At yesterday’s Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco, South Korea’s number one smartphone exporter unveiled new additions to its Galaxy ecosystem: the Galaxy S23 FE model phones, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9 FE+, and Galaxy Buds FE. These latest additions to the flagship Galaxy line are designed to provide a pro-level camera as well as smooth mobile gaming performance. Complete with AI editing tools for easy-share content, the Galaxy S23 FE is also customizable, with Pro Mode controls that allow manual selection for shutter speed, aperture and ISO for those who choose.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman, CEO and Head of DX JH Han said in his keynote that the company sells 500 million units every year “and the number of people using Samsung accounts exceeds 600 million.” To fuel those pipelines, he highlighted for developers Samsung’s platforms including Bixby, Samsung Knox, SmartThings and Tizen.

“Capture customized shots with the Camera Assistant app and choose which automated features to use for a fully customized shooting experience” enhanced by “AI-powered editing tools,” Samsung writes of the Galaxy S23 FE.

A 50MP high-resolution lens, 3X optical zoom and Nightography for photographing in low light are part of the package, along with advanced digital image stabilization (VDIS) that lets you “take steady shots on the go using the rear camera with optical image stabilizer (OIS) angle.”

With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, Full HD+ (2340×1080) and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, displayed on a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, the Galaxy S23 FE starts at $600 ($200 less than the Galaxy S23). Standard are 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (upgradable to 256GB).

Developer forum XDA writes that “Samsung is back to fighting for the value crown with the Galaxy S23 FE.” The features are comparable to Google’s new smartphones, the $1,000 Pixel 8 Pro and $700 Pixel Pro, also unveiled this week. Samsung is taking preorders now, with availability set for October 26.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ aim to combine creativity and productivity. “Digital creators, entrepreneurs, busy students, artists, gamers, and more will explore their passions and get work done with improved device speed and even better performance” compared to the earlier FE Series.

Although there was much speculation about Samsung announcing a Galaxy-specific cloud game streaming service, as of press time the company had not official acknowledged such plans.

“However, some people are already reporting that they have access to the beta service. Rumor is that those who have Game Launcher on their Samsung Galaxy phone will be able to use the service directly within the app,” Android Police wrote yesterday, adding that the company is reportedly embracing an ad-supported model over a subscription-based service.

SamMobile reports from SDC 2023 that “the number of Samsung Gaming Hub supported games has increased by a whopping 300 percent since last year.” The platform, powered by Samsung’s proprietary Linux-based Tizen OS, is a discovery platform, not a discrete streaming service (yet).

Samsung is adding a soundbar to its smart home hub. The HW-Q900C is “capable of being a SmartThings hub, complete with support for Zigbee, Thread, and Matter,” writes The Verge, noting that “the electronics giant has been pushing SmartThings aggressively over the last couple of years as it works to connect all its appliances, TVs, smartphones, and gadgets from other manufacturers together in a unified IoT-based smart home ecosystem.”

Samsung TVs and other devices are now programmed to recognize specially optimized Samsung smart phones, turning them into remote controls.