Getting started with the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, a true high-end at a bargain price?

Our detailed handling

About ten months after the launch of its Galaxy S24 series, Samsung unveils a fourth version, the S24 FE, FE originally meaning Fan Edition. The idea here is to bridge the S series and the A series with a model that intends to get as close as possible to the high-end experience without spending so much. The S24 FE therefore arrives in two versions: 8/128 GB and 8/256 GB, respectively sold at a price of €749 and €809. As a reminder, the S24 (which the Labo tested here) is available today from €899 while the S24+ (find the Labo test right here) with the same screen size as the FE is significantly more expensive , since you need to spend at least €1,169 to acquire it.

The smartphone is available in four colors: black, blue, sea green and yellow. Its particular positioning naturally places it against the brand new Xiaomi 14T Pro (€801 in 12/256 GB, which we were able to handle) or the Honor 200 Pro released a few months ago (€799.90 in 12/512 Go, our grip is there).

For our handling, Samsung gave us a black copy with 256 GB of storage.

Design and handling

From a design point of view, don’t expect a revolution: we are definitely facing a Samsung Galaxy S. We note the arrival of straight sides with rounded corners. At the front, the screen has a diagonal of 6.7 inches, like the S24+: it is therefore significantly larger than the S23 FE which is limited to 6.4 inches. A difference which necessarily affects the general dimensions of the smartphone – we go from 158×76.5×8.2 mm to 162×77.3×8 mm – but not so much on the weight with only 4 g more for the S24 FE (213 g).

The flat panel displays an occupancy rate of 88%, a rather attractive figure, even if the S24+ is close to 92%. The borders remain rather thin around a panel which accommodates the front camera punch at the top and the fingerprint reader at the bottom. This one works perfectly, but it is placed too low: a little contortion of the thumb is necessary. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+.

The back is based on the same material in a glossy finish which inevitably attracts fingerprints. But it remains reasonable enough to only bother the most obsessive among us. As for the cameras, it’s classic from Samsung, with vertical alignment of the three modules. The brand instead plays the discreet card with a ring around the optics in the same color as the shell and its name which is barely visible.

The aluminum sides group the buttons on the right. The power button is within thumb reach, but we had a little more trouble reaching the volume control. Likewise, the rather large width of the smartphone (+1.4 mm compared to the S24+ and +2.2 mm compared to the Xiaomi 14T Pro) may bother users, including those with not particularly small hands. The drawer of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, which can accommodate two nanoSIMs, is placed in the upper edge, an unusual location. The smartphone has two relatively powerful hybrid speakers with Dolby Atmos technology.

The screen

Although the screen of the S24 FE has the same size and the same ratio as that of the S24+, it is not necessarily the same component. The AMOLED panel has a lower definition, 1080×2340 pixels compared to 1140×3120 pixels, and therefore logically a lower density with 385 ppi compared to 513 ppi. The display finesse, however, remains largely sufficient to appreciate maximum detail of the content displayed.

Another difference is that the maximum brightness is lower with 1,900 nits peak compared to 2,600 nits. This is, however, better than the S23 FE, which tops out at 1,450 nits. Finally, if the maximum refresh rate is still 120 Hz, LPTO technology is absent. It is simply possible to opt for a fixed mode at 60 Hz or a dynamic mode which will vary between two values, 60 and 120 Hz in this case.

This screen will be subjected to various tests by Labo Fnac, which judged its predecessor rather positively, notably with an excellent contrast and progressive rating. For our part, we appreciated the precision of the colors transcribed and the brightness, without being exceptional, allows us to use the smartphone outdoors without too much difficulty. Samsung offers a few adjustment possibilities to perfect the operation of the screen, or at least adapt it precisely to your tastes.

Performances et interface

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE inaugurates a brand new in-house mechanics. This is the Exynos 2400^Ea slightly refined version of the Exynos 2400 which equips the S24 and S24+. We find a chip engraved in 4 Nm integrating ten physical cores in a rather complex architecture. The difference with the 2400 will simply be around the operating frequency of the different cores. For example, the Cortex-X4, the most efficient, sees its frequency reduced to 3.1 GHz instead of 3.39 GHz. The graphics chip is still an Xclipse 940, but we don’t know if the GPU has a different operating frequency between the two versions of the Exynos 2400.

In use, it is difficult in any case to fault the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: its responsiveness is perfect and all applications launch quickly. The games also run smoothly with just a back that gradually cools down. We are therefore particularly looking forward to discovering the behavior of this mechanism in the face of the various tests at Labo Fnac. One thing is certain, however: the performance gain compared to the S23 FE is undeniable.

The software part is, in our opinion, a strong point of the Korean brand’s smartphones. We find a now well-known duo composed of OneUI 6.1 and Android 14, enhanced with all the artificial intelligence functions grouped under the Galaxy AI banner. It’s simply the same as on the other S24s. The whole thing is still very pleasant and fluid. The possibilities for customization and fine adjustments are present, but they do not overload the interface. Another thing that doesn’t change: the update policy is particularly ambitious with seven years of security patches, but also seven years of new versions of Android, which takes us up to Android 21! Not bad, right?

Communication

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE offers a high-performance radio part with of course a 5G modem which gives it wide coverage in terms of frequency bands and the capacity to take advantage of 100% of current mobile networks. Bluetooth 5.3 is also included. For wifi, the smartphone has not yet reached the wifi 7 milestone, but its wifi 6e module has already reached an excellent level of performance. NFC is of course present. After around ten days of sustained use, we appreciated a smartphone offering excellent internet speeds and perfect voice call quality.

The Fnac Lab equipment will analyze all these little people in order to determine the ability of the S24 FE to connect to a wireless network and maintain this connection. But for this, a little more patience.

Photo

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE seems to have the same three cameras as its predecessor. The main module is based on a 50-megapixel in-house sensor and ƒ/1.8 wide-angle optics. This is equivalent to a 24 mm film. Pixel binning is used, with photos of 12 megapixels in the end. The second camera is the same ultra-wide-angle as the S23 FE: ƒ/2.2 13 mm lens in film equivalent and 12 megapixel sensor. Finally, the last camera is a x3 (76mm) ƒ/2.4 telephoto lens accompanied by an 8-megapixel sensor.

We logically expect results close to those of its predecessor, but the presence of a different ISP (the chip responsible for recovering the raw photos taken by the sensor to process and compress them, in particular) and a software part more recent may have an impact on the quality of the photos obtained. The S23 FE did not really excite the experts at Labo Fnac, particularly in terms of sensitivity and behavior in low light. Will it be the same for his successor? We are particularly curious to find out.

We spent several days with this smartphone with which we could not resist the desire to take a few photos. During the day, the photos taken by the main camera offer a very good level of detail and rather convincing sharpness. The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE pushes the sliders in terms of colors with a result that is ultimately attractive, but not really natural. At night, the photos are logically a little noisier, but they remain contrasted and dynamic. The ultra-wide-angle is less comfortable at night with reduced sharpness and noise, but it ultimately manages to offer a correct and in any case usable result.

During the day, the story is the same: we are about average, in terms of technical pretensions that are, to say the least, banal. Finally, the x3 telephoto lens is effective especially during the day and outdoors. Clearly, it likes light without being disastrous in low light.

A quick word about the 10 megapixel front camera, also taken from the previous generation: it is mastered and allows you to take balanced and detailed selfies.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE can film in 8K at 30 FPS, but also in 4K at 60 FPS, the mode we choose most of the time. The videos thus produced are fluid and detailed. The noise is controlled and the autofocus keeps pace.

Autonomy

The battery has a capacity of 4,700 mAh compared to 4,900 mAh for the S24+ and 4,500 mAh for the S23 FE. A rather satisfactory figure, even if some competitors today reach 5,000 mAh without being any more bulky or heavy. This is particularly the case with the Xiaomi 14T Pro. But we know that the battery size does not always correlate with the autonomy of the smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE was able to withstand a good day of sustained use, but, to have a more precise measurement, we must wait for the results of the autonomy test from Labo Fnac. His predecessor was particularly disappointing in this regard. Will his successor do better?

The smartphone does not come with a power adapter. It supports an input power of 25 W, like the S24+ or the S23 FE. A figure that pales in comparison to the 120 W used by the Xiaomi 14T Pro. Once again, the Fnac Lab will give us a precise measurement of the charging time. Empirically, we estimate it to be around 70 minutes. The 50% battery milestone is reached in just under 30 minutes. Honorable performances, therefore. The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE also has wireless charging (15W) and reverse charging.