Galaxy S24 • Unlocked vs Galaxy S24 FE • Unlocked

The Samsung Galaxy S24 (released January 2024) and the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE (released October 2024) are both Android smartphones from Samsung's popular Galaxy S series. While the S24 represents the core flagship experience in a compact form, the S24 FE, or 'Fan Edition,' offers a larger display and battery, often with slightly adjusted specifications to cater to a broader audience. Both devices run on the Android operating system with Samsung's One UI, providing a consistent software experience.

When considering the longevity of these devices, both the Galaxy S24 and S24 FE offer substantial software support and robust build quality, though with some distinctions.

• Release Timeline: The Galaxy S24 was released in January 2024, while the S24 FE followed in October 2024 [5]. This means the S24 FE will receive software updates for a slightly longer period, extending its practical lifespan by a few months.
• OS Support: Both models are committed to receiving up to seven years of Android OS and security updates, ensuring long-term usability and security through 2031 [5, 13]. This extended support aligns them with industry leaders in software longevity.
• Durability Features: The Galaxy S24 features Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for display protection and an Armor Aluminum frame, offering enhanced resistance to drops and scratches [2, 9]. The S24 FE utilizes Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, which is an older generation of protective glass, and also features an aluminum frame [9, 11, 13]. Both devices carry an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, providing protection against immersion in water [1, 9].

The performance of the Galaxy S24 and S24 FE varies primarily due to their internal processing units and battery configurations, impacting how they handle demanding tasks and daily usage.

• Processing Power: The Galaxy S24 is equipped with a current-generation processor, either the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy or the Exynos 2400 for Galaxy, depending on the region [2, 5]. This allows it to handle intensive applications, complex multitasking, and graphic-heavy gaming with high responsiveness. The S24 FE features an Exynos 2400e chipset, which is an underclocked variant of the Exynos 2400 [5, 10, 18]. While still capable of smooth performance for most daily tasks and many demanding apps, it may exhibit slightly less raw power compared to the S24's processor.
• Multitasking and Storage: Both phones come with 8GB of RAM, providing ample capacity for running multiple applications simultaneously without significant slowdowns [1, 3]. The Galaxy S24 offers storage options up to 512GB with UFS 4.0 technology, contributing to faster app loading and data transfer speeds [2]. The S24 FE is available with up to 256GB of storage [3].
• Battery Behavior: The Galaxy S24 has a 4000mAh battery, while the S24 FE features a larger 4700mAh battery [1, 3]. Despite the S24 FE's larger capacity, real-world battery life can be comparable, with some users reporting that the S24's efficient processor allows it to last a full day of moderate to heavy use [9, 14, 19]. The S24 FE also generally offers good battery life, often lasting through a full day [13, 17]. Both support 25W wired and 15W wireless charging [9].

The display experience on the Galaxy S24 and S24 FE offers vibrant visuals, but with notable differences in size, brightness, and protection.

• Display Technology and Size: Both devices feature AMOLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, providing smooth scrolling and vibrant colors [1, 3, 9]. The Galaxy S24 has a more compact 6.2-inch screen, while the S24 FE offers a larger 6.7-inch display, aligning it closer to the S24 Plus in screen real estate [9, 11, 13].
• Brightness and Clarity: The Galaxy S24 boasts a higher peak brightness of 2600 nits, making it highly visible even in bright outdoor conditions [2, 9]. The S24 FE reaches a peak brightness of 1900 nits, which is still bright for most environments but may be less legible under direct sunlight compared to the S24 [9, 18]. Both offer FHD+ resolution, ensuring sharp text and clear images [1, 3].
• Visual Experience: The S24 FE has noticeably thicker bezels around its display compared to the S24, which features slimmer bezels for a more immersive viewing experience [9, 23]. The S24 also benefits from Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the S24 FE uses Gorilla Glass Victus Plus for screen protection [9, 11].

Both the Galaxy S24 and S24 FE offer versatile camera systems, but the S24 generally provides a more refined imaging experience, particularly in specific areas.

• Rear Camera System: Both phones feature a triple-camera setup on the rear, including a 50MP main sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide lens [1, 3, 11]. The primary difference lies in the telephoto lens: the Galaxy S24 has a 10MP sensor with 3x optical zoom, while the S24 FE has an 8MP telephoto sensor, also with 3x optical zoom [1, 3, 11, 13].
• Photography Performance: The S24's camera system is noted for producing natural-looking colors and good dynamic range in well-lit conditions, with improvements in image processing over previous generations [19, 24]. While the S24 FE's cameras are generally good for everyday use, some reviews indicate that its colors can appear unrealistic and shadows washed out, and low-light performance is good but not exceptional [15, 17, 20].
• Front Camera and Video: The Galaxy S24 features a 12MP front camera with autofocus, contributing to sharp selfies [1, 24]. The S24 FE comes with a 10MP front camera, which some users find can overexpose bright areas and produce softer details [3, 11, 20]. Both devices are capable of 8K video recording at 30fps [18, 20]. The S24 also offers 4K 120fps slow-motion video recording [24].