Galaxy S24 FE hands-on: Massive size, massive power, massive support

Samsung's latest Fan Edition smartphone, the Galaxy S24 FE, is finally here, following months of leaks and rumors. This is the first time Samsung is launching a Fan Edition Galaxy S smartphone almost exactly a year after the previous one.

Samsung delayed the Galaxy S21 FE, the second phone in the FE lineup, by a few months. The next model, the S23 FE, came out 19 months later in October 2023, as Samsung didn't launch a Galaxy S22 FE. But even the S23 FE took almost two years to reach many markets.

The initial S23 FE launch was limited to the US and some Asian and Middle Eastern markets, and Europe only got the phone in December that year. Even the Galaxy S24 FE may not reach every market this year, but still, the official launch is taking place in late September and the phone will go on sale in at least the US on October 3.

Galaxy S24 FE hands-on: Many big changes and improvements

Has the shorter turnaround time negatively affected how many upgrades customers get if they purchase a Galaxy S24 FE? Based on the hardware specs and our few days of hands-on time, we would say the answer is no.

We talk in more detail about why we think so in our hands-on video, which you can check out below.

The Galaxy S24 FE brings many notable changes over not just the S23 FE but over all previous models. If we were to describe it all with a single word, it would be massive.

The changes start with the phone's dimensions: the Galaxy S24 FE has a 6.7-inch display like the Galaxy S24+. Previous models featured 6.4-inch or 6.5-inch displays and weren't exactly great for one-handed use, and with the latest model, Samsung has thrown out all such pretenses.

In fact, the overall footprint of the S24 FE matches that of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. When placed underneath the S24 FE, the S24 Ultra only gives itself away because of its square corners. And the reason for the large footprint is the thicker bezels on the S24 FE.

The S24 FE doesn't get the slim bezels that we see on the original S24 trio. Its display brightness is also quite underwhelming. While the display of the other Galaxy S24 models touch 2500 nits, the S24 FE display tops out at a measly 1200 nits.

The design of the Galaxy S24 FE is similar to the S24 and S24+, but not the same. The S24 FE has a flat frame like the S24 and S24+, but the back glass is contoured on the edges where it connects to the frame, which makes it feel less sharp in the hand. The back glass is also glossier.

Massive size is matched by lots of processing power, bigger battery

Performance is another area where the S24 FE brings a massive improvement. The phone is powered by the Exynos 2400e, an Exynos 2400 with a slightly lower clock speed for the fastest core, and since the S23 FE used an year-old chipset, the S24 FE should perform considerably faster and smoother. It certainly kept up with the S24 and S24+ in our initial tests.

Unfortunately, Samsung is sticking to 8GB of RAM on all variants. There is also no variant with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Even customers in the US, Canada, and China will have to make do with an Exynos chip this year.

The battery capacity is getting an upgrade for the first time in the lineup's history. The S24 FE has a 4,700 mAh battery that, coupled with the incredibly efficiency of the Exynos 2400e, should be able to easily last two days with light use. Charging still maxes out at 25W, however.

Story continues after the video…

Also massive is the number of updates the S24 FE will get. It's the cheapest Samsung phone that's eligible for seven years of Android, One UI, and security updates. That's the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which costs more than twice as much as the S24 FE.

As for the software version out of the box, the Galaxy S24 FE runs Android 14 and One UI 6.1.1 with all the Galaxy AI features that are available on other 2024 flagship Galaxy devices. More details on those features in the video below.

The camera setup on the Galaxy S24 FE is the same on paper. But thanks to the newer chipset and improved software processing algorithms, the S24 FE can even give the Galaxy S24 and S24+ a run for their money, at least out on a bright and sunny day where it doesn't overexpose the scene as much as its siblings.

Overall, the Galaxy S24 FE impressed us. If the pricing doesn't become an obstacle in some markets, we can see this phone becoming very popular. Our full Galaxy S24 FE review is coming soon, so stay tuned!