Samsung Galaxy S24 FE tested: This is how good the affordable version of the S24+ is

With the Galaxy S24 FE, Samsung is offering a cheaper version of the Galaxy S24+. Unlike in previous years, the FE version is no longer a variant of Samsung's smallest S model. For the low price, you accept compromises in terms of hardware, but don't miss out on anything in terms of software. For a quick comparison, here is an overview of the most important features:

Lower resolution does not matter

The reduced resolution of the Galaxy S24 FE's 6.7-inch AMOLED display doesn't matter. Of course, 2340 × 1080 is less than 3120 × 1440 pixels on the S24+. However, the pixel density of 385 instead of 513 ppi is still sufficient for a razor-sharp image. This is also the reason why the S24+ is set to a lower value ex works. The full resolution would increase power consumption and offers no added value for the human eye.

There is a small drawback with the protective glass. Samsung uses Victus Gorilla Glass for the front and back of the Galaxy S24 FE. The S24+ uses Victus 2, which is supposed to be more resistant to breakage, especially when dropped on concrete. The difference hopefully won't matter in everyday use.

The Galaxy S24 FE also has an aluminium frame and is IP68 waterproof. In tests, it survived 30 minutes in 1.5 metres of water without damage.

Less clock speed and memory

Samsung uses the Exynos 2400e chipset in the Galaxy S24 FE. The difference to the Exynos 2400 of the S24+ is the 0.1 gigahertz lower clock rate of the performance core. The other nine computing cores remain unchanged. The reduced working memory of eight gigabytes - compared to the twelve gigabytes of the S24+ - is likely to have a greater impact. In practice, however, I don't notice any differences in performance. Whether gaming, watching videos or surfing the Internet. The S24 FE is no worse. So I'm not surprised that the benchmarks only reveal minor differences.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is even better with OpenCL in Geekbench 6 than both smartphones with the Exynos chip. However, the gap is small and definitely not an argument against the FE.

Another difference concerns the internal memory. With the Galaxy S24 FE, you can choose between 128 and 256 gigabytes. The S24+ has 256 and 512 gigabytes.

Less pixels and smaller apertures

Samsung has made minor changes to the cameras between the Galaxy S24 FE and the S24+ - a few megapixels less here, a slightly smaller aperture there.

In my test pictures, I can't see any differences between the Galaxy S24 FE and the S24+ in the main camera. The slight deviation in the aperture doesn't matter for most subjects. The same applies to colour reproduction and detail accuracy - even in the dark. The S24 FE ranks among the top smartphones here.

Ultra wide angle camera

In contrast, I see slight differences in the viewing angle and colour reproduction with the ultra-wide-angle camera. However, they are so close that I like both images. When I enlarge the images on the computer to the 100 per cent view, I notice that the S24+ is slightly sharper at the edges. This is not noticeable on the smartphones.

In the dark, there are greater differences in quality with the ultra-wide-angle camera. In automatic mode, the images from the S24 FE are blurrier and darker. If I use the night mode, the image quality increases noticeably. Compared to the S24+, however, the FE mixes more yellow into the image.

Telephoto camera

The telephoto camera of the Galaxy S24 FE has a slightly smaller image section. However, the difference is too small to be noticeable in the image quality. There is no sign of the camera's reduced resolution. The images are even 12 megapixels in size. Has Samsung made a mistake in the data sheet or are the images extrapolated? I don't care as long as the result is right.

The telephoto camera doesn't convince me in the dark. The night mode is clearly better here than the automatic mode, but far from good.

Selfie

When taking selfies, the two megapixels less and the slightly larger aperture do not make any relevant differences. The image quality of the S24 FE remains high compared to the S24+. I like the colour reproduction and the level of detail.

Smaller battery charges more slowly

Samsung has slightly reduced the size of the battery in the Galaxy S24 FE. The capacity is 4700 mAh instead of the 4900 mAh of the S24+. This results in a shorter battery life. Using the PCMark Work 3.0 battery test, I measured 10:02 hours for the S24 FE. An average value among smartphones, but 1:20 hours less than the Galaxy S24+.

The Galaxy S24 FE also charges more slowly. It accepts a maximum of 25 watts via cable and USB-C port. This charges it to 50 per cent in 30 minutes. A full charge takes well over an hour. The Galaxy S24+ is ready for up to 45 watts and charges its battery to 65 per cent in 30 minutes. A full charge takes about an hour. Both smartphones charge wirelessly with up to 15 watts.

Android with Galaxy AI

The Galaxy S24 FE runs Android 14 out of the box. Samsung provides the operating system with its One UI user interface - currently in version 6.1. This also includes the AI functions of Galaxy AI - without any restrictions compared to the other Galaxy S24 models.