Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Camera Score: Surprisingly good!
Samsung's latest Galaxy S24 FE experiment is here, trying to convince us once again that you can have a flagship phone experience at the fraction of the price. Yes, that's always possible, though some corners usually need to get cut.
Has the camera setup drawn the short straw? Quite the opposite, actually!
At first glance, Samsung has surely introduced some essential changes in comparison with the previous Galaxy S23 FE generation. The main and ultrawide cameras score a wider aperture. The ultrawide now also has a larger 12MP versus the 10MP on the previous device. At the same time, the front and telephoto cameras remain unchanged in terms of hardware specs.
Galaxy S24 FE Hands-on Preview: The best Fan Edition yet?
Galaxy S24 FE Hands-on Preview: The best Fan Edition yet?
| Specs | Samsung Galaxy S24 FE | Samsung Galaxy S23 FE |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50MP, F1.8, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS | 50MP, F2.2, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS |
| Telephoto camera | 8MP, F2.4, 3X zoom (75mm), PDAF, OIS | 8MP, F2.4, 3X zoom (75mm), PDAF, OIS |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12MP, F2.2 | 10MP, F2.4 |
| Front-facing camera | 10MP, F2.4 | 10MP, F2.4 |
The camera setup is pretty similar to what you'd get out of the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus, essentially giving you the same flagship camera experience. And in our custom camera test, the Galaxy S24 FE performs admirably, mostly on par with the Galaxy S24 and surprisingly beating higher-tier rivals like the iPhone 16 and the Pixel 9. Overall, we're pretty impressed with how adequate the Galaxy S24 FE's camera fares.
Let's explore in greater detail.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Camera Score compared to its rivals
As seen in the table above, the Galaxy S24 FE gets a better camera score than both the iPhone 16 and Pixel 9. Samsung's latest phone achieves a total of 150 points, an average of 153 points in the still photo test and 147 points in the video-recording test. The only phone that decidedly beats the Galaxy S24 FE is the regular Galaxy S24.
When it comes to still photos only, however, the Galaxy S24 FE is tied with the Pixel 9 with 153 points. The iPhone 16 and Galaxy S24 are slightly further ahead, with 154 and 156 points, respectively.
In video recording, the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 FE both score 147 points, some ways ahead of both the iPhone 16 and the Pixel 9, which are awarded 143 and 136 points, respectively.
All of this means that the Galaxy S24 FE is a surprisingly impressive camera phone that holds the ground against its pricier rivals.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE spider chart
Main Camera
Galaxy S24 FE main camera
Typical for a Samsung phone, the Galaxy S24 FE takes still photos that are super straightforward to like. With vibrant crowd-pleasing colors, good overall dynamics, and an ample amount of sharpness, the Galaxy S24 FE is a near 1-to-1 homage to the exceptional Galaxy S24, delivering decent results that are unlikely to disappoint. That's great to hear––and see!
However, the default vibrancy of the photos could be an acquired taste. Similar to many Galaxies of before, this here S24 FE loves to bump the saturation, which might not be ideal for some users, but "just right" for others. Just have that in mind.
Zoom Quality
Galaxy S24 FE 3X zoom
At the native 3X zoom, the sharpness and the quality of detail are more than excellent. Colors appear super deep and vibrant, which you might or might not love at first glance.
Galaxy S24 FE 10X zoom
At 10X, detail is soft but still acceptable, though smudging and artifacts can be seen at a closer inspection. That's true of most phones, however, so not exactly a specific weakness of the Galaxy S24 FE.
Ultra-wide Camera
Galaxy S24 FE ultrawide camera
The ultrawide camera of the Galaxy S24 Fe continues to shine. The frame is pretty wide, allowing you to fit a lot of your surroundings in the frame. Colors are consistently vibrant here as well.
Front Camera
Galaxy S24 FE front camera
Up front, we get a standard selfie camera that does the job just right. The dynamics are on point, with properly exposed highlights and a decent amount of information in the shadows.
Main Camera - Video
Galaxy S24 FE main camera video frame
When it comes to video-recording quality, the Galaxy S24 FE continues with the strong performance. Key takeaways here are the natural details that lack oversharpening, as well as the splendid subject exposure, which makes for a lovely video quality.
Zoom Quality - Video
Galaxy S24 FE 3X telephoto video frame
The telephoto camera does a good job at capturing great video. Detail and colors are great, while dynamics are okay-ish. Our subject here could have been slightly better exposed, but then again, he was lurking in the proverbial shadows.
Ultrawide quality - Video
Galaxy S24 FE ultrawide video frame
The ultrawide camera has slight struggles with the dynamics in the background, but at least our subject is exposed mostly okay here.
Front camera - Video
Galaxy S24 FE selfie video frame
The front-facing video is great, once again delivering acceptable detail and lovely facial tones.
Conclusion
It's hard not to like the Galaxy S24 FE camera quality. It covers all the basics: the vibrant colors, great details, and superb dynamics make it a predictably great camera that will deliver most of the time.
We definitely like the fact that Samsung hasn't cut any corners with the Galaxy S24 FE cameras. While you will certainly get a marginally better image quality with either the Galaxy S24 or the Galaxy S24 Plus, the Galaxy S24 FE will get you 95% of the same experience.
Not only is the Galaxy S24 FE a decent addition to the S24 lineup, it's also an adequate rival to both the iPhone 16 and Pixel 9, which are a tad higher in the premium-ness hierarchy. All the better for this $650 Samsung phone, then!
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