The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, a new budget-friendly, mid-range phone unveiled on Thursday, is designed to allow users to experience some of the Galaxy S24 series’ bells and whistles — without spending nearly $900.
I spent about two hours with the new Galaxy S24 FE. As someone who uses the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra every day, I was curious to see whether I’d notice a stark difference between the two.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Granted, we’re comparing apples and oranges here. A better comparison would be the new Galaxy S24 FE (starts at $649.99) and the entry-level Galaxy S24 (starts at $859.99). They share more of the same specs and the price difference between the two is only $210.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, priced at a steep $1,299, is nearly $650 more than the Galaxy S24 FE. Still, I didn’t anticipate such a dramatic difference — and boy was I way off.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE hands-on
The moment I picked up the Galaxy S24 FE, I said, “Whoa!”
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Only after holding the FE did I realize how luxurious my Ultra, with its refined titanium frame, truly feels.
Galaxy S24 Ultra – Corning Gorilla Armor (on the back), Corning Gorilla Armor (on the front), and titanium frame
Galaxy S24 FE – Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (on the back), Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front, and aluminum frame
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, unsurprisingly, doesn’t feel as robust. If I didn’t know any better, and you told me the Galaxy S24 FE was demo unit of sorts, I would have believed you.
Meanwhile, my Galaxy S24 Ultra feels like it’s full of heft, density, and gravitas. If both were personified as wrestlers in a ring, you’d definitely be concerned for the Galaxy S24 FE while the Ultra model flexes its brawn.
The Galaxy S24 FE is also much lighter, which I thought I’d appreciate — but I don’t. You know that satisfaction you get from wearing a high-end watch? It’s heavier and more solid, and as such, it feels more quality. A budget watch, on the other hand, feels lighter and more flimsy.
This isn’t to say that the Galaxy S24 FE is delicate — it’s definitely not. It’s still a well-crafted phone, but coming from the Galaxy S24 Ultra, you can really feel the difference.
The display threw me off
Again, keep in mind, that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the display that I’m accustomed to.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
And it comes with the following specs:
6.8 inches
1,440 x 3,120-pixel resolution
2,600 nits of peak brightness
The 6.7-inch Galaxy S24 FE has a familiar size that’s not too far off from my 6.8-inch Galaxy S24 Ultra, but with a 1,080 x 2,340-pixel resolution OLED screen, I noticed the difference right away.
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The rich and vivid colors that I enjoyed on my Galaxy S24 Ultra were slightly reduced. There was also a minor loss of sharpness and detail. The Galaxy S24 FE, by itself, is well saturated, but compared to my Galaxy S24 Ultra, the budget model doesn’t do it for me.
I’m also not a fan of the wider bezels on the FE model. On the plus side, I love how zippy it was to navigate on the Galaxy S24 FE with its 120Hz variable refresh rate. That’s an experience that matches my Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Colors don’t fit my taste
My Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes in a striking Titanium Yellow color, which makes it look as if it’s been dipped in gold.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Yellow
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The Galaxy S24 FE phones have pastel vibes, meaning they’re devoid of vividness.
Credit: Samsung
As someone who prefers rich, deep colors, my only option is Graphite, which is miles better than the other offerings: (barely-there) Blue, (merely) Mint, and (ghostly) Gray.
Cameras are OK
Keep in mind that I only had two hours with the Galaxy S24 FE, but I shrugged when I took a selfie with the phone’s 10MP front-facing camera.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
One of the best selling points of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is its selfie camera. Whenever I take selfies with my friends, even the iPhone snobs, they gush about how good the 12MP selfie lens is.
When I briefly tested the 10MP selfie lens, I was neither blown away nor disappointed; the picture was just OK.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
I guess I expected better color reproduction. Again, it’s not bad. I’m just used to the impressive pictures that the Galaxy S24 Ultra takes.
Galaxy AI is a fun addition
I’m relieved that Samsung didn’t reserve Galaxy AI for its flagship lineup. Galaxy AI may not be perfect, but it’s been fun to explore on my Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE series
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
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