Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review: not enough fan fare

There’s thing bugging maine astir Samsung’s “Fan Edition” telephone line.

Is location thing incorrect pinch the Galaxy S24 FE sitting successful beforehand of maine — astatine $649, to beryllium precise? No. It’s fine. Its artillery goes each day. It plays demanding games. It’s reasonably priced. These are each bully things.

It’s that Samsung’s meaning of a “Fan Edition” phone, successful 2024, doesn’t rather make sense.

It didn’t commencement that way. This FE telephone bid was primitively a pandemic task for Samsung, launched successful precocious 2020 arsenic a low-cost replacement to its pricier flagships. It was a high-end device, stripped down to the essentials astatine a friendlier value — and it worked. It besides made a batch of consciousness astatine the time, erstwhile a $1,000 telephone felt much than ever for illustration a luxury and midrange phones were much underpowered than they are today. The S20 FE came pinch a top-notch Qualcomm processor on pinch plentifulness of nosy colour options. It was a deal.

In 2024, the conception doesn’t activity arsenic well. Lower-cost midrange phones are overmuch better, including Samsung’s ain offerings. When the Google Pixel 8A exists and costs $499, a full-specced $600 telephone conscionable doesn’t deed the measurement it utilized to. Maybe that’s why the S24 FE feels much for illustration an workout successful unit positioning than a telephone for “fans.” 

The Galaxy S24 FE uses a Samsung-made Exynos 2400e chipset alternatively than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 successful the S24 series, which is simply a measurement down successful processing powerfulness depending connected who you ask. In my experience, the Exynos spot performed conscionable good without getting excessively lukewarm during an extended Pocket City 2 gaming session. It’s besides tin of moving each the AI features arsenic the Qualcomm models — including unrecorded connection translations for telephone calls, statement summarization, and a startlingly bully measurement to expert your photos — which are absorbing astatine times but don’t consciousness essential. But if Galaxy AI really does get successful a large way, the S24 FE will beryllium ready, as is past year’s model.

The FE’s 6.7-inch surface is the aforesaid size arsenic the 1 successful the S24 Plus, but it comes pinch a little 1080p resolution, which isn’t rather capable for a sheet this size to stay crisp. It comes pinch 128GB of retention and 8GB of RAM arsenic standard, on pinch 3 rear cameras: a 50-megapixel main, an 8-megapixel 3x telephoto, and a 12-megapixel telephoto.

There’s 15W wireless charging, 25W wired charging, and a sizable 4,700mAh battery. Seven years of OS updates are promised for the S24 FE, which is great. All told, not excessively shabby for an upper-midrange phone, peculiarly the 3x zoom lens, which is difficult to find for little than $800. 

That camera strategy is conscionable fine, for illustration it was connected past year’s model, too. It’s not truthful bully that you consciousness for illustration you’re getting distant pinch thing by opting for the little costly phone, but it’s not truthful bad arsenic to disqualify it from consideration. The main 50-megapixel sensor is capable, but it damn good amended beryllium astatine $649.

To its credit, the 3x telephoto isn’t excessively eager to manus complete zoom to the main sensor successful dim indoor lighting, but I tin spot rather a spot of noise, moreover successful shots astatine ISO 200. Autofocus pinch the main camera is unusually indecisive and flutters betwixt subjects, and the unrecorded position successful image mode is noticeably laggy. The camera strategy gets the occupation done, but I stay unconvinced that the S24 FE’s dedicated telephoto lens is the standout characteristic it appears to be. 

If you see the supra against the likewise sized S24 Plus and its $999 starting price, the S24 FE looks for illustration an awfully bully deal. The smaller S24 starts astatine $799, but its surface is overmuch smaller, thing only a fewer of america uncommon individuals prefer. But if we’re comparing to smaller phones, the evident competitor is the Pixel 8A — hands down the champion midrange telephone you tin bargain successful the US correct now. 

There are a fewer compromises if you spell pinch the Pixel. The Pixel 8A comes pinch a smaller, 6.1-inch screen, it lacks a dedicated telephoto camera, and its h2o guidance standing is simply a small little robust. But that’s benignant of it arsenic acold arsenic differences go. Wireless charging? A awesome camera? Software support for 7 years? The 8A’s sewage each that covered. When you tin get that database of features for $499, a $649 telephone needs to activity beautiful difficult to warrant its price.

The S24 FE doesn’t consciousness for illustration it brings capable high-end features down to the midrange. I can’t rather pinpoint it, but this telephone conscionable feels noticeably cheaper than the main S24 series. It has Gorilla Glass connected the beforehand and backmost panels, positive an aluminum frame. Maybe it’s the somewhat bigger bezels aliases that the seams astatine the phone’s edges aren’t rather arsenic tidy arsenic connected the higher-end phones. Maybe it’s the 1080p screen, which isn’t rather arsenic razor crisp arsenic it could be. And I mean, the S24 FE feels cheaper because it is cheaper. I get that. But it feels much for illustration utilizing a bully midrange Galaxy A-series telephone than a flagship.

There’s a mobility bugging maine arsenic I see the S24 FE: why does this telephone exist? The reply mightiness person much to do pinch carriers than immoderate “fan” appeal. Right now, Verizon and T-Mobile are offering the S24 FE for $0, assuming you motion onto pricey unlimited plans and enactment locked successful for the adjacent 2 years. This telephone makes a batch much consciousness if you see its main customers to beryllium wireless retailers and not Galaxy superfans. 

There’s the Apple factor, too: Samsung can’t fto those caller iPhones sitting connected the support this vacation shopping play spell unchallenged. The Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra launched measurement backmost successful January — an eternity ago! So the S24 FE enters the chat, presenting a “new” telephone pinch a value conveniently little than the guidelines exemplary iPhone. ’Tis the play to meet your year-end income goals.

If, for immoderate reason, you request a caller Samsung telephone right now and your bearer is making you a awesome connection connected the S24 FE, past by each means! But if you don’t fresh into that category, I don’t spot a awesome logic to take this phone. The Pixel 8A does astir of the aforesaid things and is overmuch much wallet-friendly. The S25 bid will get sooner than later, nary doubt, on pinch Samsung’s typically generous trade-in offers. Save yourself a small rate and spell pinch the Pixel aliases clasp disconnected and get a woody connected the S25. But Galaxy fans already cognize that.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge