Galaxy S24 FE • Unlocked vs iPhone SE (2022) • Locked Verizon

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, released in October 2024, and the iPhone SE 2022, launched in March 2022, represent distinct approaches to smartphone design and functionality. While both devices offer robust performance within their respective operating systems, Android 14 for the S24 FE and iOS for the iPhone SE, they cater to different user preferences, primarily differing in display technology, camera versatility, and physical form factor.

When considering the long-term usability of these devices, both the Galaxy S24 FE and the iPhone SE 2022 offer substantial software support, contributing to a practical lifespan that extends beyond their initial purchase. The duration of software updates and the physical resilience of each model play a significant role in their overall longevity.

• Software Support: The Galaxy S24 FE benefits from Samsung's commitment to providing seven years of operating system updates, ensuring it remains current with the latest Android features and security enhancements for an extended period. The iPhone SE 2022, while older, also receives prolonged iOS updates, typically for six to seven years from its release, maintaining its functionality and security over time.
• Physical Durability: The Galaxy S24 FE features an IP68 rating, indicating strong resistance to dust and water immersion. Its construction utilizes glass and aluminum, contributing to a solid feel. The iPhone SE 2022 carries an IP67 rating, offering good dust and water resistance, and incorporates ion-strengthened glass for screen protection.
• Practical Lifespan: Users can expect both devices to perform reliably for several years. The S24 FE's newer release date and extended update policy might offer a slight edge in terms of future-proofing, while the iPhone SE's compact design and Apple's consistent software support ensure its relevance for users who prefer its form factor.

Both the Galaxy S24 FE and the iPhone SE 2022 are equipped with capable internal components designed to handle daily tasks and more demanding applications efficiently. Their performance characteristics are tailored to their respective ecosystems, providing smooth user experiences.

• Processing Power: The Galaxy S24 FE is powered by a recent-generation processor, enabling it to manage demanding applications, multitasking, and graphic-intensive games with fluidity. Users often describe its performance as flagship-grade, with quick app loading times. The iPhone SE 2022 features a powerful chip that ensures responsive navigation and efficient handling of iOS applications, even with its earlier release.
• Multitasking and Responsiveness: The Galaxy S24 FE, with its ample RAM, allows for seamless switching between multiple applications without noticeable slowdowns. The iPhone SE 2022 also provides a smooth multitasking experience, benefiting from iOS's optimization for its hardware.
• Storage Options: The Galaxy S24 FE offers various storage configurations, including 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, providing flexibility for users with different storage needs. The iPhone SE 2022 is available with 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of internal storage.

The visual experience on these two smartphones presents a significant contrast, primarily due to differences in display technology, size, and refresh rate, which impact everything from casual browsing to media consumption.

• Display Technology and Clarity: The Galaxy S24 FE features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, offering vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast. Its FHD+ resolution ensures sharp and detailed visuals. In contrast, the iPhone SE 2022 utilizes a 4.7-inch Retina IPS LCD, which provides accurate color reproduction and good viewing angles, though it does not achieve the same level of contrast as an OLED panel.
• Brightness and Outdoor Visibility: The S24 FE's display can reach a peak brightness of 1900 nits, which contributes to good visibility even in bright outdoor conditions, although real-world testing showed it reaching around 659 nits under ambient light. The iPhone SE 2022 has a maximum brightness of 625 nits, which is adequate for most indoor and outdoor scenarios but may struggle more in direct sunlight compared to the S24 FE.
• Refresh Rate and Smoothness: The Galaxy S24 FE boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in noticeably smoother scrolling and more fluid animations, enhancing the overall interactive experience. The iPhone SE 2022 maintains a standard 60Hz refresh rate, which is perfectly functional but does not offer the same level of visual smoothness.

The camera systems on the Galaxy S24 FE and the iPhone SE 2022 offer different capabilities and versatility, catering to varying photography needs, from casual snapshots to more advanced creative endeavors.

• Rear Camera System: The Galaxy S24 FE is equipped with a versatile triple-camera setup on the rear, including a 50-megapixel wide-angle lens with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS. This configuration allows for a wide range of photographic styles, from expansive landscapes to detailed close-ups of distant subjects. The iPhone SE 2022 features a single 12-megapixel wide-angle camera with OIS. While it excels in capturing clear and vibrant images in good lighting, its single lens limits its versatility compared to the S24 FE's multi-lens system.
• Photography Features and Low Light: The S24 FE delivers good daylight photos with decent dynamic range and offers features like 8K video recording. Its telephoto lens performs well at 3x optical zoom, though the ultrawide can sometimes produce softer images. The iPhone SE 2022 benefits from computational photography features like Smart HDR 4 and Deep Fusion, which enhance image quality and detail, and it supports Portrait mode for human subjects. However, a notable difference is the absence of a dedicated Night Mode on the iPhone SE, which can result in less detailed and noisier photos in very low-light conditions.
• Front Camera and Video Quality: For selfies, the Galaxy S24 FE has a 10-megapixel front camera, capable of capturing detailed self-portraits and 4K video. The iPhone SE 2022 features a 7-megapixel front camera, which provides good quality for video calls and selfies, supporting 1080p video recording. Both devices offer capable video recording, with the S24 FE supporting up to 8K at 30fps and the iPhone SE up to 4K at 60fps.