The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE appears in its first live image

Key Takeaways

• The US version of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE (SM-S72U) has reached the FCC for certification while also appearing in its first live image.
• While the image doesn’t give us a good look at the smartphone, it confirms that the Galaxy S24 FE is not far from launch.
• The FCC listing also reveals the existence of 9W reverse wireless charging on the Galaxy S24 FE, which would be a big upgrade over current Samsung devices.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE’s existence is an open secret at this point, even if we’re still over a month away from the smartphone’s rumored arrival. A global version of the Fan Edition device (SM-S721B/DS) recently reached the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for certification. Now, the US-bound Galaxy S24 FE has also arrived at the FCC, offering additional details and revealing a live image of the smartphone.

This version of the Galaxy S24 FE bearing the model number SM-S72U was uncovered by MySmartPrice, with the site also uncovering an image of the smartphone in the flesh (via SamMobile). While we’ve encountered unofficial renders of the phone, followed by an extensive set of official marketing materials earlier this month, this is the Galaxy S24 FE’s first appearance in a live image. However, it does not give us the best look at the phone.

The image above is supposedly from an FCC test to determine the radiation patterns of the smartphone, where the Galaxy S24 FE appears to be held together by a harness, flanked by other testing equipment. These are routine tests that the FCC conducts for every new device before launch.

What else do we know about the Galaxy S24 FE?

So far, the Galaxy S24 FE leaks have left nothing to the imagination in the hardware and design department. But there could be one aspect that we previously didn’t know about. As per MySmartPrice, the FCC listing reveals support for reverse wireless charging (Wireless PowerShare) at up to 9W, with the agency reportedly using earbuds and smartwatches to test this attribute. This would be a big upgrade, given that the current crop of Samsung phones can only reach 4.5W.

There could be other upgrades on board, too, with leaks revealing a larger and brighter screen, plus a larger battery — 4565mAh vs the Galaxy S23 FE’s 4,500mAh unit. Despite the marginally larger capacity, reports say the phone could deliver 29 hours of video playback or up to 78 hours of music playback on a full charge. However, the maximum wired charging speed could stay unchanged at 25W.

Samsung is expected to use the same rear and front camera arrangement as the Galaxy S23 FE, so you’ll find a combination of 50MP + 12MP + 8MP (telephoto) on the back, with the front housing a 10MP camera. Perhaps the biggest change to the US-bound Galaxy S24 FE this year will be the inclusion of the Exynos 2400 SoC, which powers the global versions of the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+. While there’s no official word on the Galaxy S24 FE’s arrival, an October launch is rumored.