Tag: Samsung

Update: September 3, 2024 (2:11 AM ET): We’ve updated our Galaxy S24 FE hub with charging speed information gleaned from a certification listing.

Original article: Samsung might be better known for its high-end flagships, but it has also produced quite a few budget-minded Android phones in recent years. One of the more intriguing alternatives to a Samsung flagship is its “FE” series, formerly known as “Fan Edition” phones. These phones typically offer specs and performance similar to the mainline Galaxy S series but at much more aggressive prices, thanks to concessions like a polycarbonate body and a few minor spec downgrades. With the next FE on the horizon, here’s everything we know about the Galaxy S24 FE.

Although Samsung has yet to confirm the Galaxy S24 FE officially, it’s all but inevitable that there will be another model. Not only is the series reasonably popular, but Samsung consciously made the decision not to release the Galaxy A55 in the United States. That makes the Galaxy S FE series the best cheap “flagship” experience on offer. It would be more than shocking if Samsung axed the series altogether, though it has certainly skipped releasing a model before. At the time, this was largely due to the pandemic, however.

There have been quite a few leaks that have emerged throughout 2024, including a codename (R12), specs, colors, and even a launch window. The model number for the phone (SM-S721U) has appeared in EE’s (a carrier in the UK) database, while also appearing on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification website with the model number (SM-S721B/DS). The phone also surfaced on the Bluetooth SIG website and the FCC in August, complete with the model numbers SM-S721U and SM-S721B/DS, respectively.

On top of all these leaks and listings, the company pretty much confirmed the device when a support page for the model number briefly appeared on Samsung France’s website.

There’s more than enough evidence at this point to be confident that the device not only exists but is also likely to launch soon.

• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE — October 2, 2020
• Samsung Galaxy S21 FE — January 11, 2022
• Samsung Galaxy S23 FE — October 26, 2023

It’s highly likely there will be a Galaxy S24 FE, but what’s harder to speak about is when we might see the handset. We previously covered a report claiming it could arrive as early as this summer. Time is ticking for this prediction, however, as we’re now deep in the back half of the season. There’s also been a conflicting report that claims it won’t be seen until late 2024 or even early 2025. A more recent leak suggests that the launch will happen in October, which would certainly fit with the company’s history.

As for markets where it will be available, the phone’s model number has been spotted in databases for a UK carrier and an Indian regulatory body, so it will probably show up in these countries. More likely than not, it should end up being sold everywhere that the S23 FE was available, including the US.

The whole point of the FE series is to take the features fans love from the latest generation flagship line and bring them down to a more affordable device. This obviously comes with a few downgrades so it can hit that more cost-friendly price. As such, the S24 FE will share similarities with the Galaxy S24, but it will also differ in some key ways. Let’s get into the rumors and leaks that tell us more about this budget phone.

Design

When it comes to the design of the FE series, Samsung doesn’t exactly try to blow anyone’s pants off. These handsets often just borrow the flagship’s design language and call it a day. For example, the S21 FE had the S21’s corner camera bump, but that protrusion disappeared with the S23 FE as it followed in the steps of the S23 series. The same is likely to be true with the Galaxy S24 FE.

A leak in June gave us our first look at what the S24 FE could look like. Based on the renders, we see a device that looks an awful lot like the S23 FE. This would make sense as the design didn’t really change much between the S23 series and the S24 series. This device also appears to have a three-rear-camera setup and comes in a light green colorway — slightly different from the Mint color we saw on last year’s model. We also learned from the leak that the handset could measure 162 x 77.3 x 8mm.

Around the same time this leak surfaced, a rumor about the available colorways emerged. While Samsung doesn’t really experiment with the design of the FE, it tends to be a little more adventurous with the colors. According to the rumor, the available colors could include yellow, light green, light blue, gray, and black. Samsung usually gives its colorways specific names, but these names are unknown for now. The FE from last year had two colors that were exclusive to Samsung’s store; it is unclear if that will be the case for 2024.

In what appears to be leaked promotional material (via Android Headlines), we get a few extra details about the design. Where the 2023 model had Gorilla Glass 5, it seems that the S24 FE will be protected by Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the front and back. The body of the phone may also be surrounded by what looks like an aluminum frame with a polished finish.

Elsewhere, it appears the device will boast a 6.7-inch FHD+ display that’s surrounded by a 1.99mm bezel. It seems as if the bezel won’t be taking up as much real estate as it has done in years prior. This screen reportedly supports a 120Hz refresh rate and has up to 1,900 nits of brightness.

Specs

There have been quite a few detailed leaks regarding the Galaxy S24 FE’s specs. One of the earliest leaks revolved around the camera array. Consistent with generations in the past, it will have three cameras in the back and a selfie camera in the front. This leak claims that the primary camera will be a 50MP ISOCELL GN3 1/1.57-inch sensor with 1.0μm pixels, the same sensor that can be found in the vanilla S24.

Meanwhile, a separate leak may have filled in the holes for the rest of the cameras. The S24 FE’s remaining two rear cameras are reportedly a 12MP ultrawide and an 8MP 3x optical zoom lens, while the selfie shooter might be 10MP. These details were further supported by a marketing render (below) from the Android Headlines leak mentioned earlier.

Under the hood, we expect it to have something like a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC or a comparable Exynos chip. There are early indications, however, that the Galaxy S24 FE might have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or an Exynos 2400 chip, depending on the region. This would mark a departure from the S23 FE, which utilized flagship chips that were a year old.

If it does come with an Exynos 2400 chip, the phone could end up getting a slightly tweaked variant chipset. It’s unclear if this was a typo, but both The Elec and Android Headlines say the handset runs on an Exynos 2400e processor.

Meanwhile, it’s rumored that the phone will be powered by a 4,565mAh battery, which a marketing render (below) claims allows up to 78 hours of audio and 29 hours of video. This would put the battery at just a smidge larger than the 4,500mAh battery in the S23 FE. At the same time, this would place the S24 FE comfortably between the S24’s 4,000mAh battery and the S24 Plus’s 4,900mAh battery.

Thanks to the phone’s appearance on the FCC, we also have a few confirmed details. According to the documents, the S24 FE has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, wireless charging, 5G support, and GNSS support. The phone’s batteries were also tested by a charging unit with the model number EP-TA800, which corresponds to Samsung’s 25W charging adapter.

Speaking of charging, the Galaxy S24 FE appeared in a TUV Rheinland listing. This filing revealed that the phone would indeed have 25W wired charging speeds. That means the phone has the same charging wattage as 2020’s Galaxy S20 FE.

Other

Samsung has made a serious investment into generative AI, with Galaxy AI being hoisted up as the star feature of its S24 series. It would not be a surprise if the S24 FE inherited various Galaxy AI features, such as Portrait Studio, Circle to Search, Generative Edit, and Live Translate. In terms of software, we expect the phone to be running on One UI 6.1.1, Samsung’s version of Android 14, out of the box. This is what we assume based on a 2024 launch. If the earlier rumor about a 2025 launch pans out, it could come with One UI 7 based on Android 15.

What might the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE price be?

• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE — $699
• Samsung Galaxy S21 FE — $699
• Samsung Galaxy S23 FE — $599

There have yet to be any credible leaks regarding the Galaxy S24 FE’s price. As a result, we can’t definitively say what the price will be for this year’s model. What we can do, however, is lean on the precedent set by earlier editions and offer a prediction.

Since the Galaxy S20 FE launched, the FE series has wavered between $599 to $699. It’s particularly notable that the phone that launched in 2023 saw a $100 decline in price compared to its predecessor. Will the S24 FE continue this trend and sell for $599 or will Samsung bring the price back up to $699 or higher?

It’s still too early to say, but it does seem like Samsung is going for a more premium device this time around with slimmer bezels, upgraded Gorilla Glass, and a larger display. Despite that, we believe it’s more likely the tech giant will stay the course and keep the price close to $599.

Considering we don’t know when the Galaxy S24 FE will arrive, we wouldn’t recommend waiting for it. If you’re a Samsung fan on a budget, you’ll likely be better off finding a deal on the Galaxy S24 ($859.99 at Amazon) right now. Since the phone is now getting old, you’ll be bound to find a few good deals. You could also potentially pick up the Galaxy S23 FE ($599.99 at Amazon), though you might want to wait as the S24 FE could likely have the same seven-year Samsung software policy as Samsung’s newest flagships.