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Smartphone, tablet and headphones. Every year, Samsung's FE range has a tough task. That of bringing us into the brand's premium universe while promising to take care of our finances. A complicated balancing act, but also risky.
Already last year, the Samsung S23 FE had not completely convinced us. The fault lies in a strange price positioning. Bad surprise, this year, the S24 FE has the luxury of increasing by 50 euros compared to its predecessor. Indeed, it is available in yellow, green, blue and black at 749 euros for its 8/128 GB version. Count 809 euros for 8/256 GB.
To defend itself at the bar, the S24 FE still has some mitigating circumstances. Inflation, yes again and again, but also a larger screen, barely reduced power, the promise of better autonomy and all the features of Galaxy AI. Will the S24 FE manage to fulfill its initial promise ? The answer in our full test after more than a month in its company.
Its large bright screen
With its 6.7 inches, the S24 FE offers a larger screen than the S23 FE (6.4 inches) and similar to the S24+. However, a similar diagonal does not necessarily mean identical specifications. In terms of definition and refresh rate, the S24 FE is housed in the same boat as the S23 FE. That is to say Dynamic AMOLED 2X (1080 x 2340 pixels) and an absence of LPTO technology which results in a variability between 60 and 120 Hz.
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For most users, this won't be too much of a problem. In fact, The S24 FE benefits from Samsung's screen expertise. Color fidelity is excellent in “Natural” mode, brightness is really appreciable and the screen-to-front ratio is 87%.Whether for gaming, social media or videos, it's a screen that's really enjoyable to use on a daily basis.
Its power and AI functions
Unlike the S23s that were powered by Qualcomm, this year's S24 and S24+ were given a home-made chip, the Exynos 2400. Logically, the S23 FE is therefore adorned with a variation, the Exynos 2400e, as well as 8 GB of RAM.
Due to the range effect, the S24 FE should therefore be less powerful than the classic S24. This is the case, but the difference is really minimal. Whether in our benchmarks or during our weeks of use, the Exynos 2400e made a strong impression on us.
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It's simple, it is possible to roughly do everything with it. From playing games without slowdowns with high graphics, to editing photos and doing basic video editing. Another nice surprise, the heat dissipation is rather well managed. After an hour, the smartphone heats up slightly, but there is really nothing to get worked up about.
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For AI, Samsung has the right idea to house this S24 FE in the same style as its more prestigious counterparts.In short, all the features of Galaxy AI introduced on the S24 family are present. The same goes for software monitoring, the S24 FE enjoys 7 years (Android and security patch) of updates, exactly like its little friends.
Its improved autonomy
Several elements made us fear the worst at the start. A larger and brighter screen, great power under the hood and the absence of LPTO technology again. Three facts that do not work in favor of autonomy. To counteract this, Samsung is moving from a 4,500mAh battery on the S23 FE to a 4,700mAh battery on the S24 FE.
Despite our concerns, the overall battery life of the S24 FE is improved over its predecessor. Where the S23 FE barely lasted a day, its successor manages to last part of the following morning.
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All this with a good 6 hours of screen time and sometimes energy-consuming activities , like video streaming or a bit of gaming on the go. On weekends, if you add photos, videos and Google Maps galore, he'll give up by the end of the evening. This is not shocking.
This appreciable result is not entirely due to the additional 200 mAh. The Exynos 2400e chip , already surprising in terms of power, manages energy loss rather well here.
An uneven photo score
The S24 FE's photo configuration breaks down as follows:
- A 50 Mpx main sensor with stabilized optics and an aperture of f/1.8.
- A 12 Mpx ultra-wide-angle sensor with an aperture of f/2.2.
- A 8 Mpx telephoto lens with an aperture of f/2.4 and a zoom equivalent to x3.
- And finally, a 10 Mpx front sensor with an aperture of f/2.4.
Apart from the less muscular telephoto lens which goes from 12 to 8 Mpx, the proposition seems identical to that of the S24 and S24+. In any case in terms of megapixels.
During the day, we were delighted to realize that the main lens behaves like a charm.The level of detail is excellent and the contrasts are well adjusted. In gray weather or in the evening, the dynamic range is well controlled, while the depth effects are perfectly rendered.
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As usual, Samsung makes the bright colors very shimmering, especially the blues and greens. However, the saturation knob is not pushed to its maximum.
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If the ultra wide-angle does not fall into the trap of distortion, nor into that of accentuation of micro-contrasts on the periphery, it struggles to match the wide-angle. The photos are darker and much less sharp. In addition, the colorimetry sometimes seems quite dull on the edges. It is hard to believe that this sensor is that of a smartphone of this price…
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The telephoto lens does not help matters, as it struggles to reproduce certain details, even in the centre of the photo. The brightness management is far from ideal and the colours sometimes display a surprising paleness.
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At night, the S24 FE regains some color. With the “Night” mode , the main sensor correctly manages the appearance of digital noise, while the colorimetry is enhanced to give more coherence to the scene.
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This flagrant imbalance between the secondary sensors of the S24FE and those of the S24 is certainly due to a ISP (Image Signal Processor) which is different between models. Similarly, even though the ultra-angle modules are similar, their configurations differ. For example, the photosites are smaller on the S24 FE, which explains this sometimes erratic management of brightness.
Its somewhat massive appearance
In terms of design, the S24 FE is unsurprisingly the worthy heir of the S24. Its curves are therefore also elegant and its design does not suffer from any defects (Gorilla Glass Victus+, IP68, etc.).
However, it is larger and heavier than the S24, 162 x 77.3 x 8 mm for 212 g, compared to 147 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm for 167 grams. So far logical, its screen is larger. However, even the S24+, which has the same screen size, is still more svelte, 158.5 × 75.9 × 7.7 mm for 196 g.
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By As a result, this S24 FE sometimes seems a little clumsy.Nothing alarming, its grip remains pleasant, but it's a shame that Samsung is not completely aligned in terms of dimensions.
A slow charge
The years go by and Samsung does not budge an iota on this subject. Where many competitors, Xiaomi in the lead, offer fast charges, the South Korean manufacturer persists in capping its maximum power at 25 W. As a result, the S24 FE takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to fully regain strength. Once again, at this price, it's limited… Especially when you know that the Xiaomi 14T Pro regains its full capacity in less than 30 minutes.
Of course, the sustainability argument must be taken into account. Fast charging damages batteries more severely. However, it is surprising that Samsung does not tackle the problem head on by offering, for example, innovative battery preservation options, while allowing itself to have a slightly faster charge.
A strange pricing positioning
With its FE range, we don't really know where Samsung is going with this… Last year, the S23 FE seemed too expensive to us. This year, its successor also sees its price increase by 50 euros… As a reminder, it is available from 749 euros for its 8/128 GB version and 809 euros for 256 GB storage.
First problem, it is common to find Galaxy S24 and S24+ on many merchant sites for almost this price… Therefore, what is the point of investing in a FE version that is less august in many areas ?
Second concern, the competition is fierce in this segment. To name just a few, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro was launched before the summer at 699 euros (12/512 GB), while the Xioami 14T Pro (12/256 GB) was made official a few weeks ago at 799 euros.
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These are two excellent smartphones with superior RAM and storage configurations for the Motorola. This is important, since the S24 FE does not offer to expand its memory via a microSD card. Consequently, the 128 GB storage model suddenly presents much less interest for many consumers.
Unlike other manufacturers, Samsung does not offer a real price break in its launch sales prices. For comparison, the classic S24 (8/128 GB) was marketed at the beginning of the year at 899 euros. So there is a difference of 150 euros.
At the end of 2023, the Google Pixel 8 (8/128 GB) was worth 799 euros when it was released. A few months later, Google's “FE” model, the Pixel 8a, was priced at 549 euros when it was released. That is a difference of 250 euros.
Once again, what we blame Sasmung for is a recommended retail price that is far too high. By searching the Internet, especially during this Black Friday period, it is quite possible to already find the S24 FE for around 550 euros. A price more in line with the intrinsic qualities of this smartphone. Inflating your starting price in order to anticipate your own promotions is a fairly common technique in the world of smartphones. However, it is a shame that the South Korean manufacturer uses it, and abuses it, on its FE range.
In itself, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is a good smartphone. It is powerful, its screen is satisfactory and its battery life is more than adequate. On top of that, it aligns itself on the software and AI side with its more upscale counterparts in the S24 family.
It is not, however, exempt from all reproaches, we think in particular of its slow charge, its unbalanced photo score and its somewhat massive design. Defects that would be largely acceptable if it were not positioned at this price.
With its launch price of 749 euros, the S24 FE collides directly with the classic S24, which is available for a similar price and which we recommend instead. Similarly, other smartphones like the Motorola Edge 50 Pro or Xiaomi 14T Pro are also better equipped (photo, charge) for an almost identical sum.
As a result, Samsung does not fulfill its initial contract. Namely, to let us touch the high-end while allowing us to get a good deal. If there is a good deal, it will be subject to conditions.
The 24 FE may possibly start to be interesting as soon as it is on sale, especially if it is around or falls below the 600 euro mark. This is currently the case for Black Friday and we also advise you to watch its price when the Galaxy S25 family is released in early 2025.
In any case, this stubborn pricing, which we already mentioned last year, is damaging, but also instructive. The S24 FE is proof that any good smartphone is ultimately only recommendable thanks to its value for money.
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