Samsung Galaxy S24 FE Review: Is It ‘Really’ a Fan Edition?

Back in 2020, Samsung released its first tone-downed flagship version with the Galaxy S20 FE.

The main purpose of that phone was to offer (almost) the same great features as that of their flagships at a significantly lower cost. And it made sense, the S20 series was expensive reaching over 1000 bucks. 

The S20 FE sentar como un guante (fitted like a glove) into the space and people loved that phone. 

But is it the same scenario with this year’s S24 FE? Well, we have to talk about that. 

The S24 FE offers plenty of great features ranging from a full-fledged camera system to the same OneUI 6.1 Android 14 experience. But still, Samsung had to cut down on some stuff to bring it to the table with a $649 price tag. But does it affect the overall performance and experience of the phone? 

That’s what we will be covering for today. I have been using the Galaxy S24 FE for a couple of months and I know all the downsides of this phone and the great things about it. To help you make a sound purchase decision, let me walk you through all the necessary details.

So, without much ado, let us dive right into it. 

• The Design is Great (As Always)

Let me start with the good things first. With a mere look, people won’t be able to distinguish this from the regular S24 lineup. The phone is well-designed with no compromises and feels like a phone from the Galaxy family. 

It’s a glass sandwich: on the front, you have a 6.7-inch display protected by the upgraded Gorilla Glass Victus+ and the back is glass with the same Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection. Samsung claims that this version of Gorilla Glass protects the phone from cracking with up to 2 meters of drop and it is more scratch-resistant. Well, I vouch for that because I have dropped mine a couple of times. 

As for the sides, they are made from brushed aluminum and the phone feels comfortable to hold – no complaints. 

The volume rockers and power buttons are on the same right side and it is higher to reach because of the size of the phone. 

No more boring colors with FE as Samsung has been generous with the color lineup this time around. We have four color options to choose from: Mint, Gray, Blue, and Graphite. 

That’s it for the design. Let us jump into the Galaxy AI features. 

• Galaxy AI Features are Helpful

I love these AI-powered features especially the Generative Edit and the integration of Gemini in the Google Assistant. 

The other day I was trying to find Cox en español support (yes, I am a Latin American) of my new and reliable internet service provider. I opened the Gemini-powered assistant app, asked my query, and it quickly brought me the number I needed. It was quick and helpful. 

 

Generative Edit is another feature that I like using. I am a casual photographer and there are always things that I don’t want in my pictures. Generative Edit easily removes those unwanted objects while keeping the look and feel of the photo the same. 

Apart from the Generative Edit, there is a Circle-to-Search feature that lets you circle anything on your screen in any app and brings up search results from Google. The results can include recipes or even restaurants or places that deliver that dish. 

Plenty of other features are fun to use but not significant enough to make it to my list. So, we jump on to the next which is the camera.

• Cameras Could Have Been Better

At the back, the S24 FE has a 50MP main shooter coupled with two secondary cameras: one is the 12MP ultra-wide lens and the other is an 8MP telephoto lens. Numbers aside, how do they perform in real life?

I was expecting better than what it offers right now. The photos are coming out okay and so are the videos. 

Why are photos just okay though? Maybe it’s the post-processing algorithm of Samsung that I don’t like. The images are often brighter than they should be; the shadows are bright, and the colors are overly saturated. But don’t worry, you can use Generative Edit to quickly fix the areas in your photos by connecting to an alta velocidad internet connection. As for the videos, they are smooth and look realistic. 

At the front of the S24 FE, there is a 10MP selfie camera that takes nice photos. Even though they are on the unrealistic side too, I like the look of them. The portrait on the selfie camera is sharp and the edge detection is pretty good. 

All in all, I think the cameras are somewhat of a downgrade when compared to the main S24 lineup.

My Verdict?

I am assuming you are an Android user and want to upgrade your phone. Is the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE worth upgrading to? I don’t think so. There are other options right now like Pixel 8a, Samsung Galaxy A55, and more that are cheaper than S24 FE with fewer compromises. So, you better be looking at other options too.

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