Review: The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is one step away from greatness

I haven’t encountered a more confusing or conflicting device this year than the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. On the one hand, I love almost everything about it. It features a fantastic display, excellent performance, and phenomenal software support. However, its price doesn’t make sense, especially against strong midrange competition. Samsung argues that Galaxy AI covers the value gap, as the Galaxy S24 FE includes a full slate of AI magic. But I struggle to see Galaxy AI's additional worth when several phones offer similar functions for less money.

Samsung’s lineup also provides attractive alternatives, leaving the Galaxy S24 FE in limbo. It’s a phone worth buying for many reasons, but you must be a savvy buyer to ensure it's the best device for you.

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

8 / 10

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE brings some flagship luxury at a more affordable price. It features a 6.7-inch 1080p display refreshing at 120Hz. This device also sports a premium build, with Gorilla Glass Victus+ and an aluminum frame. The Galaxy S24 FE is powered by an Exynos 2400e, providing solid performance and great battery life.

Pros

• Vibrant display
• Solid performance
• Improved cameras

Cons

• Awful charging speeds
• Expensive

$650 at Amazon $650 at Best Buy $650 at Samsung

Price, availability, and specs

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is available through Samsung and Best Buy starting at $650. The base variant has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, although Samsung offers a 256GB version for $710. The Galaxy S24 FE is available in four colors: Graphite, Gray, Blue, and Mint.

You must pay attention to deals and discounts on the Galaxy S24 FE. Take advantage of carrier deals, Samsung trade-in offers, or Best Buy gift cards to get the cost below $500 — friends don’t let friends buy the Galaxy S24 FE at full price.

Specifications

SoC
Exynos 2400e
Display type
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Adaptive refresh rate (60/120Hz)
Display dimensions
6.7-inch
Display resolution
1080 x 2340
RAM
8GB
Storage
Up to 256GB
Battery
4,700mAh
Charge speed
25W
Charge options
Wired, Wireless, PowerShare
Ports
USB-C
SIM support
SIM, eSIM
Operating System
One UI 6.1, Android 14
Front camera
10MP F/2.4, FOV 80˚
Rear camera
50MP primary, OIS F/1.8, 12MP ultra-wide, F/2.2, FOV 123˚, 8MP telephoto, 3x Optical Zoom, OIS, F/2.4
Cellular connectivity
5G, LTE
Wi-Fi connectivity
Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Dimensions
77.3 X 162.0 X 8.0mm
Weight
213g
IP Rating
IP68
Colors
Blue, Graphite, Gray, Mint, Yellow
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Design

Exactly what you’d expect

If you’ve seen one Galaxy phone in the last three years, you’ve seen them all. Samsung has done a thorough job of bringing its preferred design language down to all price points. The company’s uniform design benefits midrange and budget phones more than flagship devices, but it’s unoffensive. It’s not a design you might hate, but there’s nothing about it to fall in love with.

Even though the Galaxy S24 FE looks similar to last year’s Galaxy S23 FE, there are some changes. Samsung has increased the size of the Galaxy S24 FE, fitting it with a 6.7-inch display compared to the 6.4-inch display featured on the Galaxy S23 FE. Samsung also flattened the aluminum edges to complement the phone’s flat display. Even with the flat edges, it doesn’t have a sharp feel in the hand, thanks to Samsung slightly molding the aluminum into the back glass.

Read our review

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review: A not-quite diamond in the rough

Don't let this phone get lost in the mid-range crowd

The Galaxy S24 FE maintains an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and is protected front and back by Gorilla Glass Victus+. Unfortunately, it lacks a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage.

Display

Best Samsung display this year

Samsung displays drifted away from their usual vibrant colors this year. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display leaned toward natural hues, and while Samsung relented to complaints and gave us a vividness slider, color saturation never returned to what we were used to from previous generations. I understand some people prefer natural tones, whether they need a color-accurate display for work or one easier on their eyes. However, we should be able to choose how we want our display to look.

Read our review

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is still the best, unless you take photos

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The Galaxy S24 FE’s 6.7-inch 1080p display is the best of both worlds. Setting the display to natural turns the saturation down for those who need it, but vivid mode keeps things punchy for those wanting a bit more pop. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, so scrolling and breezing through the UI is smooth.

Initially, I was concerned that Samsung went with a larger display, as I’d grown fond of smaller phones. However, it’s not overpowering, and I appreciated the extra screen real estate over last year’s model for movies and games. As a result, multitasking is also better on the Galaxy S24 FE. And yes, the display has a slight chin for all the bezel police out there.

Software

Seven years of support extends to another Galaxy phone

Samsung went to great lengths to convince us that Galaxy AI is worth paying extra. I’ll admit that Samsung’s AI features work well on the Galaxy S24 FE. Circle to Search is smooth and works as intended. Transcript Assist in Samsung Notes allows me to summarize notes into something more digestible, in addition to handling translations and transcribing audio recordings.

Photo Assist is where you’ll feel the benefits of Galaxy AI more tangibly. The Galaxy S24 FE takes noticeably better photos than its predecessor. The Galaxy S23 FE produced soft images lacking in detail, even with good lighting. That’s not a problem this year, and I credit Samsung’s improved computational photography with AI enhancements. Sketch to Image is an abstract version of Pixel Studio, adding color and context to simple images. Generative Edit works with your photos like Magic Editor on Google Pixel phones, allowing you to move and erase items from images.

One UI is still what we’ve come to expect. I enjoy it the most out of any Android skin, and while that’s subjective, I think it’s safe to say Samsung’s software has been the most reliable over the last few years. The company promises seven generations of Android upgrades with seven years of security patches to match. It’s impressive, and I’m glad to see Samsung follow Google’s lead by bringing extended support down to midrange phones. And let’s not forget the inclusion of Samsung DeX — a fan favorite usually not seen on non-Samsung flagships.

Performance and battery life

Exynos 2400e shows up

I had many questions about the Exynos 2400e chipset. I wondered what kind of performance we’d see from it and how power-efficient it would be. I already knew Exynos chipsets were improving, having used the Galaxy A55 powered by an Exynos 1480, but I was curious how the 2400e would hold up against much higher expectations. Overall, I’m impressed. Performance is snappy and responsive, and while the 2400e benchmarks slightly behind a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, you won’t notice a difference in real-world use.

I was also pleased by the gaming performance. Genshin Impact defaulted to medium settings, and I noticed a couple of slowdowns during intense battles, but overall, the experience was smooth. Pokémon Go had no issues, and I could fire off curveballs in rapid succession after raids. Lackluster gaming performance has been one criticism of previous Exynos chipsets, but that wasn’t my experience with the 2400e in the Galaxy S24 FE.

More than gaming performance, I wanted to see how the Galaxy S24 FE handled overheating. Samsung fitted it with a vapor chamber for better thermals, and it works. I can usually smoke a salmon on the back of most phones after completing the full Genshin Impact download, but the Galaxy S24 FE remained cool. Better thermals not only lead to better performance but also improved battery life.

In testing, the Galaxy S24 FE had noticeably better battery life than its predecessor. Samsung increased the battery size to 4,700mAh (up from 4,500), but the performance increase was an additional 90 minutes of screen-on time per day, bringing it up to around 7 hours consistently. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S24 FE still suffers from Samsung’s anemic charging speeds, topping out at 25W wired and 15W wireless — you can’t win them all.

Camera

A negative from last year becomes a positive

I mentioned earlier how Samsung was using AI to improve photos, and I’ve noticed a difference in images from my Galaxy S24 FE. Color reproduction is much better on this year’s device, and Samsung has solved the image softness that plagued the Galaxy S23 FE. I’m also happy to report that Samsung’s notorious shutter lag is minimal, making the device a suitable option for people with kids and pets.

The Galaxy S24 FE sports a triple camera setup: a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP 3x telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide sensor. Images in good lighting are fantastic, with warm colors and deep contrast. I was more impressed with the Galaxy S24 FE’s performance in low lighting conditions, an area where the S23 FE fell apart. Nighttime images aren’t perfect, but the S24 FE does a significantly better job with noise, resulting in a less grainy photo. A front-facing 10MP lens does an adequate job with selfies, but I wasn’t overly impressed.

Competition

What else is out there?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE faces more challenges in the broader midrange market. The OnePlus 12R is fantastic, featuring a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and a gorgeous display—all for $150 less than the S24 FE. However, it doesn’t feature the same fit and finish as Samsung’s offering, and there are numerous question marks surrounding OnePlus’ software. If you’re comfortable with Oxygen OS and want slightly more raw horsepower for less money, the OnePlus 12R is worth a look.

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Read our review

OnePlus 12R review: A real flagship killer for $500

A phone that packs all the power you need for the price you want to pay

If you’re comfortable with a smaller device, the Galaxy S24 is an attractive alternative. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset is objectively more powerful than the Galaxy S24 FE, and the S24 has a better camera system. The S24 FE with 256GB of storage will cost you $710, only $30 to 40 less than a comparably spec’d Galaxy S24. Carrier deals and Samsung sales muddy the waters even further, with a Galaxy S24+ often selling within $100 of the S24 FE.

It’s also worth looking at the Google Pixel 8a. It lacks power compared to the Galaxy S24 FE, but it has many of the same AI features through Gemini and sports a significantly better camera system — all with the same seven years of software support. In addition, the Pixel 8a can typically be found for around $450, a deep discount compared to the S24 FE.

Should you buy it?

It’s hard to find fault with the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. It delivers a wonderful experience in a premium package with seven years of software support. I know people want to compare it to the Google Pixel 9, citing how it offers so much for $150 less, and I get it. The problem is that it goes both ways, and I think the argument for stepping up in price is much stronger based on all the additional features and performance you receive. Even still, the Galaxy S24 FE is an excellent smartphone; just buy it on sale.

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

There's no doubt the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE has a lot to offer. It features a great display, solid battery life, and excellent performance. I also love that Samsung will support the Galaxy S24 FE for seven years. You do have to be careful about the price, as $650 puts the S24 FE in an awkward position, but if you get it at a discount, it's hard to beat.

$650 at Amazon $650 at Best Buy $650 at Samsung

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