What you need to know
- Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S23 FE hits wireless charging certification.
- It will likely feature lower wireless charging speeds than the flagship tier.
- The WPC certification hints the device is likely to launch sooner than later.
Samsung is probably done releasing flagships this year, which include the Galaxy S23 series and the recent foldables launches. Yet, rumors of the hotly anticipated Galaxy S23 FE have been making rounds for quite a while now, and now a new certification listing hints that the launch is sooner than later while giving us a look at the phone’s charging speeds.
The alleged Galaxy S23 FE has hit the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) certification site (as spotted by 9to5Google), revealing the upcoming Fan Edition phone’s model number. Interestingly, it hit the wireless charging certification right on the day of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 launch, which took place last week.
The certification indicates that the Galaxy S23 FE bears the SM-S711U model number and showcases fairly small bezels around the display with a slightly bigger chin at the bottom. The volume rockers, accompanied by the power button, align on the right pane of the device.
The WPC is meant to determine the wireless charging speeds of the device. While it is good to see the Galaxy S23 FE will indeed have the feature, it will apparently be slower compared to other Android phones with wireless charging, including the Galaxy S23 series. The flagship series features 15W wireless charging capabilities, but the Galaxy S23 FE sports a rating of 4.4W, which is relatively slow. With speeds like this, it could take a few hours to get the device charged to full when relying on wireless.
Also, it is unclear what sort of wired charging speeds will the S23 FE equip, although we are expecting it to be at least 25W, as hinted by a recent China 3C listing.
The certification comes right after the mobile Samsung South Africa vice president, Justin Hune, seemingly confirmed the Galaxy S23 FE’s existence in a recent interview with Android Authority. When asked about the device, Hune stated that “there is going to be an announcement made. Imminently.” He did not specifically name the S23 FE but it seems likely this was the device he was referring tol