Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Review: Full Galaxy AI For Less

Value When Reviewed

From $549.99

Greatest Costs In the present day: Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

$549.99

$620

When costs of the Galaxy S sequence began to skyrocket, Samsung determined a couple of years in the past to launch a slimmed-down model, with all the important thing options and the newest software program model, at a extra cheap worth. They known as them FE, which is brief for Fan Version.

The timing was a bit odd at instances, they tended to return simply earlier than the brand new 12 months’s prime telephones had been launched. The Galaxy S23 FE went on sale in November 2023, earlier than its successor arrived nearly a 12 months later.

However is it any good? I examined the Galaxy S24 FE to seek out out.

Design & Construct

The Galaxy S24 FE is heavier and barely bigger in dimensions than the already sturdy Galaxy S24+. It has the identical dimension display screen – 6.7 inches – so the additional millimetres are a few extra merely constructed system that doesn’t have the identical skinny display screen bezels.

Mattias Inghe

Construct high quality remains to be excessive, with an aluminium body and glass back and front. There’s Gorilla Glass Victus Plus within the display screen and Gorilla Glass 5 on the again as an alternative of Victus 2, so the aluminium chassis isn’t of the additional sturdy sort used within the S24+.

This makes it barely much less scratch and scuff-resistant, however it’s nonetheless higher than many different top-end mobiles. After all, you additionally get mud and water resistance with an IP68 ranking.

Specs & Efficiency

The system circuit is a model new variant, the Samsung Exynos 2400e, which is similar to the Exynos 2400 from the S24 and S24+ in Europe, however it has a slightly decrease clock price on among the cores.

That appears to be the one distinction, and it’s so minimal that it’s not essential. It’s the identical graphics, the identical connectivity assist and the identical NPU.

In brief, it’s true premium efficiency. Even when it doesn’t ship file numbers in any benchmarks, it doesn’t lag behind. The circuit appears to be barely more durable to overheat than the S24+, however which will additionally should do with the chassis design and inside cooling resolution.

With a robust NPU offering the identical energy for the S24 sequence’ many nice AI options, it’s only a matter of giving thanks and receiving. You don’t lose out on any of them right here, aside from the Notes-specific options you solely get on the S24 Extremely and the newest Galaxy S10+ and S10 Extremely tablets.

Show

The 6.7-inch display screen is a 1080p AMOLED that doesn’t fairly rise up to the sharpness and peak brightness of the highest fashions, however it doesn’t make a idiot of itself.

Good anti-glare safety within the display screen floor and Samsung’s Imaginative and prescient Booster expertise for its 1,900 cd/m2 peak brightness imply there’s by no means an issue with readability in daylight, though the picture might be much less enticing for displaying video.

But it surely’s definitely a downgrade from the S24+, which has 2,600 cd/m2, 1440p decision and real LTPO expertise to regulate the display screen refresh price. It’s nonetheless dynamic right here, although it could possibly solely robotically swap between 60- and 120Hz quite than going all the best way right down to 1Hz.

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Battery Life & Charging

You can too set the show to a set 60 Hz, however why would you try this? It doesn’t save sufficient battery to be conclusive – I get the identical leads to my battery life measurements in each modes.

Slightly, what places the Galaxy S24 FE at a drawback is that the battery is definitely smaller, 4700mAh versus 4900mAh within the S24 Plus. One thing else should additionally have an effect on the ability consumption, as a result of it’s increased right here, and in lively work, the battery lasts for 13 hours as an alternative of 16.

Is it underpowered? Under no circumstances, and in additional sporadic use with intervals in your pocket, some images throughout the day and video streaming within the night, it could possibly nonetheless final a few days between fees. General, Samsung and the One UI system are good at conserving vitality.

Nonetheless, charging is questionable – at greatest you possibly can rise up to 25W through USB-C and also you want, as typical, to supply your personal suitable charger.

My two 65W common chargers find yourself just a little beneath 25W in energy and the result’s patience-testing semi-fast charging. With no charger within the field or good steering within the retailer for an acceptable charger (not even on Samsung’s personal on-line retailer), there could also be issues getting the fitting charging pace.

I don’t perceive why this needs to be so tough. No producer is consumer-friendly on this space. Now I really get nearly as quick battery charging wirelessly. The S24 FE helps as much as 15W that method. And yep, it helps reverse charging so you possibly can put your Galaxy Buds on it to cost.

Mattias Inghe

Cameras

The third huge factor that’s scaled down is the cameras. Not less than a few them, the zoom on the again and the selfie digicam have gotten smaller sensors, 8Mp as an alternative of 10.

The vast angle with its 12Mp and the principle digicam’s 50Mp, so seems to match the S24 and S24+. I don’t discover any distinction in the long run results of images, which in daylight provides good white steadiness, robust dynamic vary and correct colors – together with pure pores and skin tones.

All three lenses on the again match one another on that time, and so long as I don’t digitally zoom past the 3x that I get optically with the zoom lens, it’s sharp and straightforward to shoot.

In night mild I get occasional issues with obscure noise in darkish areas, and even the color steadiness could be off with the vast angle and zoom cameras. All three cameras lose some element, however so long as you don’t zoom in an excessive amount of in post-processing the images look sharp.

The digicam shoots steadily with dependable color and lightweight dealing with and easy autofocus. You possibly can shoot at as much as 120Hz at 4k and it could possibly additionally seize 8k video. I wouldn’t suggest making a behavior of it although, each modes are large battery drainers. The microphones within the cellphone are of a excessive commonplace and clever noise cancellation does a superb job.

Value & Availability

The Galaxy S24 FE begins at £649 within the UK, the place it’s obtainable from the likes of Samsung and Amazon,

On contract, it’s obtainable on the next networks:

Within the US, the cellphone begins at $549.99, and could be discovered on the likes of Samsung and Amazon. On contract, see beneath:

Must you purchase the Galaxy S24 FE?

On this assessment, I’ve in contrast rather a lot to the S24+, as a result of the S24 FE largely appears to be primarily based on it. And the listing of compromises to maintain the value down is lengthy, however not excessive.

There are quite a lot of little issues that don’t make a big distinction in on a regular basis life, like barely worse cameras, barely decrease efficiency and an optical fingerprint reader as an alternative of the sooner ultrasonic reader.

Samsung

But additionally others which will decide extra, just like the battery life, dimmer display screen and even bigger dimensions, increased weight and no possibility with a lot storage. However because you don’t should pay practically as a lot for it, it is likely to be value it, particularly in order for you the total Galaxy AI expertise with out shopping for a flagship.