The annual iteration to the Fan Edition variant of flagship Samsung Galaxy smartphones indicates a strong demand from consumers. Hence, for the 2024 Galaxy S24 line, Samsung introduced the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. This almost flagship-level Android device became available in the market on 26 September 2024. It features notable improvements from the previous Galaxy S23 FE and it banks on a suite of generative artificial intelligence features under the Galaxy AI branding as its main selling proposition. This article reviews and discusses the pros and cons of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
Pros and Cons of Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: Key Features and Performance Review
1. 10-Core Central Processing Unit
Powering the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is the Samsung Exynos 2400e system-on-a-chip with a 10-core CPU. The CPU has a single Cortex-X4 prime core clocked at 3.11 GHz, two Cortex-A720 performance cores at 2.90 GHz, another three lower-clocked Cortex-A720 performance cores at 2.59 GHz, and four Cortex-A520 efficiency cores clocked at 1.96 GHz.
A series of benchmark tests via AnTuTu 10 showed that the CPU scored an average of 416539. This is less than 1 percent lower than the base Galaxy S24 powered by Exynos 2400 and about 10 percent lower than the base Galaxy S4 powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Take note that it is still about 9.58 percent more than the previous Galaxy S23 FE.
The closest competitors of this device are the Google Pixel 9 and the Xiaomi 14T. Results from single-core and multi-core tests via GeekBench 6 showed that the Galaxy S24 FE had respective scores of 2099 and 6414. These are 18 and 39 percent higher in single-core performance and 34 and 37 percent higher in multi-core than the Pixel 9 and Xiaomi 14T.
Note that the iPhone 16 with the Apple A18 chip is also another close competitor based on segment positioning. The CPU scores of the Galaxy S24 FE were underwhelming in comparison. The overall score via AnTuTu 10 is 5.93 percent lower. The single-core score via GeekBench 6 is 36.63 percent lower while the multi-core score is 19.35 percent lower.
2. Integrated GPU with Ray Tracing
Another selling point and key advantage of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is its Samsung Xclipse 940 integrated GPU with hardware-based ray tracing. The GPU is clocked at 1.09 MHz. It has 1536 shading units and about 3406 giga floating point operations per second. These graphics specs put it in league with flagship Android smartphones for 2024.
The GPU score using AnTuTu 10 of Xclipse 940 is 695469. This is 21 percent lower than the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S24 but about 3 percent higher than the Exynos variant. This score is also about 43 percent higher than the Google Pixel 9 and 32 percent higher than the Xiaomi 14T. It is also closer to the 699959 GPU score of the iPhone 16.
Nevertheless, with an above-average integrated GPU, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE will not have a problem running graphics-demanding apps and use cases. These include playing the more intense mobile game titles at normal to above-normal settings and decent frames per second and using photo editing and video editing apps for extended periods.
3. On-Device AI-Related Task Handling
Samsung has been highlighting its Galaxy AI suite of generative AI features on its newer phones since the introduction of the Galaxy S24 line in January 2024. This specifically competes against Apple Intelligence and other implementations from other competitors. Some of the notable features are circle-to-search, text and live voice translation, and web summaries.
The Photo Assist is an AI-powered photo editing tool that enables users to resize, move, or remove unwanted objects. There is also the Sketch to Image feature that allows users to generate and include actual images or renders on a photo or image via sketching. The downside of these features is that they are not processed on-device and require an internet connection.
Samsung has also improved computational photography using AI via its Pro Visual Engine. This is a collection of software optimizations that help in improving photo and video qualities taken on the built-in cameras. The Pro Visual Engine helps in improving low-light photography, enhancing the quality of the optical zoom camera, and enabling richer high-dynamic range.
Powering the suite of generative AI features are dedicated AI accelerators that include a particular neural processing unit and a digital signals processor for on-device handling of AI processes and AI model inferences. The Samsung Xclipse 940 integrated GPU also helps in other AI tasks related to mobile gaming, photo and video editing, and computational photography.
4. Camera Specification and Performance
There are three cameras on the rear. One is a 50-megapixel wide lens with 1.8 aperture. The other two are an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 2.4 aperture and a 15-megapixel ultra-wide lens with 2.2 aperture. The front-facing camera is a 10-megapixel shooter with 2.4 aperture. The entire camera system is somewhat similar to the base Galaxy S24.
Note that the main difference between the Galaxy S24 FE and the Galaxy S24 is that the former uses an 8-megapixel sensor for its telephoto camera. The latter has a 10-megapixel sensor. This is not a big deal. The Pro Visual Engine helps in ensuring that photos remain sharp. The 3x zoom is also a notable selling point for a high-tier mid-range device at its price point.
Photos look vibrant and natural. This is especially true when taken outdoors. The rear cameras can still suffer from producing richer and more defined colors in lower-light indoor settings. The rear camera system also supports recording video at 8K resolution and 30 frames per second. There are some noise and exposure issues but videos look stable with minimal artifacts.
5. Design and Overall Built Quality
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE looks sleek and premium. It borrows the same design philosophy used in the flagship Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus devices. Both the front and back are laminated with Corning Gorilla Class Victus Plus and are framed in aluminum. The device has a dimension of 162 x 77.3 x 8 mm and weighs about 213 grams or 7.51 ounces.
It is still thicker and heavier than the standard Galaxy S24. The overall ergonomics is still good. The curved corners make it easier to hold. Bezels are also thin at 1.99 mm with about 88 percent screen-to-body ratio. There is also an IP68 rating for water resistance at 1.5 meters for 30 minutes and dust resistance. The models are available in subtle color variants.
Screen display is based on Dynamic AMOLED X2. This means that the 6.7-inch screen supports a dynamic refresh rate that can go up to 120Hz and dial down to a lower refresh rate automatically. Pixel density is about 385 ppi. Peak brightness at 1900 nits is lower than the 2600 nits of the base Galaxy S24 but is higher than the 1200 nits of the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
The premium-looking device is powered by a 4700 mAh battery that supports fast charging at 25 watts. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and starts at 256 GB storage. The downside is that it only supports sub-6 GHz 5G frequency standard instead of having both sub-6 GHz 5G and mmWave 5G standards while Wi-Fi is based on the Wi-Fi 6 standard.
In a Nutshell: A Summary of the Main Pros and Cons of Samsung Galaxy S24 FE
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is a high-tier or premium mid-range device. However, despite its price point at around USD 650.00 during introduction, it sports a flagship-level design and performance. The Samsung Exynos 2400e is its biggest selling point. This is slightly weaker than the original Exynos 2400 and would not be able to compete head-on-head with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the Apple A18 chip in overall performance. It still outclasses other flagship chips the Google Tensor G4 and the Dimensity 8300 Ultra.
Hence, with its flagship-grade chip, as well as its 8GB of RAM, the Fan Edition of the Galaxy S24 lineup for 2024 will not have an issue running most of the recent apps nor will it struggle to handle multitasking. The specific Samsung Xclipse 940 integrated GPU is also another selling point. It has enough capabilities to run graphics-demanding mobile games and other apps. The inclusion of Galaxy AI makes this device current. Adding to this is the above-average camera performance that is enhanced further by artificial intelligence.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE still has disadvantages. Galaxy AI is not polished. Apple Intelligence is the better implementation. The OLED screen is also good but one should not expect that it is comparable with more expensive flagships like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 16 Pro in terms of color reproduction. Some people might also consider its 4700-mAh battery a downside since some mid-rangers have banked on bigger-capacity batteries for a true all-day runtime. These downsides are but small compromises to its processing capabilities.