By now you probably have read or watched countless reviews of Samsung’s latest device in their 2024 S-range phones, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. While Samsung may refer the ‘FE’ as ‘Fan Edition’, two weeks of fiddling about with the device, calling it the ‘Fun Edition’ seems to be much more apt.

Now we won’t want to delve too deep with the tech specs, bore you with the technobabble and pixel-peeping discourse. We let them boffins with too much time in their hands to do that. What we are in it for you today is to share how it feels to have the S24 FE as a daily driver; getting our work done while on the go, media consumption and most importantly, gaming on it.

Fandom

In our review of last year’s FE model, the S23 FE, we called the experience with the device akin to flying on a ‘Premium Economy’ seat. Foregoing some life comforts such as free-flow champagne while still experiencing an above-average experience. This year’s device is pretty much the same but a definite step above. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill ‘Premium Economy’. This is Air Nippon levels of Premium Economy.

Sturdy slabs of Gorilla Glass Victus+ sandwiches a brushed aluminium frame which protects the innards. In hand, the S24 FE feels premium. In fact, save for the most discerning of users out there, a majority of us won’t be able to tell the device apart from its more illustrious siblings or even its competitors. While we aren’t sure why Samsung is blurring the line between its premium flagship models with the more affordable one, we sure are happy for consumers who are definitely getting a good bang for their buck.

With a 6.7-inch screen, the S24 FE is larger than the S23 FE, and is on par with the S24+. Although it feels tough, we still recommend slapping on a case to avoid unwanted scratches. We always complained about glass backs on mobile phones but have a newfound appreciation of it with the S24 FE. More on that in a bit.

Like in all Samsung devices released this year, the phone comes packaged with Samsung A.I including text summary assistance, translations and image generation. Many consumers tend to underutilize these tools but once mastered, are super useful in one’s daily activities or simply a fun party trick with family photos and portraits. Speaking of portraits, the camera module on the S24 FE is almost identical to what’s found on the S24+, making it undiscernible for those who mostly point-and-shoot and leave their camera on ‘Automatic’ mode. Camera nuts would have a decent time fiddling with the S24 FE camera settings, don’t get us wrong but we are pretty sure anyone serious with smartphone photography would have already gravitated to the big boy, the S24 Ultra from the start.

As a media consumption and gaming phone, the S24 FE ticks all the right boxes and then some. The screen is now wider than last year’s S23 FE allowing more real estate for your thumbs to travel about. The bezels appear to be noticeably thinner too. While this comes at a cost, with this year’s version being slightly heftier than the model it is replacing, the increase in weight is negligible.

Games run very well even on high graphics settings and should you be in the hunt for a gaming-dedicated device with some extra ringgits to spare, you’d be wise to consider getting the S24 FE. Gone are the days of lowering graphics quality in the hunt for a higher frame rate, especially for budding esports athletes and content creators. The S24 FE will last you more than a day thanks to its beefed-up battery, from 4,500mAh to 4,700mAh allowing prolonged gaming marathons. The only downside we see is the relatively slugging charging speed, capped at 25W wired. On the bright side, Samsung claims that you’ll be able to hit 50% battery capacity in 30 minutes.

And doubling back on what we said earlier about glass backs on smartphones – while they are still fingerprints magnet, the grip from the glass surface makes handling the device in landscape mode much easier. Of course this is negated once you slap a case on but we feel it’s worth mentioning as some prefer gaming sans phone case. The rounded edges all around the S24 FE also make it much more comfortable to handle – while and in-between gaming sessions and although the device do get warm over a period of time, it is still much more tolerable compared to its contemporaries.

It is hard to find the negatives on the S24 FE but we cannot point this out – Samsung’s unboxing experience remains tepid. Basic as basic goes, you still won’t get a charging block with the box nor a case – items that devices selling for much less usually come standard with. Another point of contention is the ability to expand the phone’s storage. Come on Samsung. Bring back the memory card slot.

In a nutshell, gaming should not be an expensive hobby with numerous entry-level devices in the market. But should one is looking to upgrade their device to the next level and at that, improve their gaming experience several folds over, the S24 FE is rightfully so a prime candidate.

From ‘Fan’ to ‘Fun’ Edition

Samsung’s FE – or ‘Fan Edition’ – devices have always been seen as the watered-down version of the current flagship. However, with the S24 FE, the ‘Fan’ becomes ‘Fun’. Marked improvements all around when compared to its predecessor turn this device from an afterthought to a solid pick in its own right. Mobile gamers should be wise to keep the S24 FE on their radar, especially with numerous deals on the Samsung website. 

Pros

• Overall improvements from the S23 FE
• Impressive build quality
• Flagship package in a mid-tier price bracket
• Indiscernible performance from mainline S-series devices (S24 / S24+)

Cons

• Very lean unboxing experience
• No expandable memory option.

Final Score: 80/100

Vital Statistics

Platform: Android 14, One UI 6.1
Body: 162 x 77.3 x 8 mm (6.38 x 3.04 x 0.31 in)~213g
Frame: Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame with IP68 water resistant
Chipset: Exynos 2400e (4 nm)
CPU: 10-core (1×3.1 GHz + 2×2.9 GHz + 3×2.6 GHz + 4×1.95 GHz)
GPU: Xclipse 940
Display: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1900 nits (peak) – 6.7-inch. 
Memory (Internal): 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM
Main Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide); 8 MP, f/2.4, 75mm (telephoto) 3x Optical Zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123? (ultrawide); Front- 10 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide)
Video: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@960fps
Sound: Stereo speakers, no jacks given
Battery: Li-Ion 4700 mAh, non-removable

Starting from RM2,999 for the 256GB model, the 512GB model is also available from RM3,599. Check out for the best deals here at Samsung’s website. A review unit of the Samsung S24 FE was sent to us for review. For more details and best deals for the phone, head over to Samsung Malaysia’s official website.