Galaxy S24 FE Hands-on Preview: The best Fan Edition yet?

Updated: Oct 03, 2024, 9:41 AM

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Galaxy S24 FE Hands-on Preview: The best Fan Edition yet?

Galaxy S24 FE Intro

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE appears to be a compelling option for those seeking a high-quality smartphone without breaking the bank, as the Fan Edition is intended to be. It boasts a vibrant display, strong performance, and capable cameras. However, the Samsung insists that the standout feature is the integration of artificial intelligence.

Samsung's Advanced Intelligence (as it calls its AI) powers a range of features, from photo editing and transcription to text generation. While some AI functions, like Photo Assist and Sketch to Image, have limitations, others, such as Chat Assist and Translation, perform well. The phone's sleek design, impressive battery life, and capable cameras further solidify its value proposition.

And speaking of value, you can get the Galaxy S24 FE for $649.99 for the 8/128GB variant in the U.S., which is $15 more than last year. This makes it $150 cheaper than Samsung's base flagship model this year, the Galaxy S24, all while offering a very similar user experience.

Table of Contents:

Specs
Design and Display
Camera
Performance
Software
Battery and Charging
Audio Quality and Haptics
Should you buy it?

Galaxy S24 FE Specs

A Samsung-made chip for all regions

So, what's different with the new with the Galaxy S24 FE specs? Let's compare the new Fan Edition against its predecessor and see what's been improved this year.

Specs	Galaxy S24 FE	Galaxy S23 FE
Size and Weight	162 x 77.3 x 8 mm, 213 g	158 x 76.5 x 8.2 mm, 209 g
Display	Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1900 nits peak brightness	Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1450 nits brightness
Processor	Exynos 2400e (4 nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) in the U.S.
Memory	8GB RAM 128/256GB storage	8GB RAM 128/256GB storage
Software	Android 14, 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1	Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1
Cameras	50 MP main 12 MP ultrawide 8 MP telephoto 10 MP selfie	50 MP main 12 MP ultrawide 8 MP telephoto 10 MP selfie
Battery Size	4,700 mAh	4,500 mAh
Charging Speeds	25W wired 15 wireless Reverse wireless	25W wired 15 wireless Reverse wireless
Prices	8GB/128GB: $649 8GB/256GB: $709	8GB/128GB: $629 8GB/256GB: $689

Galaxy S24 FE Design and Display

Much brighter display and a slicker design

The S24 FE is larger but it feels even more comfortable. (Image by PhoneArena)

Samsung has made some slight alterations with the Galaxy S24 FE, which, when combined, make up for a noticeable improvement. Compared to its predecessor, the frame has less of a curve, so the sides are flatter. The phone does not lose any of its ergonomics though. In fact, we would say it felt more secure in the hand compared to the S23 FE.

The back side is probably the one that has received the least amount of visual changes. One small detail that some users might notice are the less reflective metal of the three protruding lenses.

The S24 FE's dimensions remain similar to what we are used to from previous generations, although it is taller and slightly wider at 6.38 x 3.04 x 0.31 in. It's also a bit heavier at 7.51 oz, but it is not noticeable.

Colors-wise, Samsung has gone with Blue, Graphite, Gray, Mint, and Yellow this year.

The display on the S24 FE feels much nicer than before thanks to those thinner bezels. (Image by PhoneArena)

The display is much larger this year measuring at 6.7 inches compared to the 6.4 inches of the predecessor. On top of that, the bezels are much thinner now, and that truly makes the new Fan Edition look more in with the times. Even though the bezels are still not uniform, with the lower one being thicker, we think the S24 FE's front side looked great during our hands-on experience with it.

The display this year has a peak brightness of 1,900 nits, which is more than last year. We will have to see what the actual maximum brightness is during our display lab tests, the results of which are coming soon.

The glass protecting the display has also been upgraded from Gorilla Glass 5 to Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which is supposed to be more durable against scratches and drops. You also get the expected IP68 dust and water resistance rating.

Galaxy S24 FE Camera

Arguably the best camera system in its class

The same main camera as on the Galaxy S24. (Image by PhoneArena)

The Galaxy S24 FE comes with the same 50 MP main camera as the Galaxy S24. Samsung says it has added the same ProVisual engine, which improves image quality, especially when zooming in more than the 3X optical zoom of the 8 MP telephoto camera.

Of course, besides the main and telephoto, you also have a 12 MP ultra-wide camera to play around with.

But besides the ProVisual engine, the camera specs on the S24 FE appear to be the same as those on its predecessor, so we don't expect any drastic improvements in image quality, especially when it comes to low-light conditions.

Galaxy S24 FE Performance

More powerful ray-tracing and almost double the performance

There should be a noticeable difference in performance thanks to the new chipset. (Image by PhoneArena)

The Galaxy S24 FE comes with Samsung's new Exynos 2400e chipset, which Samsung stated has a 2X faster processing power. There is also an 18% improvement in ray tracing compared to the predecessor, which allows users to play games like Diablo Immortal with ray tracing enabled.

This new chip is also what allows the S24 FE to be the first Galaxy Fan Edition phone with Samsung's Instant Slo-mo feature. Instant Slo-mo allows the user to create a slow motion video out of any recording by artificially adding more frames. It is a neat trick, but since it typically ends up looking a bit weird, we would say that it is more of a gimmick.

What's more exciting to see is the 11% larger vapor chamber, which we expect to help the phone keep lower temperatures during heavy loads. This should result in more sustained performance, making the phone even better suited for gaming or any other intensive tasks.

The phone comes with 8GB of RAM, which leads us to think there is no on-device AI happening. Storage-wise, you can pick from 128GB or 256GB.

Galaxy S24 FE Software

7 years of software support and new AI features for the FE

Despite Samsung's aggressive AI marketing of AI with the S24 FE, the phone's AI features feel somewhat superficial.

One of the standout features is Photo Assist, which allows for object manipulation similar to Google's Magic Editor. However, it struggles with removing objects that have shadows, often replacing them with blurry or unrealistic generated images.

We also got to try the new Sketch to Image tool, which can be quite fun when it works. The phone generates an AI image based on your scribbles on top of a photo, combining the two as best as it can. It definitely created good results when one of the Samsung employees did a demo for us, but when we tried it out we didn't get such great results.

Other AI-powered tools like Chat Assist, Call Assist, and Interpreter work well but require manual language pack downloads, which can be inconvenient for travelers.

The Galaxy S24 FE runs Android 14 and is supported by seven years of OS updates, which is in line with the rest of Samsung's non-budget phones. That's also three years more than we got with the S23 FE last year.

Galaxy S24 FE Battery

Battery life could be much better than before

This is the one area where the S24 FE needs to do well to become a complete package. (Image by PhoneArena)

The S24 FE comes with a slightly larger battery capacity at 4,700mAh. Samsung says that the new Fan Edition lasts longer than its predecessor, but we will let you know what we get in our battery life tests once we have results, so stay tuned.

Charging, however, remains the same at 25W of wired and 15W of wireless. Given the slightly larger battery, we expect the S24 FE to take a bit longer to charge compared to last year's model.

Should you buy it?

A solid mid-ranger that gives a lot for its price. (Image by PhoneArena)

The Galaxy S24 FE feels like a solid Fan Edition from Samsung, more so than in previous years. The chipset is very capable for a phone of this caliber, arguably the best you can get at a price of $649.99. Couple that with the better cooling and larger, more pretty display, and you have yourself one pretty nice gaming phone.

Not to mention that you also get the same main camera that comes with the flagship Galaxy S24. Not only that, but you also have a dedicated telephoto camera, which is not common at this price point, or even in more premium phones.

But, what would truly make the Galaxy S24 FE the perfect mid-range package is if its battery life turns out to be solid. For that, however, we will have to pace the S24 FE through its paces in our battery life tests.

For now, even though we are still doing our testing on the S24 FE, we'd say you are getting a pretty good deal for what you are paying. And there is a good chance this will be one of the best mid-range phones for the year.

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Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he's not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.