- Good cameras
- Smooth performance
- Seven years of security updates
- Warms up easily
- Screen could be brighter
- Night mode colors can be overblown
Mid-range handsets generally have four main failure points: camera, performance, battery life, and security update lifespan. The Galaxy S24 FE passes all four, although performance comes at the expense of heat for more demanding tasks like gaming and GPS navigation.
The starting price is $649.99 for the 128GB model or $709.99 for 256GB. Whether you buy it outright or on a mobile plan, you'll end up paying the same or similar for the handset itself, barring special deals.
If you opt to get it on a phone plan, the real price difference comes down to the SIM portion of your monthly repayments—i.e., how much data you're getting, which provider you're with, and whether you sign up to a 12-, 24-, or 36-month plan. The longer the plan, the less you pay each month for the phone, which is why this option is usually the most popular.
Here's a look at the cheapest mobile plans with a Galaxy S24 FE from Optus, Vodafone and Telstra:
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE 5G 128GB Plans
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Verizon
Simplicity Plan
$30.00/mo
+ $649.99 Upfront
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Cameras
The cameras on the S24 FE are pretty good for the price. The main camera is a 50MP wide-angle lens, with a 12MP ultra-wide and 8MP Telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. All three work well, though the 50MP will be your go-to for night shots.
At first glance, colors might seem dull—especially for a Samsung phone. But that’s because they come out pretty close to natural, without the heavy-handed post-processing common to almost all modern smartphone cameras.
Night shots also come well, even if you don’t use night mode. Standard shots can be snapped off quickly in the dark, but still turn out clear and (mostly) noise-free results. Night shots can sometimes take a while, and for the most part, they’re better than you might expect for a $649.99 phone. But occasionally this setting can cause significant over-saturation, so there might be an initial learning curve while you get used to which setting to use and when.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Galaxy S24 FE. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
The 10MP selfie cam produces fast, sharp images. It’s not exactly industry leading, but perfectly fine for this price point.
Video isn’t top-quality, but it handles movement well. The image stablization is also better than we expected at this price point, which is particularly important if you want to make use of the phone’s slow-mo capture feature.
Performance and gaming
Day-to-day performance is smooth and fast. We didn’t run into any regular lag or glitches, even under heavy load.
However, the top of the phone gets uncomfortably warm from even simple games like Brotato, and heavier games like Balatro and lengthy GPS navigation sessions can really heat things up. You might want to avoid putting it in a car phone holder on a sunny day, unless said holder is attached directly to an active air vent. That said, you don't want to leave your phone in direct, hot sunlight on a regular basis, so this just might force you to adopt some good habits.
Regular exposure to hot temperatures can quickly and significantly shorten your battery’s lifespan, so this isn’t something to take lightly.
The base level storage is 128GB, or you can pay an extra $60 for the 256GB model.
Battery
Battery life is adequate, if a little under the norm. The Galaxy S24 FE easily lasts a full day at light usage, sitting at around 50% come bedtime. At heavier usage, such as with regular gaming and HD video streaming, it could be as low as 35%. If you forget to charge it, you’re in trouble, but you’ll be hard pressed burning through the whole battery in a day.
The main concern we have is with longevity. Batteries lose maximum charge over time, but this can be significantly sped up by regular exposure to heat. Given how much the phone can warm up from gaming and long GPS trips, this could be a problem for the Galaxy S24 FE in the long term—but it’s hard to know for sure. And, while the phone’s out-of-the-box battery life will get you through a day, there’s not much wiggle room, so any degradation is likely to be felt.
Design
Samsung took no risks with the look and design of the S24 FE. Suffice to say, it looks like a smartphone, but not a cheap one. It comes in three colors: ours was Graphite, and the other two are Blue (light blue) and Mint (think spearmint gum).
Samsung’s continued return to flat edges is appreciated, but it’s pretty much standard across the industry in 2024. The rear panel is glass, which feels nice and looks premium. But as with any glass panel plate, it’s prone to slipping on some surfaces (like off the arm of a couch) and is really just one more part of your handset that can crack if you drop it.
It’s also IP68 rated, meaning it can be fully submersed in 1.5m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes, and should stand up to moderate dust ingress from whatever outdoorsy activities you get up to.
The large and off-centre rear camera bump is a drawback. Unless you get yourself a case, the phone rocks back and forth too much to be used flat on a table. The lens rims are also prone to gunking up, which could ruin the occasional fleeting camera moment if you’re not vigilant.
A welcome bonus is the placement of the volume and lock buttons. They’re both high enough that you can pop the S24 FE in a car phone holder and it’s unlikely the cradle arms will press any buttons. It’s not exactly a killer feature, but it’s something you’ll notice if you’ve become accustomed to the opposite.
Display
At 1080 x 2340 resolution, the 6.7-inch display is crisp, but on par with other mid-range and even some cheaper handsets. Colors are vibrant and animations are smooth, but the screen’s peak brightness is only 1900 nits—that’s bright enough that you can definitely use it outside, but even in shade on a sunny day it’s quite washed out. And in direct sunlight, it’s hard to make out text, fine details and dark shapes.
While 1900 nits is close to the 2000 nits of the Google Pixel 8A and other mid-range handsets, it’s worth noting the difference if you’re tossing up between the S24 FE and the more-expensive Samsung Galaxy S24—which has peak brightness of 2600 nits and is much more visible in bright situations.
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE – Final thoughts
Aside from the heating issue, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is a steal for the asking price. The cameras in particular are a strong suit, and there are almost no notable flaws to speak of. But given how much it warms up from navigation and gaming, you’ll need to keep an eye on how hard and often you lean on these features or risk degrading the battery. Avid gamers might want to look elsewhere.
Ultimately, there aren’t many competitors at this price point right now. Google is yet to reveal the Pixel 9A, and other recent mid-tier phones we’ve reviewed just aren’t operating at Samsung’s level when it comes to anything outside of cooling.
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#1
|
XFINITY Mobile
Premium Unlimited Plan
$50.00/mo
|
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#2
|
PureTalk
Unlimited Data w/ 30GB Hotspot Plan
$64.99/mo
+ $3 Upfront
|
|
#3
|
T-Mobile
Experience More
$85.00/mo
with Auto-Pay + Taxes and fees
|
|
#4
|
Red Pocket
Premium Annual Plan (GSMA)
$300.00
Only $300 for 12 months (equals to $25/month);<br> Regular rate is $360/year or $30/month
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#5
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Lyca Mobile
Unlimited Plus Plan
$12.50/mo
Pay $12.50/month for the first 9 months<br>Regular rate is $49/month
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