The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is a confusing phone . With a $ 650 starting price , it ’s the most affordable submission into the S24 series and has many of the same features as the $ 800 Galaxy S24 and $ 1,000 Galaxy S24 Plus . On the surface , it seems like a fantastic flock .
In some ways , it is ! If you want a big phone with a gargantuan display , skilful performance , and foresighted battery life , the Galaxy S24 FE delivers . But it makes some compromise to get there , and other phones at small price further complicate thing . Should the Galaxy S24 FE be your next smartphone ? Let ’s find out .
Galaxy S24 FE specs
8MP telephoto , f/2.4 , 3x optical zoom
12MP ultrawide , f/2.2 , 123˚
15W wireless
Reverse tuner
The Galaxy S24 FE makes a bad first impression
After exist with the S24 FE for a few days , I ’ve remark it feels a piece flash . The aluminum anatomy has a sharp edge around the display , and the backside ( which is glass ) feels cheap and vacuous to me . It ’s hard to explicate , but there ’s a lack of culture here that I enjoyed so much with the Galaxy S24 Plus . The S24 FE is objectively well - made , have atomic number 13 and methamphetamine with no trace of plastic , but it ’s distinctly not construct nearly as well as its more expensive siblings .
The other emergence is how tremendous the Galaxy S24 FE is . A 6.7 - in display is n’t outrageous for a smartphone in 2024 , but the overall dimensions put it nearer to phone like theGalaxy S24 UltraandGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XL . I ’ve used great phones before with fewer way out , but the double curse of this with the lesser construction quality is n’t a near compounding .
Perhaps I ’m more raw to it after hail from the little and compactiPhone 16 , but I never fully adjusted to the S24 FE ’s size during my review full stop . That ’s great news show if you enjoy giant phone , but if you favour something more doable , this is not the phone for you .
A good display, with some compromises
Speaking of the display , it ’s a good one ! Mostly . As mentioned above , this is a 6.7 - inch screen with Samsung ’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen tech — the same one find in the other S24 handsets . colouring material are bright and vivacious , Black are robust , and the 120Hz refresh rate is as smooth as can be . It ’s all very solid clobber .
That aver , do n’t expect the same exact show character as the S24 Plus or S24 Ultra . The 2340 x 1080 solving is significantly lower than the 3120 x 1440 resolution on Samsung ’s more expensive S24 phones . It ’s not a batch - breakers , but I did comment that the S24 FE ’s screen is a bit softer than I ’d like .
to boot , this isnotan LTPO panel , meaning the depleted the refresh charge per unit get is 60Hz . you’re able to still enable an always - on showing on the S24 FE , but you ca n’t customize it like you’re able to on Samsung ’s other S24 models . There ’s also no option to see a darkened interpretation of wallpaper — you just have a calamitous ground with the time .
lastly , there ’s the brightness . The S24 FE ’s 1,900 nits of apex brightness is very honest , and for the most part , I ’ve had no issuing with it . However , it is another step belowthe S24 and S24 Plus , which propose 2,600 nit of peak brightness level . If you live in a peculiarly sunny area , it ’s another factor you ’ll want to consider .
Surprising performance, fantastic battery life
Going into my Galaxy S24 FE , I was initially concerned about its performance . Inside the phone is an Exynos 2400e chip . carrying into action with Samsung ’s Exynos chipsets is very hit - and - overleap , and we seldom see a smartphone released in the U.S. with a piece of Exynos Si indoors of it . gratefully , those concerns were unnecessary .
geminate with 8 GB of RAM , the S24 FE ’s day - to - day carrying out has been great . Apps open immediately , scrolling is very smooth , and not once has the phone felt slow or choppy . It also handle gaming with informality . PlayingStar Wars : Huntersat 60 frames per second with radical graphics options is a bang-up experience , with the S24 FE save fluid gameplay with only a few casual jitters .
In our bench mark tests , the Galaxy S24 FE fare nicely against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside the Galaxy S24 Plus . It also handily surpass the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset powering the OnePlus 12R. The Exynos 2400e has proven extremely reliable , so any worries about a Samsung phone with an Exynos chip can be lay to rest .
The Exynos 2400e has proven extremely honest .
barrage fire liveliness has been evenly impressive . With moderate enjoyment , the Galaxy S24 FE ’s 4,700mAh batteryeasilylasts two days on a charge . As an example of my enjoyment of the phone , I commence one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. with 100 % assault and battery at 7:30 a.m. After just shy of two hours of screen time — including 50 arcminute watching YouTube , 20 minutes on Reddit , and some clip on TikTok andStar state of war : Hunters — I terminate the day at 11 p.m. with 70 % battery still remaining .
The next 24-hour interval , I had 67 % assault and battery at 8 a.m. and racked up over two time of day of filmdom time — this Clarence Day with over 30 minutes on the NFL Fantasy app , over 20 minutes on X , more than 10 minute scrolling on TikTok , and frequent camera use . I did n’t hit 10 % battery until 10:30 p.m. For source , I didnothave the always - on display enabled .
If you push the S24 FE and are incessantly gaming , streaming , etc . , youmightbe capable to kill it in a day . But for almost everyone , this will be a two - day smartphone , and that ’s excellent .
What about boot speed ? The 25W electrify level speed does n’t inspire much confidence , but interestingly enough , I discover the S24 FE to charge at about the same rate as the Galaxy S24 Plus with its 45W shoot down . After 30 minutes onmy reliable Anker 747 , the S24 FE go from 2 % to 61 % in 30 minutes and had a full barrage after about an hour and 10 minute . That ’s not the very good in the mankind , but it ’s also not bad by any means — especially for a battery just 200mAh smaller than the one in the S24 Plus .
What about the cameras?
The Galaxy S24 FE has a reasonably stock tv camera setup . There ’s a 50 - megapixel primary camera , an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical rapid growth , and a 12MP ultrawide photographic camera with a 123 - level field of view .
So , how ’s the image quality ? If you ’re taking a well - lit photo of flowers , food for thought , or a very still creature , the Galaxy S24 FE can return some nice - wait photographs . I ’ve demand a smattering of pictures that I ’m pretty happy with , and as you get tight to your subject , the S24 FE ’s primary camera ply a pleasing born bokeh effect .
That said , the S24 FE can also bewitch some pretty mediocre - looking pictures . Like other Samsung telephone set , it struggles with moving physical object — particularly animals . The picture of my cat Polo ( the white and browned one ) is very mild . He was move around a little bit but was mostly still for the picture I took . Even so , the S24 FE focus on the right edge of the hammock instead . The television camera also has a difficult time with black fur . My cat Minnie is a beautiful princess , but the S24 FE did a really poor job with her black coat .
Comparatively , the telephoto and ultrawide cameras are wholly unremarkable . pic from the two junior-grade detector miss any deepness or point and systematically bring about insipid image . The sum flexibility they provide is ready to hand , but there ’s also nothing memorable here .
Similarly forgettable is the 10MP selfie photographic camera . Does it work on in a pinch ? Sure . But you wo n’t want to utilize it for much beyond that . Shots front fine at first glimpse , but zoom in just a little turn , and you ’ll quickly notice the grainy background , poor focal point , and miss details .
Galaxy AI and software updates
Being a Samsung speech sound released in 2024 , it should be no surprise that the Galaxy S24 admit the full suite ofGalaxy AI feature film . That intend you get feature like literal - time interlingual rendition during headphone calls , note formatting and summarizing , AI - powered photograph redaction tools , and more .
Some of these features , likeSamsung ’s object eraser tool for photo editing , are quite good ! Others , likeall of the Chat Assist tools , are embarrassingly bad . I ’ve used Galaxy AI a few time throughout this class on multiple Samsung headphone , and once again , my conclusion is the same . Someof these feature of speech are cool and helpful , but they ’re not intellect enough to purchase the S24 FE over a competing phone without Galaxy AI .
Whether you care about Galaxy AI , the rest of the S24 FE ’s software is no unlike from any other Samsung sound . It ships with Android 14 and Samsung ’s One UI 6.1 interface . Although it ’s not my personal orientation for an Android interface , One UI 6.1 is riotous , true , dilute with extra features , and highly customizable . From numerous multitasking options to systemwide theme , there a mickle to lapse your teeth into .
Looking down the road , Samsung promises seven year of Android ascent and security patches for the Galaxy S24 FE — ensuring it should keep receive update through September 2031 . That ’s the same level of support propose on Samsung ’s more expensive S24 flagships , and it ’s great to see it also offered on the FE .
Galaxy S24 FE price and alternatives
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is available now . The 128 GB model get down at $ 650 , while the 256 GB version is usable for $ 710 . It do in Blue , Mint , Graphite , and Gray people of color .
There ’s also theGoogle Pixel 8a . It has a better television camera , similar AI feature , and a more compact 6.1 - inch 120Hz display . If you could divvy up with the little size ( and shorter battery life),it ’s a great bargain at $ 499 .
OK — but what if youwant a Samsung phone ? As mentioned at the beginning of the critique , the S24 FE is cheap than the retail prices of theGalaxy S24andGalaxy S24 Plus — $ 800 and $ 1,000 , severally . That ’s significant savings at first glance , but you want to look closer than that .
properly now , T - Mobile is offering up to $ 800 off the Galaxy S24 Plus when you trade in a telephone set as old as the Galaxy S9 or iPhone 11 . Verizon is giving away the Galaxy S24 for free when you append a new phone line . Depending on which earpiece you trade in on Samsung ’s site , you get the Galaxy S24 Plus for just $ 50 more than the S24 FE . At the time of publication , you may buy the Galaxy S24 Plus outright — no trade - in or carrier deal required — for just $ 750 on Amazon . Considering it has 256 GB of depot by nonremittal , that ’s just $ 40 more than 256 GB Galaxy S24 FE .
Because those other ( and objectively better ) S24 phone have been out for a while , it’svery easyto find incredible deals for them . There are promos for the S24 FE , too , but when you may get the S24 and S24 Plus at such not bad damage , why bother with the S24 FE in the first place ?
Should you buy the Galaxy S24 FE?
As I cite at the scratch line of this review , the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is a confusing smartphone . Viewed in a house of cards , there ’s mint to wish . If you want a big phone with a 120Hz display , two - day battery life , and great performance , the S24 FE can seem like a deal . However , even reckon through this hypothetical lens , you still compromise with meretricious ironware , less display spec , and mediocre cameras .
The Galaxy S24 FE is n’t a sorry phone , but it is an outclassed and outpriced one .
As I explicate above , the S24 FE doesnotexist in a house of cards . Want a big Android phone with fantabulous public presentation and bombardment animation ? The OnePlus 12R is a much undecomposed choice . It scoop the S24 FE in some central areasandcosts $ 150 less . If you ’re dead set up on getting a Samsung sound , your money is much better expend on a discounted S24 or S24 Plus — which are very easy to come in by these days .
If you may recover the Galaxy S24 FE at an unbelievable rebate — such as $ 200 or $ 300 off — then sure , go onwards and buy it . But if you ’re considering dropping $ 650 on the FE , do your research and get something else for that kind of money . The Galaxy S24 FE is n’t a bad headphone , but it is an outclassed and outpriced one .
