Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: In a world of budget options and premium flagships making up a greater share of the smartphone market, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE (Fan Edition) sounds like a perfect compromise.
Coming in early 2025, this is Samsung doing its usual thing of pouring its flagship features into a more affordable package, taking some of the compromises it knows it’s making and working out if it can shave just that little bit more off the price.
Design & Build Quality
Most of that design language from the premium siblings makes its way to the S24 FE in a way that conforms to more practical materials.
The aluminum frame gives it a premium durability, and the glass back has a delicate matte effect that is surprisingly fingerprint-resistant.
It is an ideal compromise at 7.9mm thick and 187g in weight – heavy enough for some premium feel, yet light enough for prolonged use.
And unlike many mid-tier alternatives, although water- and dustproofing is only rated to IP68, that’s just an inch shy of flagship levels of protection and offers peace of mind through everyday spills and unexpected showers.
The display is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, which provides decent drop and scratch resistance.
Display Experience
The S24 FE’s 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen is one of the phone’s strongest features. Its 1080 x 2340 resolution is plenty sharp, and you get a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate for buttery smooth scrolling and animations that scale down when the content isn’t fast-paced or intensive to save on battery life.
The screen’s brightest peak is 1,450 nits for HDR content and despite extremes when it comes to outdoor lighting one can still very much clearly view the screen.
Its color accuracy is impressive, and that lends itself well whether you’re watching videos, gaming or whatever else you might need a screen for.
Performance Credentials
For processing power, the S24 FE packs Samsung’s Exynos 2300 (though in some markets you’ll find the phone comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 instead) alongside 8GB of RAM, as well as 128GB or 256GB of storage.
It’s not the very latest silicon, but this hardware package has more than enough grunt for everything from flicking through social media to tackling graphically demanding games.
Performance on daily duties is smooth and responsive with apps launching without hesitation and multitasking is a dream.
You’ll only notice the performance gap when playing the most graphics-intensive games at ultra settings.
Camera Capabilities
This triple camera system comprises a 50MP main camera, a genuinely useful 12MP ultrawide, and a10MP telephoto that offers 3x optical zoom.
In decent light, the primary camera also takes detailed pictures, complete with Samsung’s trademark punchy colors and good dynamic range.
Low-light is actually respectable for a camera of this caliber, but some noise is visible in very tough situations.
The telephoto lens gives you versatility you don’t get at this price, offering usable zoom shots up to about 10x with Samsung’s hybrid zoom tech.
The 32MP selfie camera captures clear and detailed selfies with natural skin tones when the beauty filters are dialled down.
Battery Endurance
The 4,700mAh battery is reliable and provides all-day battery life, even after heavy usage. The 25W wired charging isn’t the best in its class but will fill the battery from zero to 55% in about 30 minutes.
Wireless charging (15W) as well as reverse wireless charging (4.5W) bring handy flexibility that’s not often seen in devices in this segment.
Software Experience
With One UI 6.1 on top of Android 15, the S24 FE has a feature-packed and super customizable interface assured of Samsung’s guarantee of four years of OS updates and five years of security patches — a remarkable lifespan for a mid-ranger.
Pros:
Great looking screen with 120Hz refresh rate
Virtually all tasks, has an impressive performance.
Real optical zoo, flexible system camera
water and dust protection IP68
Wireless charging support
Firmware support to be extended
Cons:
Slower to charge than some competitors
Some oddities in the camera processing
Exynos instead of Snapdragon in some markets
Base storage may be too restrictive
No charger in the box
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is a gift to mid-range phones that meet a happy middle ground with premium devices.
Though not perfect, it’s a considerate mashup of performance, display quality, camera versatility and build quality that makes a strong case for some power users who want flagship-adjacent features but can’t quite stomach a flagship’s price.
You’ll hardly notice the compromises this phone had to make in day-to-day use, and it makes for an excellent choice in a very crowded space.
