I’m not going to lie—I’m not usually a fan of Samsung’s Fan Edition devices. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE from last year was quite a step down in many areas despite retaining the S series name, keeping only the same camera configuration and nothing else.
So, imagine my surprise when the Galaxy S24 FE came out. Yes, it has an older processor, but it has a lot of premium features that are usually reserved for the flagships, including the full suite of Galaxy AI features—and only at half the price to boot.
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Jennifer chevron_right
Table of Contents
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Specifications
- Display: 6.7” AMOLED 2x, FHD+, 120Hz refresh rate
- Processor: Exynos 2400e
- Memory: 8GB, 128/256GB
- Rear Camera: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 8MP telephoto (3x optical zoom)
- Front Camera: 10MP
- Battery: 4700 mAh, 25W fast charging
Build & Design
On the whole, Samsung has unified its smartphone designs across all its lineups, sporting moduleless cameras and a clean, minimalist design on the back. Now, while I do have opinions about this decision that could warrant a whole other article, the bottom line is that the Galaxy S24 FE looks and feels exactly like the Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+ (and the Galaxy A series).
Featuring a glass and metal frame with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, the Galaxy S24 FE is pretty much a mirror of the flagship series. The colours available are subtle but offer a bit more diversity than the usual monochromatic options.
Our review model was blue, which is a soft and versatile colourway that’s easy on the eyes while remaining unique.
Display
The Galaxy S24 FE sports a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display featuring rich colours, deep blacks, and wide viewing angles that are characteristic of Samsung's AMOLED panels.
With a peak brightness of 1,900 nits, the Galaxy S24 FE is actually brighter than the Galaxy S23 Ultra from last year—meaning you never need to worry about readability even in a perpetually sunny country like Malaysia.
The colour reproduction of the display is also on par with Samsung’s flagships, giving a vivid and well-contrasted viewing experience no matter if you’re gaming or consuming content. Sometimes, even a little too saturated, if you ask me, but that may just be my subjective opinion, as no one else in the office shares it.
A 120Hz refresh rate is pretty much given, and as expected, I had no problems with the smoothness of the display. The Galaxy S24 FE delivered fluid animations and smooth scrolling, whether browsing social media, navigating through apps, or gaming.
Cameras
Cameras have always been Samsung’s strong point, even with all the verifiable contenders on the market nowadays. So, as one of the most essential features on a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE certainly packs a flagship camera setup.
The 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom are all supported by Samsung’s feature-rich camera app. More impressively, you’ll find manual photo and video modes, as well as 8K video recording, which are rarely offered at this price point.
Now, these are not Galaxy S24 Ultra-level cameras, of course, but they have the same specifications as the Galaxy S24 and S24+. The resulting images are detailed and balanced in a well-lit scenario, but honestly, they warrant “decent” as an adjective rather than “impressive”. Low-light photos are also decent all around, but only if you don’t zoom in.
Another drawback is the 10MP front camera, which occasionally struggles with bright backlighting, leading to overexposure in selfies and softer details. Portrait mode, however, does an excellent job of isolating subjects and producing pleasing background blur, further enhancing the camera’s versatility.
Performance
Equipped with Samsung's Exynos 2400e chip, the Galaxy S24 FE may not be as powerful as the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but it still delivers reliable performance. It is, after all, a pared-down version of the flagship lineup.
Even so, the Galaxy S24 FE performs well in daily tasks like web browsing and social media, as well as gaming at moderate settings, making it an efficient phone without flagship-level performance demands.
But here’s the most important part: the Galaxy S24 FE, despite being half the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, comes right out of the box with the full suite of Galaxy AI features. It’s the most AI-comprehensive smartphone on the market right now, according to Samsung, and we believe it.
From Live Translate to Circle to Search with Google, whatever AI feature the others have, the Galaxy S24 FE definitely can do it too. Plus, these AI features enhance photography, battery management, and user experience by optimising app usage patterns and improving image processing, bringing the phone’s user experience closer to flagship-level capabilities.
Battery
With a 4700 mAh battery and support for 25W fast charging, the Galaxy S24 FE provides a solid day’s use on a single charge, even with heavy media consumption and gaming.
While it’s not the fastest charging or the biggest capacity on the market, it provides enough power to last throughout the day with reasonable use, making it a dependable daily driver.
Verdict
At RM2,999, the Galaxy S24 FE a compelling choice that bridges the gap between premium features and affordability. If you're looking for a powerful phone with many of the Galaxy S24's capabilities but at a more budget-friendly price, this one will be a great choice.