After I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, I cherished nearly all the things about it. The cellphone has a wonderful construct high quality, attractive show, and surprisingly good efficiency, including to an general pleasing expertise. Regardless of the positives, I did take difficulty with the value. Service offers helped ease among the ache, however $650 for an unlocked Galaxy S24 FE was a non-starter for me. There are too many good mid-range choices for much less cash, such because the OnePlus 12R and Google Pixel 8a. Nevertheless, like final 12 months, Black Friday gross sales are right here to assist Samsung followers, and at $475, the Galaxy S24 FE is a unbelievable worth.
Premium design and glorious show
Samsung turned the saturation again up
I’ll be the primary to confess that Samsung’s design language is stale. The corporate additionally makes use of it throughout so many system courses that it’s arduous to inform flagship telephones from extra price range choices. Nevertheless, I nonetheless like the texture of the Galaxy S24 FE, and it’s arduous to disclaim it has a premium construct. Gorilla Glass Victus+ protects the back and front with a flat aluminum band across the edge. Not like different telephones with flat glass, Samsung molded the aluminum in the direction of the again glass, eliminating sharp edges in opposition to your palm.
My apologies to the Exynos haters, however the 2400e chipset is nice.
I nonetheless contend that the Galaxy S24 FE has one of the best show that Samsung shipped this 12 months. It doesn’t have the best decision at 1080p, but it surely’s probably the most vibrant and saturated panel on a Galaxy in 2024. Video games and flicks look unbelievable, and I’ve had no points viewing my Galaxy S24 FE outdoor. When you want pure tones, Samsung gives a technique to flip down the vibrancy, however in the event you’re a fan of how Samsung used to tune its panels, you’ll be a large fan of the Galaxy S24 FE.
Loads of energy for a mid-range cellphone
Exynos isn’t a joke anymore
My apologies to the Exynos haters, however the 2400e chipset is nice. I haven’t observed any slowdowns or overheating that plagued earlier variations. I’m additionally pleasantly stunned by the gaming efficiency of the Galaxy S24 FE, which maintains larger graphical settings and extra frames per second than different mid-range telephones. On-device AI duties are snappy, and the general UI expertise feels fluid. The Exynos 2400e mixed with the Galaxy S24 FE’s 8GB of RAM means you’ll get respectable efficiency for years.
Learn our assessment
After I take a look at a brand new Exynos-powered smartphone, I am involved about battery life. Fortunately, the 2400e is power-efficient, and I constantly get noticeably higher battery life than final 12 months’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered Galaxy S23 FE. You’ll be able to count on over an hour extra of display screen on time per cost. Sadly, Samsung has capped charging speeds to 25W wired, however the bigger 4,700mAh cell ought to offset a few of that ache. All instructed, it’s uncommon to see battery life enhance when switching to an Exynos, however that’s the case with the Galaxy S24 FE.
Software program assist for days (or years)
Galaxy AI and prolonged assist for much less
I cringed when Samsung tried to justify the Galaxy S24 FE’s elevated value by together with Galaxy AI. It’s not a motive why I’d spend further on a smartphone. Nevertheless, at $475, I really like what Galaxy AI gives. Sketch to Picture is a quick and enjoyable technique to generate quirky photos, but it surely’s behind the scenes the place Galaxy AI improves the Galaxy S24 FE. The Galaxy S23 FE had a poor digicam. Pictures have been gentle, and it typically struggled to focus, making constantly good images almost unimaginable. Picture Help has remodeled photos from the Galaxy S24 FE. Coloration replica is considerably higher, and Samsung’s infamous shutter lag is nowhere to be discovered.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE digicam samples
Samsung additionally introduced prolonged software program assist to the Galaxy S24 FE, promising seven generations of Android upgrades and safety updates. With as we speak’s smartphones designed to last more, with higher chipsets and extra RAM, it’s welcome to see software program assist match longer lifespans. Even in the event you don’t hold your cellphone for seven years, prolonged assist means will probably be price extra at resale time, so having it doesn’t damage.
Black Friday fixes the principle difficulty with the Galaxy S24 FE
I at all times thought the Galaxy S24 FE was good, however its value made it arduous to advocate over highly effective competitors. Nevertheless, a $475 price ticket jumps it to the top of the road, with a premium construct, glorious efficiency, and prolonged assist — matching or besting the mid-range competitors. Don’t make the identical mistake as final 12 months by ready on Samsung Black Friday gross sales. The Galaxy S23 FE was decreased in value to $400, and like everybody else, I assumed that was the value tag we’d see a number of instances over the 12 months — it wasn’t. When you’re taken with a Galaxy S24 FE, don’t make the identical mistake; benefit from Black Friday.