Samsung has just announced the Galaxy S24 FE smartphone alongside the Galaxy Tab S10 series of tablets. However, if you’re considering buying one, I have important news for you.
As we noted in our Galaxy S23 FE review, the timing of the FE (‘fan edition’ by the way) is pretty awkward. It comes many months after the flagship range of the same name and that’s a big problem.
In a nutshell, the issue is price drops.
Samsung has launched the S24 FE with a starting price of £649 (or £699 to double storage to 256GB).
That might be cheaper than the base models in the iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9 ranges – although not by much – but comparing it to Samsung’s own phones means there’s little reason to buy the latest FE.
Samsung
Get the regular S24
It doesn’t take long for tech to start receiving price cuts at major retailers – even if the price is still the same on official stores – and with the S24 range arriving back in January you can get a bargain now.
Head over to Amazon and you can buy the excellent Galaxy S24 for as little as £510 at the time of writing. Or £659 in the 256GB capacity which is only just more than the cheapest S24 FE.
Hannah Cowton-Barnes / Foundry
Or the similarly big screen S24+
Granted, the Galaxy S24 FE has a larger screen than the regular S24 at 6.7-inch compared to 6.2-inch as well as a bigger battery at 4700mAh.
Hannah Cowton-Barnes / Foundry
How about last year’s S23 FE
Another alternative would be to buy last year’s Galaxy S23 FE, especially when you look at how much it costs now. Only £378 on Amazon at the time of writing.
It is worth noting that while not a whole lot has changed compared to its predecessor, the S24 FE gets the same seven-year software support as the other S24 phones which is a lot better than the four years of the S23 FE.
Hannah Cowton-Barnes / Foundry
Can I tempt you with a Xiaomi?
Another spanner in Samsung’s works is a phone Xiaomi announced less than two hours ago. The Xiaomi 14T Pro starts at the same £649 as the S24 FE but has some seriously impressive specs. And is available from Amazon for £599.
It’s got a flagship-level Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ processor, an impressive 6.67-inch 144Hz OLED display, a potent Leica-branded triple camera system, and rapid 120/50W (wired/wireless) charging support.
There are downsides when comparing the software but if it’s high-end hardware you are after then it’s a solid option and you can read more in our full Xiaomi 14T Pro review.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
In the US?
If you’re in the US, the Xiaomi 14T Pro isn’t an option. I don’t have US pricing for the S24 FE but if rumours are true then it will cost $650 or $710 for the 128- and 256GB options.
In that case, you could grab the S24 or S23 FE for $699 and $599 (256GB) respectively from Amazon.
