Samsung launched its Galaxy S24 range of flagship phones back in January. But if you thought that the lineup was complete, you’d be wrong.
More than eight months later, Samsung added a new, more affordable model to the lineup. The Galaxy S24 FE has arrived, aiming to offer all the core features of the S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra at a more affordable price.
Here’s everything you need to know about the so-called ‘Fan Edition’ model, including key specs, pricing and when you’ll be able to get your hands on one.
When will the Galaxy S24 FE be released?
Samsung officially launched the Galaxy S24 FE alongside the Galaxy Tab S10 tablets on 26 September 2024.
The phone is available to pre-order now, ahead of release on 4 October 2024.
You can pre-order one from Samsung UK and Samsung US, with other retailers also likely to stock the phone once it goes on sale.
It means the S24 FE arrives almost exactly a year after its predecessor. Here’s when previous generations were released – Samsung skipped the S22 FE:
- Galaxy S20 FE – October 2020
- Galaxy S21 FE – January 2022
- Galaxy S23 FE – October 2023
How much does the Galaxy S24 FE cost?
Here’s how much the Galaxy S24 FE will cost at launch:
- 128GB storage – £649/$649.99
- 256GB storage – £699/$709.99
That UK starting price makes it more expensive than the Galaxy S23 FE, but cheaper than its two predecessors.
- Galaxy S20 FE 4G: £599/€649 (Not released in the US)
- Galaxy S20 FE 5G: £699/$699
- Galaxy S21 FE: £699/$699
- Galaxy S23 FE: £599/$579
For further context, the regular Galaxy S24 starts at £799/$799, while the Galaxy S24+ starts at £999/$999.
Samsung
What specs and features will the Galaxy S24 FE have?
The Galaxy FE series phones are designed to offer the most popular features from the latest flagship line at a more affordable price, albeit with a few notable downgrades compared to the high-end phones.
That’s no different on the S24 FE, though there’s plenty to talk about.
Design & display
The Galaxy S24 FE has a very similar design to the other S24 phones, with a premium blend of aluminium and glass.
Just like those models, a matt finish adds some grip and avoids the build-up of fingerprint smudges. Durability is also a priority, with a flagship-level IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
However, there are extra colours to choose from: Blue, Graphite, Grey, Mint and Yellow. At 213g, the S24 FE is heavier than both the S24 (167g) and S24+ (196g).
With a 6.7-inch OLED display, the phone has a similar screen to the S24+. However, it drops down to a slightly lower FHD+ resolution, while no LTPO means the refresh rate can only adjust between 60- and 120Hz.
Performance
Under the hood, the Galaxy S24 FE is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 2400e in the UK. This is a new 4nm chipset, but it’s almost certain to be a step down from the regular Exynos 2400 found on UK versions of the S24 and S24+.
However, leaker Connor Bhai suggested back in February that the S24 FE will follow those phones in being powered by a Snapdragon chipset in North America. It’s not yet clear if this will actually be the main Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, though.
There are two configuration options, though you’re limited to 8GB of RAM on both. It’s a straight choice between 128- and 256GB of internal storage, and with no support for expandable storage, you’ll need to make sure you get enough.
Cameras
On paper, the S24 FE’s cameras are comparable to the S24 and S24+. It features a triple rear setup, consisting of 50Mp, f/1.8 main, 12Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide and 8Mp, f/2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
Dropping from 12Mp to 10Mp on the telephoto is the only significant difference on the cheaper phone, so you should still expect strong photography.
There’s a similarly small downgrade on the front, where the 12Mp selfie camera has been replaced with a 10Mp one. But it should still be a solid performer for selfies and video calls.
Samsung
Battery & charging
The Galaxy S24 FE features a 4700mAh battery. That’s bigger than the 4000mAh cell in the Galaxy S24, but smaller than the S24+’s 4900mAh capacity.
Samsung says the FE’s battery “allows for long, worry-free gaming sessions”, but doesn’t make any specific claims as to how long it’ll last. Fortunately, battery life was a key strength of the S24+, so it should still be solid here.
Charging is still on the slow side, with speeds up to just 25W offered and no chargers in the box. With a compatible adapter, Samsung says you can expect “up to 50% charge in around 30 mins”.
The regular S24 also only reaches 25W speeds, but the S24+ can hit 45W.
Qi wireless charging and reverse wireless charging are also included, though their speeds haven’t been specified.
Connectivity
The Galaxy S24 FE isn’t quite at the cutting edge of phone connectivity, but it’s not far off. Alongside support for Wi-Fi 6E and 5G, you also get Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC for contactless payments.
While Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 would be nice, they’re by no means necessary for most people.
Software
At launch, the phone is running Samsung’s One UI 6.1 skin over Android 14.
This includes plenty of changes to the experience on the Pixel 9, for example, but will now be familiar to many people.
A key selling point of the phone is Galaxy AI, which made its debut on the other Galaxy S24 phones but is also coming to the FE. These include photo tools such as generative AI edits, portrait studio for reimagining selfies, edit suggestions and an instant slow-mo by just pressing and holding on the screen.
Elsewhere, the following are all available on the phone: Circle to Search, Interpreter mode, Live Translate, Chat Assist, Note Assist, Transcript Assist and Browsing Assist.
And just like the flagship S24 phones, the Galaxy S24 FE will receive seven years of OS and security updates – that’s the joint-best of any phone.
We’ll update this article if more is revealed about the Galaxy S24 FE. In the meantime, see our guides to the best mid-range phones or the best Samsung phones you can buy right now.
Author: Anyron Copeman, Mobile Editor, Tech Advisor
Anyron is Mobile Editor at Tech Advisor, where he’s been a mainstay of the editorial team since 2019. In his current role, Anyron is responsible for all smartphone, tablet and mobile network coverage on the site. A BA Journalism graduate, he has experience with a wide range of consumer tech products and services, including smartphones, tablets, foldables, wearables and more.