On the surface, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE looks like a reasonably good “almost-flagship” smartphone. After all, it is essentially a more affordable version of the Galaxy S24+ with a similarly sized 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and a slightly underclocked Samsung Exynos 2400e chipset.

But in my opinion, the real highlight of the Galaxy S24 FE is its software. Not only does it come with the suite of Galaxy AI features, Samsung also promises seven years of software and security updates for the S24 FE, matching the software support of the Korean company’s flagship devices. This alone makes the phone worth considering over its competition, even though it does have its fair share of shortcomings.

What It Is

On paper, the Galaxy S24 FE has a mix of flagship-class and mid-range hardware. The Exynos 2400e is comfortably a high-end chip – even if it’s marginally underclocked compared to the regular Exynos 2400 – and it still has a bright and vibrant Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 60/120Hz adaptive refresh rate, though the resolution is not quite as sharp at Full HD+.

More importantly, the S24 FE has a lower starting price of RM3,299 compared to the S24+, which retails from RM4,899. Given that you’re not sacrificing a lot for a much more affordable device, the FE is certainly a compelling option for more budget-conscious buyers who still want solid software experience. Oh, the S24 FE still has an IP68 rating too, allowing it to be submerged up to 1.5m underwater for 30 minutes.

The Good Stuff

Let’s start with my personal favourite aspect of the Galaxy S24 FE: software. Just like its higher-end siblings, the FE comes with Samsung’s slew of Galaxy AI features. From AI photo editing to quickly looking up anything on my screen with Circle to Search, the S24 FE can do it all. Of course, the Interpreter app, which can translate a conversation in real time, remains my favourite Galaxy AI feature.

And then there is Samsung’s promise of providing software and security updates to the Galaxy S24 FE for seven years. This level of software support is only offered by a handful of brands – namely Samsung and Google – which puts the S24 FE heads and shoulders above its competition, especially at this price point. It cannot be overstated that good software support in the long-term is very important for anyone who is shopping for a new phone in this day and age.

When it comes to performance, the S24 FE is no slouch. Despite the fact that the Exynos 2400e is slightly underclocked compared to the standard Exynos 2400 found in the higher-end Galaxy S24+, it can still provide a good amount of processing power. Whether I’m juggling between different apps or playing demanding mobile games – though it’s worth mentioning that Zenless Zone Zero has a tendency to crash on the S24 FE – the phone remains fast and responsive.

Samsung makes some of the best displays in the market, and even though the Galaxy S24 FE isn’t a top-of-the-line phone, it still comes with a high quality screen. The 6.7-inch 2340 x 1080 Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel offers punchy colours with wide viewing angles, and this being an AMOLED display, it has deep, true blacks as well.

Last but not least is the camera performance of the Galaxy S24 FE, which is reasonably good. The triple camera system is made up of a 50MP main shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, and an 8MP telephoto lens. Collectively, all three sensors feel quite capable, though the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras do struggle a bit in low light conditions.

Nonetheless, there’s no denying that I can still capture some great-looking shots with the S24 FE. Judge for yourself with these sample shots:

Overall, I enjoyed using the Galaxy S24 FE as my daily driver, and the user experience is close to that of a flagship smartphone. However, there are some key areas where the phone could be better; I’ll elaborate more in the next section.

The Bad Stuff

Unlike the main Galaxy S24 phones, the S24 FE has a glossy glass back, so it feels a tad too slick for my liking. The slippery back panel makes it rather difficult to get a secure grip on the phone, though I can just slap on a case to make it easier to handle in everyday use.

And then there’s the battery life of the S24 FE. On average, I can get between five to six hours of screen on time before the battery is out of juice. Now, this is not exactly a bad figure, but given that I didn’t even do much gaming on this phone – again, it can’t run Zenless Zone Zero without crashing for some reason – I expected it to last longer on a single charge.

Is It Worth It?

At the end of the day, the robust software support of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and good hardware make it a very easy phone to recommend. This is especially so in the current smartphone market where most phone makers can’t even provide half of what Samsung is promising in software support.

It also helps that the Galaxy S24 FE sits at a relatively affordable price point. If you know where to look, you can easily get it below the RM3,299 starting price too. In fact, at the time of writing, the 256GB base model can be purchased for only RM2,189 on Shopee – that’s over RM1,000 less than the launch price, which is an excellent deal for a smartphone of this calibre.