Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review

In the second half of this year Samsung introduced the fourth-generation Fan Edition (FE) phone, the Galaxy S24 FE, aimed at genuine Samsung fans who want flagship quality for less. Why only the fourth model? After all, Samsung started this series back in 2020. The history of FE models has been rather turbulent.

The Galaxy S21 FE missed the 2021 train and launched in the first days of 2022, barely a month before the Galaxy S22 series. The Galaxy S22 FE never appeared at all — in 2022 word spread that production had been cancelled and the whole FE line might end. But after the Galaxy S23 series launched in February 2023, news of an FE revival surfaced again, and last October we got the Galaxy S23 FE, which disappointed by being too similar to the Galaxy A54 and using a year-old Exynos 2200 (in the European market), previously criticised for poor performance in the Galaxy S22 series.

This year, ahead of the big winter holidays, the Galaxy S24 FE saw the light of day, arriving with plenty of meaningful updates including Galaxy AI features. I’m glad Samsung gave me the chance to test this device and share my three-week Galaxy S24 FE review.

Design

I'll start as usual with the design. For several years now, Samsung boxes have contained only the phone, a USB-C charging and data cable, a SIM ejector tool and a user guide. If I remember correctly, the last Galaxy S device to arrive with a charging adapter was the Galaxy S20 FE.

The Galaxy S24 FE has outgrown all its predecessors and now lines up with its older brother, the Galaxy S24+. This year the screen grew from 6.4 to 6.7 inches, matching the Galaxy S24+ launched in January. The body became 0.2 mm thinner, squarer and more like what we saw earlier this year. Plenty of people say Samsung is chasing a trend Apple started, but I see no problem here. The Galaxy S24 FE is comfortable to hold.

The back is glass and glossy — unlike the Galaxy S24 series — and picks up fingerprints easily. The frame is matte aluminium (not Armor), but every colour model has the same silver frame. Only the black version arrives with a black frame. An interesting decision — perhaps a way to reduce manufacturing costs, or perhaps a styling detail that sets this model apart from other Galaxy phones. The front is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, also used in the Galaxy S22 series.

In Lithuania the Galaxy S24 FE is available with 128 GB and 256 GB of storage in three shades: blue, mint and graphite. The model I tested was a bright yellow, perfectly suited to autumn.

Display

Fan Edition models usually attract discussion about their processors, and in second place, undoubtedly, their displays. Last year’s Galaxy S23 FE was criticised for thick, asymmetric bezels reminiscent of the Galaxy A series. This year Samsung has reduced that problem by launching a larger model with slightly thinner bezels, though it’s nothing like what we see on the Galaxy S24+. The black frame around the display is considerably thicker, but what irritates most is the asymmetry. The top and bottom edges are much thicker than the sides, and that creates a sense of cheapness. It doesn’t feel like holding a flagship, more like a Galaxy A series device.

The display itself is 6.7 inches, FHD+ resolution, 120 Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X, with peak brightness up to 1,900 nits. Although the screen is bright enough, it doesn't match the Galaxy S24+ and its 2,600 nits. Oddly, with automatic brightness off, the Galaxy S24 FE's display settings offer no Extra Brightness option. Perhaps this device uses different display technology. We can probably only guess.

The resolution isn’t the highest — the Galaxy S24+ has a same-sized screen with higher QHD+ resolution. In everyday use you won’t feel much difference, but zooming in makes individual pixels easier to spot.

On refresh rate, it’s worth noting there’s no LTPO technology here; the rate doesn’t drop below 48 Hz, so it uses more battery. And if you like the updated Always On Display with a wallpaper, unfortunately the Galaxy S24 FE only offers the standard mode with a black background.

What about the sensors under the display? The Galaxy S24 FE uses an updated 10 MP front camera. The sensor is the same as last year, but the silver ring around the cut-out is gone. I noticed long ago that the front lenses used in the Galaxy FE and Galaxy A series differ from those in the flagships. When you open the front camera, the extra area around the cut-out turns black. I'd guess that's a way of reducing screen light.

We shouldn’t forget the fingerprint reader either. On the Galaxy S24 FE it’s optical rather than ultrasonic, and practice tells us that means less reliability and more sensitivity to dirt (such as dust or water) on the screen.

Cameras

The camera is a very important focus in the Galaxy FE series — or at least it should be, because Samsung aims these models at younger people, even at content creators who shoot a lot of photos and video. The Galaxy S24 FE has genuinely good cameras. They aren't the best on the market, of course, but they take quality photos and video. Sometimes the AI oversharpens details or shifts colours, but that's characteristic of Samsung's algorithms.

The Galaxy S24 FE has three cameras on the back: a 50 MP main, a 12 MP ultra-wide and an 8 MP 3x optical telephoto. The main camera is also used in the Galaxy S24 series and doesn’t fall short on quality. Daytime photos are extremely good, and at night the AI successfully reduces noise. At the default 12 MP resolution the results are particularly good. The telephoto, while good at 3x, loses quality in poor lighting. And the 30x zoom would only be fit for a watercolour painting competition.

Video resolution reaches 8K at 30 frames per second, an improvement over previous models. The device is also ready to capture 4K at up to 120 frames per second using Pro Video mode. Daytime video looks very good; at night it's worse, with more noise, but that's normal since the sensor receives less light.

The 10 MP front camera is well suited to striking selfies. It can film up to 4K at 30 frames per second. I don’t have many complaints about selfies, because the algorithm processes the frame and the photo comes out excellent.

Performance and battery

The most important things for fans are strong processor performance and long battery life. Starting with the processor — the Exynos 2400e, which you could call a Lite version of the Exynos 2400 used in the Galaxy S24 series. It’s a 10-core chip and performs well. The Exynos 2400e isn’t the most powerful processor in the world, but it’s genuinely reliable. I felt no significant heat under normal use, and everything runs smoothly without interference.

I also tried playing more demanding games such as Fortnite, PUBG and Genshin Impact. You can’t play at the highest graphics settings, because the game often stutters, but at the recommended settings everything runs smoothly.

The Exynos 2400e is tuned to balance performance and power consumption, though it can fall behind Qualcomm Snapdragon processors in some cases. Some apps, particularly games and video editing software, lack optimisation. That’s characteristic of all Exynos chips, since Qualcomm Snapdragon is more commonly used across the market.

The battery has grown from 4,500 mAh to 4,700 mAh, though it's smaller than the Galaxy S24+'s 4,900 mAh. Battery life matches the Galaxy S24+, helped by the lower-resolution display and slightly weaker processor. Charging power is unchanged at up to 25 W wired and 15 W wireless. What may be new is the ability to charge other devices faster, at up to 9 W, with Wireless PowerShare.

Galaxy AI

Since the Galaxy S24 Ultra review I’ve been including Samsung’s AI features in my mobile reviews. Galaxy AI, introduced at the start of this year, is gradually finding a place in my work. Only a few features are genuinely useful and get used practically every day, mind you.

One of them is Circle to Search, which has made searching easier for me since the start of the year. This autumn it gained new features. With Music Search you can easily find a favourite song (working much like Google Assistant). With the integrated Translate you can translate both text seen through the phone's camera and text shown on screen (working much like Google Translate).

Another useful Galaxy AI feature is Chat Assist. I use it almost always for posting text to social media or writing formal messages. It works less well in Lithuanian, but corrects English grammar and other spelling mistakes brilliantly. Now and then I remember features like Photo Assist or Sketch to Image exist, but I genuinely use those less often.

One UI

During my testing the Galaxy S24 FE ran Android 14 with One UI 6.1.1. Since this review was written at the end of 2024, I've no doubt that by the time you read it the phone will already be running the updated One UI 7 with Android 15. I won't dwell on it, because we know the update is coming shortly and most features will carry over to later versions. The system performs excellently on this device. The Galaxy S24 FE has DeX built in, so you can connect it to an external screen and use the phone like a computer. That's extremely handy for working with documents or browsing. Almost every feature that works on the Galaxy S24 series works here too, so there are no additional system restrictions on this model. The one drawback for anyone who likes shooting more professionally is that the Galaxy S24 FE doesn't support the Expert RAW app, so the only way to set camera parameters manually is through Pro mode in the camera app.

Verdict: pros and cons

The Galaxy S24 FE is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality flagship at a lower price. Older models targeted buyers of the base Galaxy S devices; now, with a larger screen and battery, it aims directly at potential Galaxy S+ users. There are some decent deals on this model right now, so it’s a great time for owners of older Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy S21 FE phones to upgrade. Seven years of Android OS updates and Galaxy AI features will keep the Galaxy S24 FE secure and serving you for a long time.