 | 14144 |
| Video editing | 7420 | 7296 |
| Photo editing | 30352 | 24677 |
| Data manipulation | 12061 | 10326 |
| Writing score | 16397 | 14497 |
Recent User Tests
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon)
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2024-09-14 (Luis Maldonado) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 1720 / 4204 |
| 📘 2024-09-07 (Eduardo) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 1652 / 4021 |
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-10-12 (Jhzinnn) | AnTuTu 12 | 934820 |
| 📘 2026-10-04 -> Arcticmonkeys98 | AnTuTu 12 | 953956 |
| 📘 2026-10-02 (A36XQHYPER) | AnTuTu 12 | 938148 |
| 📘 2026-09-30 (kazew_) | AnTuTu 12 | 1005038 |
| 📘 2026-09-27 (Abdulgani) | AnTuTu 12 | 991604 |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 3200 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 4 | 2 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 13 (Can be upgraded to Android 16) | Android 15 (Can be upgraded to Android 16) |
| ROM | One UI 8.0 | One UI 8.5 |
| OS size | - | 22.6 GB |
| OS updates | 4 years | 6 years |
| Security updates | 5 years | 6 years |
Battery
| Capacity | 4500 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 25 W | 45 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes | No |
| Reverse charging | Yes, (wireless) | No |
| Bypass charging | - | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (58% in 30 min) | Yes (60% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:10 hr | 1:14 hr |
| Battery cycles | - | 2000 cycles |
| Web browsing | 07:09 hr | 10:13 hr |
| Watching video | 10:02 hr | 16:02 hr |
| Gaming | 04:27 hr | 04:55 hr |
| Standby | 118 hr | 115 hr |
General battery life
Main camera
| Matrix | 50 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8160 x 6120 | 8192 x 6144 |
| Zoom | Optical, 3x | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | Up to 24FPS | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 960 FPS (720p) | 240 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 123° | 123° |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Telephoto: 8 MP 3) Ultrawide: 12 MP |
1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Ultrawide: 8 MP 3) Macro: 5 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Image resolution | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Focal length | 23 mm | - |
| Sensor | Samsung S5KGN3 | Sony IMX882 |
| Sensor size | 1/1.57" (≈ 0.64 inch) | 1/1.96" (≈ 0.51 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1 micron | 0.8 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 8 MP | - |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | - |
| Focal length | 76 mm | - |
| Sensor | Hynix Hi847 | - |
| Sensor size | 1/4.4" (≈ 0.23 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 1 micron | - |
| Stabilization | Digital | - |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 8 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 13 mm | - |
| Sensor | Samsung S5K3L6 | GalaxyCore GC08A3 |
| Sensor size | 1/3" (≈ 0.33 inch) | 1/4.0" (≈ 0.25 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | 1.12 micron |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Image resolution | - | 5 MP |
| Aperture | - | f/2.4 |
| Sensor | - | GalaxyCore GC05A3 |
| Stabilization | - | Digital |
DxOMark main camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
| Bokeh | 50 | - |
| Preview | 67 | - |
| Zoom | 123 | - |
| Samples | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon) from DxOMark | - |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 10 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 3184 x 2388 |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | - |
| Sensor | Samsung S5K3J1 | GalaxyCore GC12A2 |
| Sensor size | 1/3" (≈ 0.33 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 1.22 micron | - |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 3.2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| DisplayPort | Yes | No |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 20 | - |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Mid-range |
| Announced | October 2023 | March 2025 |
| Release date | October 2023 | March 2025 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $599 | $399 |
| Successor | - | - Samsung Galaxy A37 5G |
| SAR (head) | 0.76 W/kg | 0.53 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.04 W/kg | 1.29 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Not included | Not included |
Further details
Notes on Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon):
- The Galaxy S23 FE is available in the USA with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, whereas other countries receive a version with the Exynos 2200.
- The base (128 GB) storage utilizes a UFS 3.1 memory type, whereas the higher-tier 256 GB variant is equipped with UFS 4.0.
- Models are available with a single SIM card, dual SIMs, or dual SIMs plus eSIM (depending on the market).
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the camera, performance, gaming, and connectivity are more important to you, then choose the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Snapdragon). But if the display and battery life are more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 14