Why you should buy it over the Galaxy S24

It’s exhausting to make an important Android flagship however even tougher to make an important mid-range Android phone. With a flagship, you’ll be able to let your thoughts run wild, combining a strong chipset with high-end cameras and setting a worth that bumps proper up in opposition to the $1,000 mark with out anybody batting a watch. As quickly as you restrict your self to a price of, say, $600 or $650, you understand simply what number of sacrifices it’s a must to make. For some time, that’s the place Samsung struggled — its Fan Version launches at all times made cuts, however we have been by no means positive in the event that they have been the proper ones.

Now, although, Samsung is likely to be turning a nook. It’s packed extra energy into the Galaxy S24 FE, seemingly with fewer omissions, and it’s put me in a decent spot. As a lot as I wish to proceed to beat the drum for the pocket-friendly Galaxy S24 that I carried in early 2024, I’m coming round to the concept that Samsung’s newest upper-mid-ranger is likely to be among the best values available on the market. Right here’s why I would keep it up for a bit longer.

At a look, the Galaxy S24 FE seems to be virtually equivalent to its namesake sibling. That shouldn’t be a shock since all of Samsung’s 2024 launches look almost the identical, however the Galaxy S24 FE takes its imitation additional than most. It’s virtually the identical top, width, and thickness as Samsung’s premium Galaxy S24 Plus, counting on a weight distinction of about 15 grams to set the 2 aside. In different phrases, it’s shut sufficient to idiot nearly anybody aside from the boulder that protects the golden idol initially of Raiders of the Misplaced Ark.

And you recognize what? I’m glad that Samsung handled its Galaxy S24 FE extra like a flagship this 12 months. In an age when Google remains to be utilizing plastic for the again of its Pixel 8a, the Galaxy S24 FE’s mixture of an aluminum body and Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on each back and front makes it really feel premium. And, just like the earlier Galaxy S23 FE, Samsung’s upper-mid-ranger nonetheless has a sturdy IP68 ranking for water and mud. I even just like the pale Blue and Mint coloration choices that the telephone is available in. Granted, I may do with out the shiny, fingerprint-loving end on the glass, however it’s simple sufficient to keep away from by including a case.

Maybe a fair higher cause so as to add a case to your Galaxy S24 FE could be to melt the comparatively sharp edges of the aluminum body. Fortunately, the body has a matte end that ignores fingerprints, however the design is one thing just like the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, which isn’t a great factor. When you used both of these telephones, you’ll do not forget that Apple reduce a reasonably sharp edge the place the rear glass met the aluminum body, which made even its smaller 6.1-inch iPhones uncomfortable to carry after some time. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE is identical manner — simply a lot, a lot larger. Whilst you may moderately maintain both of these older iPhones by the perimeters of its body, the Galaxy S24 FE is a bit too massive and hefty. I generally discover myself both supporting the gadget on one pinky or utilizing two palms to carry it, neither of which is all that comfy after some time.

When you discover a comfy approach to maintain the Galaxy S24 FE, it’s a straightforward telephone to take pleasure in. Samsung’s 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel provides loads of actual property for every part from doom-scrolling to making an attempt to catch ’em all within the early phases of Pokémon TCG Pocket, and it packs a 120Hz refresh charge that virtually matches that of the flagship Galaxy S24 lineup. There’s a slight distinction in brightness — 1,900 nits vs 2,600 nits — however I haven’t had any bother opening booster packs in brilliant daylight. It’s been a couple of days since I’ve added something significant to my Pokedex, however I can’t blame Samsung for that.

If you wish to get nitpicky, you may level out that the Galaxy S24 FE’s bezels are thicker than these of Samsung’s correct flagships. Technically, you’d be proper. Nonetheless, I don’t thoughts the additional area, as I’m already uninterested in how simple it’s to activate gestures on sure different telephones. Take Kind to Siri, for instance — I used to be excited when Apple launched it, as I assumed I may preserve my dumber questions locked up inside. Nonetheless, after a couple of days of utilizing it, I needed to flip it off as a result of I used to be triggering the double-tap activation far too typically on Apple’s tiny bezels. The Galaxy S24 FE’s backside bar is likely to be thick compared, however I’ll take that over the fixed headache of undesirable gestures.

In the end, although, I believe the largest downside with Samsung’s self-imitation is that this — I desire a Galaxy gadget with some character once more. Lately, Samsung has stripped away the issues that made telephones resembling its Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S22 memorable, ditching the Contour Minimize digital camera bump and rounded body in favor of one thing that seemed and felt extra like an iPhone. If I assumed the Galaxy S24 FE was meant to compete with an iPhone, I suppose I wouldn’t thoughts that, however when it’s extra within the personality-rich Google Pixel, Samsung has some critical catching as much as do.

Whereas I’m not totally satisfied by Samsung copying its personal design advert infinitum, I’ll admit I’m impressed by what the Galaxy S24 FE does beneath the hood. As soon as once more, it attracts closely from its flagship members of the family, however this time, it takes after the worldwide variations of the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, which got here with Exynos 2400 chipsets. Samsung’s reasonably priced flagship begins with the identical base RAM and storage as its smallest flagship (8GB and 128GB, respectively), however it’s the in-house Exynos 2400e chipset that bears the closest resemblance.

It has virtually the identical title, so after all, it ought to carry out equally, proper? Properly, as we discovered with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, generally including a letter makes an enormous distinction. Nonetheless, within the case of the Exynos 2400 vs Exynos 2400e, the distinction is pretty small. The 2 share the identical 10-core construction, however the flagship Exynos 2400 has a barely increased clock velocity on its largest core, topping out at 3.2GHz to the Exynos 2400e’s 3.1GHz. As you may think, the small change spells excellent news for the Galaxy S24 FE by way of efficiency. It’s very almost flagship-grade, simply not fairly, and nowhere close to the hole we feared once we first heard in regards to the FE sequence’ shift from the Snapdragon-powered S23 FE to an Exynos processor for its newest mannequin.

I, after all, didn’t count on an ideal flagship efficiency from a telephone that prices $150 lower than Samsung’s smallest Galaxy S24, however I wasn’t positive it will come this shut, both. Irrespective of which check I picked, from the CPU-heavy Geekbench 6 to the graphically intensive 3DMark Wild Life stress check, the Galaxy S24 FE stored virtually good tempo with its siblings. It beat the Exynos 2400-toting Galaxy S24 that my colleague Rob Triggs used earlier within the 12 months regardless of having the weaker chipset on paper. If I needed to guess, that distinction got here right down to the Galaxy S24 FE having extra room for its cooling setup, however it was spectacular both manner. Try our Galaxy S24 FE benchmarks deep dive for much more element on our artificial efficiency assessments.

That efficiency is nearly as constant in day-to-day life, too, which is the very best factor you’ll be able to say for an upper-mid-range telephone. As talked about, I’ve been taking part in the life out of Pokémon TCG Pocket, and I’ve but to note the Galaxy S24 FE struggling beneath the burden of my large Pokédex. Granted, the battles in TCG Pocket aren’t probably the most demanding, however the telephone has been clean as I’ve swiped round, debating which pack of playing cards to open.

Anyway, the Galaxy S24 FE was additionally my backup gadget for my latest journey overseas to Amsterdam. As such, it was resigned to a help position, providing emergency protection ought to the iPhone 16 Pro I used to be additionally testing on the time not make it by means of an extended day of utilization (which was a real worry). I turned out to not want Samsung’s reasonably priced flagship whereas there, however it did give me an opportunity to look at for idle battery drain any time I pulled the telephone out of my backpack. There was some drain — little doubt — however not as a lot as I may need anticipated for a US-based gadget with a Samsung-provided Verizon SIM that I forgot to show off.

Fortunately, after I may give it a correct check run, the remainder of the Galaxy S24 FE’s battery efficiency turned out to be fairly good, too — or at the least ok. The S24 FE landed completely in the course of the street when put up in opposition to Samsung’s different units from the 12 months, together with each variations of the Galaxy S24 and the Snapdragon-equipped Galaxy S24 Plus. It dealt with a simulated Zoom assembly higher than each Galaxy S24 fashions and solely got here up shy of the power-sipping Galaxy A35 5G when snapping pictures. Admittedly, I may need anticipated extra out of the 4,700mAh battery — particularly in comparison with simply 4,000mAh on the Galaxy S24 — however I nonetheless made it comfortably from at some point to the subsequent earlier than needing a charger.

As if to crib another characteristic from its premium members of the family, the Galaxy S24 FE provides the identical charging setup as Samsung’s top-end units. It helps 25W wired charging with a suitable USB-PD PPS charger, or you should utilize 15W wi-fi charging from a Qi-certified pad. From my testing, it seems to be just like the Galaxy S24 FE maintains that high 25W velocity higher than Samsung’s flagships, too, because the telephone reached a full cost in the identical 75 minutes that it took the Exynos-equipped Galaxy S24 — not unhealthy while you’re saving $150.

When Samsung is piping this a lot of its personal options from the flagship market to its different choices, it’s sufficient to make you nervous. Up to now, I haven’t actually hit on any important cost-saving omissions from the Galaxy S24 FE, and we’re working out of issues to speak about. By strategy of elimination, which may make you suppose the Galaxy S24 FE’s cameras stink. Properly, the excellent news is that they don’t — at the least not when you like how Samsung usually handles its picture processing or count on efficiency on the extent of the very best camera phones on the market.

For starters, the three cameras on the Galaxy S24 FE look precisely like these on the Galaxy S24 or Galaxy S24 Plus — cease me when you’ve heard this earlier than. The usual, ultrawide, and telephoto sensors sit in their very own aluminum-guarded ring, accompanied solely by a flash that sits off to the aspect. Of the three, the 50MP main digital camera is the closest to what you’d discover on certainly one of Samsung’s flagships, shrinking by only a fraction of an inch. From there, the peripheral cameras begin to tail off slightly bit, with the 3x optical telephoto sensor dropping to 8MP from 10MP and the ultrawide sensor shrinking from 1/2.55 inches to 1/3.0 inches, leading to smaller particular person megapixels that may’t seize fairly as a lot mild.

However earlier than you begin to spell doom and gloom about some downgrades, it’s time to say Samsung’s not-so-secret weapon: Galaxy AI. I’ve largely prevented speaking about Samsung’s AI rollout up to now, however the addition of the ProVisual Engine offers the Galaxy S24 FE’s cameras a lift that typically overcomes the shrinking sensors. Samsung’s upgraded engine considerably acts just like the picture processing wing of Google’s Tensor chip, breaking down and enhancing your photographs whereas sustaining as a lot accuracy as doable. It’s not at all times good, however I respect the soar from while you press the shutter to while you get your closing end result. Anyway, let’s get to some pattern photographs.

Proper off the bat, you’ll be able to inform these photographs got here from a Samsung phone. Though Samsung’s total coloration science has shifted to develop into a bit extra pure over the previous couple of cycles, it’s not all the best way there but — most noticeably with the reds and greens. And, as a result of it’s fall right here in Maryland, all I’ve bought are reds and greens. That signifies that brilliant colours just like the neon inexperienced of the blow-up spider are even brighter than actuality, and the colourful leaves nonetheless clinging to the tree look virtually like they’re on fireplace. Nonetheless, there are a couple of spots the place the colour science doesn’t work for Samsung, just like the shot of the wetland within the first row, the place all the colours appear to bleed collectively.

On the intense aspect, the Galaxy S24 FE appears to nail particulars throughout the board. Certain, there’s a little bit of distortion across the edges of the tree to the left, however the edge detection across the skeletal flamingo is spot-on, and you’ll simply make out each wrinkle and ridge on the Boygenius sculpture to the proper.

Transferring on to zoom capabilities, I’ve most likely by no means been so completely happy to have an 8MP telephoto sensor. It’s not good, sitting because the smallest sensor of Samsung’s trio, however it exhibits its price while you examine the Galaxy S24 FE to different upper-mid-range choices just like the Motorola Edge (2024) or Pixel 8a. The telephoto sensor provides slightly extra flexibility with its 3x optical focal size, permitting me to punch in on the flag over Fort McHenry and seize strong element. Outcomes are nonetheless first rate at 10x zoom, although the sphere of blue stars is slightly tougher to make out as I used to be taking pictures in the direction of the solar. Additionally, whereas I’m impressed by the creases that the Galaxy S24 FE captured within the flag at 20x zoom, the picture suffers some ghosting across the flagpole itself.

Though I can dwell with the truth that even reasonably priced flagships most likely gained’t take nice 30x zoom pictures for some time, I’ve a extra vital bone to choose with Samsung — it merely can’t deal with movement in pictures. I used to be making an attempt to seize a couple of new profile pictures for the shelter canine above, however I may by no means catch her totally in focus. If her head got here out sharp, her paw was blurry. If I bought her physique in focus, her face blurred. It’s also possible to see the blurring on my good friend’s hand the place she’s scratching the canine. As somebody who usually shoots with computerized settings, I’d love for Samsung to bump up its default shutter velocity.

Additionally, when you’re after an upper-mid-range telephone with spectacular video specs, the Galaxy S24 FE would possibly match the invoice. It helps 4K decision at 30 and 60fps and 8K video at 30fps. You’ll most likely burn by means of your 128GB of base storage when you shoot a lot in 8K, and also you gained’t have the ability to view the clips in full decision on the Full HD Plus show, however the stabilization is spectacular — even when you can solely zoom as much as 5x within the highest decision.

Now that I’ve opened the Galaxy AI door, let’s keep awhile. In any case, the Galaxy S24 FE is the primary non-flagship Samsung telephone to come back with this many AI-powered options proper out of the field. And, if nothing else, that makes it probably the most attention-grabbing sub-flagship launch from Samsung because it revived the Fan Version lineup in 2020. Granted, it’s competing with a Galaxy S21 FE that launched a couple of months too late and a Galaxy S23 FE that solely supplied Circle to Search, so which may not be a excessive bar.

Both manner, I’m extra receptive to the Galaxy S24 FE’s taste of on-device AI than I may need anticipated. It doesn’t punch you within the face with options like Shopping Help or Interpreter mode with a pushy suggestions app, as an alternative letting you come across them once they would possibly suit your wants. As such, I’ve prevented the instruments I don’t want (like Reside Translate and Portrait Studio) whereas utilizing those I like, like Immediate Sluggish-Mo after I took a shelter canine for a day stroll.

I’ve additionally prevented the extra generative Galaxy AI options — those that I’m nonetheless satisfied want probably the most work. See the shot of the painted pumpkin above? Cute, proper? Properly, it’s not carrying a hat within the authentic picture. I used Sketch to Picture to attract a sharp witch hat on high of its orange head, just for Samsung to generate a cowboy hat as an alternative. It’s nonetheless Halloween-appropriate, however not what I anticipated because of this. Possibly I can blame my fingers for not drawing very effectively, however I’d say a witch hat and a cowboy hat look completely different sufficient for Samsung to know the distinction.

Anyway, a few of Samsung’s different Galaxy AI options greater than make up for what I dislike about its generative skills. Particularly, I’m considering of how the Galaxy S24 FE interacts with the health-tracking options of the Galaxy Watch 7. Whereas reviewing Samsung’s newest smartwatch, I discovered myself appreciating metrics just like the Energy Score, which took into consideration my degree of exercise and the way effectively I’d slept the earlier night time to forecast how I’d really feel every day. It was an easier-to-understand model of Garmin’s Physique Battery, and I typically agreed with its assessments. It may not have been good, however at the least it felt like a sensible use of AI.

Higher but, I gained’t be stunned if the Galaxy S24 FE’s Galaxy AI expertise continues to develop and alter as Samsung rolls out new options to its flagship lineup. In any case, the Exynos 2400e chipset must be simply as succesful because the full-strength Exynos 2400 in terms of dealing with on-device requests, and Samsung’s seven years of software program updates shouldn’t harm both. It’s one more improve over the 4 years that the earlier Galaxy S23 FE supplied, and simply sufficient to maintain the Galaxy S24 FE in keeping with the newest from Google and Apple, too.

Simply understand that a few of Samsung’s Galaxy AI options are restricted to its in-house apps. Shopping Help, for instance, can generate a abstract of a complete web site in a couple of seconds, however it solely works on the Samsung Web browser, despite the fact that Chrome is the default browser on the Galaxy S24 FE. A few of these well being monitoring options will disappear when you change away from a Samsung telephone or wearable, too, so it’s a must to be able to spend a while within the Galaxy to make it price your whereas.

We questioned in our preliminary hands-on (video on the high of this evaluate) if the Galaxy S24 FE was actually a telephone for the followers primarily based on a few of Samsung’s decisions; it seems the definitive reply was a powerful sure.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE seems to be like a flagship, benchmarks virtually like a flagship, fees like a flagship, and is $150 cheaper than probably the most reasonably priced Galaxy S24. So, who may ever presumably attain for Samsung’s flagship over its reasonably priced flagship that gives virtually the identical worth on all fronts? Properly, I’d — however I don’t suppose most individuals ought to. I wouldn’t count on most individuals to learn massively from the small digital camera modifications, total materials upgrades, or the marginally quicker updates that Samsung’s flagships get — the S24 FE does sufficient to carry its floor for many would-be consumers.

The one cause I’d personally select the bottom Galaxy S24 ($859.99 at Amazon) over the Galaxy S24 FE is that I actually like small telephones. It’s well-documented that I’m not a big man, which makes wrangling a 6.7-inch gadget (or bigger) a headache I don’t wish to take care of. Add a case that makes the sharp aluminum body even bigger, and I could as effectively carry an iPad Mini round for my day-to-day duties.

However, when you’re not like me, I’d inform you to seize the Galaxy S24 FE over virtually every other telephone in Samsung’s lineup in case you are cost-conscious however nonetheless need an important expertise. It’s much more succesful than the cheaper Galaxy A35 5G ($359.99 at Amazon), sporting higher construct high quality, longer replace help, and sharper, extra versatile cameras. The Galaxy S24 FE makes extra sense for most individuals than the Galaxy S24 Plus ($1119.99 at Amazon), too, however for various causes. It doesn’t beat Samsung’s $1,000 flagship in any one of many classes above, however it’s a lot nearer than the $350 worth distinction would recommend. Even when you choose the finer bins that the Galaxy S24 Plus checks, I’m unsure you’ll discover a deal that makes the worth actually aggressive, particularly if carriers provide the Galaxy S24 FE free of charge or when the latter’s worth additionally begins to drop in gross sales. In reality, it’s on sale on the time of this writing for ~$550, which is an unbelievable worth.

There’s, nonetheless, one deal on the town which may make the Galaxy S24 FE sweat — Google’s Pixel 8a ($499 at Amazon). It’s after primarily the identical group of Android followers that Samsung’s Fan Version hopes to court docket, however Google can provide its providers at a barely cheaper worth level because of a deeper set of cuts. It’s a must to dwell with two cameras relatively than three, a smaller show, a plastic again panel, and slower charging, however on the flip aspect, you’ll get Google’s mild, clean Pixel UI, an ever-growing checklist of Gemini AI options, and the picture processing we’ve praised ever for the reason that earliest days of the Pixel — all whereas saving $150 over the Galaxy S24 FE. The one query is which you’d relatively preserve in your pocket for the subsequent seven years, as each are supported for Android updates for a similar period of time.

If I have been choosing between these two, I’d nonetheless seize the Galaxy S24 FE and inform you to do the identical.