It was around this time last year (October 2024) that Samsung finally unveiled the S24 FE. To be honest, after the not-so-interesting experience of the S23 FE, we were a little scared. That hot and noisy processor of the S23 FE, which could officially be used as a pocket heater during heavy use, had disappointed us all.
But Samsung said this one is different. It increased the screen from 6.4 inches to 6.7 inches, increased the battery from 4500 to 4700 mAh, and most importantly, threw that Exynos 2200 processor in the trash and put a new heart called the Exynos 2400e in the chest of this phone.
Now a whole year has passed since those days. This phone has sweated in our pockets, been mixed with keys and coins, dropped from our hands, received various updates, we spent hours on duty with it, and scrolled through Instagram. The main question is; Is the S24 FE we received on the first day still as attractive? Has its performance improved or declined?
In this long-term review, we want to see how this Fan Edition feels after a year. Join us in our long-term review of the Samsung S24 FE as we are going to slaughter this phone beautifully!
Long-term review of the design of the Samsung S24 FE
The phone felt good right from the moment we held it in our hands. Samsung did not skimp on the build quality; aluminum frame, glass back and front. This beautiful combination gave the feeling of a flagship phone. Of course, Samsung was a bit stingy and instead of the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 that was on the regular S24, it put Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on this phone.
So what about after a year? The truth is that it has held up very well. That premium feel has not faded. The aluminum frame is still solid and solid. We used the phone bare, and it got a few small scratches and scuffs on the frame, but that Victus Plus glass protector really did a good job and prevented deep scratches and scuffs. The IP68 certification is also good; we talked to it in the rain a few times, and it didn’t say a word.
But there were two things that were a little on my mind on the first day, and now, after a year of continuous use, they are more on my mind: weight and bezels. First of all, the weight. This phone weighs 213 grams. That means it’s even heavier than the S23 FE (at 209 grams). If you have delicate hands or are used to holding the phone a lot, this heavy weight will tire your wrists.
And what about the bezels! Samsung has made the screen 6.7 inches, and the bezels have also been reduced a lot compared to the S23 FE (which was 83 percent), reaching 88 percent. But it still has bezels! When you pick up a $340 phone, you don’t expect to see a black frame around the screen. Those bezels were annoying at first, but now, a year later, when we’ve seen newer phones with much smaller bezels, they’re even more annoying.
Samsung had to sacrifice weight and size to fit that 4,700mAh battery and 6.7-inch display into a premium (glass and metal) body. This phone was never a good-looking phone, and in the long run, the extra weight became a constant annoyance.)
Samsung S24 FE Display Long-Term Review
No matter what it does, Samsung doesn’t skimp on the display. It packs a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,900 nits of peak brightness. It was great the first day we turned it on, and it’s still great a year later.
The colors are vivid and amazing, the black depth is unmatched, and most importantly, the brightness is excellent in direct sunlight. This is a huge improvement over the S23 FE, which was a bit annoying in direct sunlight. In this year, when watching movies and when checking Instagram in the midday sun, this screen has always been a pleasure to the eye.
But one fear we always have with Samsung’s AMOLED panels is the story of burn-in, or the keyboard and status bar leaving marks on the screen. This problem was also reported in the S24 Ultra, and we were worried that the S24 FE would be like this too.
What’s the good news? We haven’t encountered any burn-in problems at all in this year of heavy use. There have been no specific reports of burn-in in external long-term reviews either. It seems that Samsung has paid attention to this one. So rest assured, its screen is as clear and crisp as the first day after a year. I just wish it didn’t have those beautiful bezels so this 6.7-inch panel could really show itself.
Samsung S24 FE Long-Term Battery Performance Review
Let’s get to where the S23 FE officially let us down, the battery. Samsung put a 4700mAh battery on the S24 FE, which is 200mAh more than the previous generation. This battery, along with that optimized processor (which we’ll get to later), was exactly what fans wanted. In normal use, this phone easily lasts a full day. This beautiful battery will save you from the stress of “my phone is going to turn off now.”
S24 FE Battery Health After a Year
Well, it’s natural for any battery to decline after a year of use. The battery management in the long term was very good and according to various reviews of several phones, the battery percentage drop was not that significant and was in the 5-6% range. Even still, with mixed use (web browsing, Instagram, a little gaming), this phone easily gives 5-6 hours of screen time. It also performs much better in gaming tests than the S23 FE.
Samsung S24 FE charging speed after a year (main and annoying weakness)
But let’s not forget that 25W charger. This charging speed was also annoying at first. It took about 1.5 hours (90 minutes) to fully charge this 4700mAh battery. This was slow on the first day, but now that a year has passed and the battery is a bit old and, worse yet, new competitors like the S25 FE have come to the market with a 45W charger, this 25W is more like a bitter joke.
This is not a simple technical weakness; it is an annoying marketing decision. Samsung deliberately kept this feature weak to differentiate between the S24 FE and the S24 Plus. This weakness was tolerable on the first day, but in the long term, it has become the main Achilles heel and the most annoying part of the user experience of this phone. Samsung has promised 7 years of updates, which means you’re going to have to put up with this slow charging speed for 7 years!
Samsung S24 FE camera long-term performance review
In the camera department, Samsung copied and pasted the exact same sensors as the S23 FE. That is; a 50-megapixel main (wide) lens, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and an 8-megapixel telephoto. The selfie camera is also 10-megapixel. Samsung claimed that with a more powerful processor (Exynos 2400e) and artificial intelligence capabilities (Galaxy AI), the photos will be better. Is that really the case?
Main camera (50-megapixel)
The 50-megapixel main lens is the star of this camera suite. It took great photos right from the start; good details, excellent dynamic range, and natural colors. After a year and a few software updates, the photo processing has improved a bit. In low light, it still gives clean photos with good details. In short, we were and are completely satisfied with the main lens this year.
Ultrawide and telephoto (attractive)
But let’s forget about those two auxiliary lenses. In the initial review, we also said that the 12-megapixel ultrawide lens is the Achilles heel of this phone. Its photos, especially in low light, are soft and lifeless. The 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom is just getting started. In daylight, its photos are good, but as soon as the light gets low or you try to take a portrait photo with zoom, the photos become extremely dull and noisy.
After a year, the updates have not been able to work miracles. The truth is that weak hardware cannot be saved with software. These two lenses do the trick, but they are not at all on par with a quasi-flagship phone.
Selfie camera (disappointing)
But the 10-megapixel selfie. In good light it works well and takes beautiful photos, but as soon as the light gets a little dim, the quality drops drastically. In video calls, the image quality drops drastically.
The story of the S24 FE camera is a story of Samsung’s austerity. Samsung spent all its hardware budget on the processor and sacrificed the camera. They recycled the S23 FE hardware and hoped that AI would pick up the slack. But after a year, it became clear that AI cannot replace good hardware. This weakness is even more noticeable now that the S25 FE comes with a 12-megapixel selfie camera.
Samsung S24 FE Hardware Review in the Long Term
Let’s get to the part that everyone was afraid of; the Exynos chip! Samsung screwed up with the Exynos 2200 in the S23 FE; not only did the phone get hot, but it was also weaker than its Snapdragon competitor in benchmarks. Samsung put an Exynos 2400e on the S24 FE. This was a slightly weakened version of the S24 Plus processor.
And the result after a year: this processor was great!
We can say with certainty: the S23 FE’s heating problem was completely solved. Samsung also put a larger cooling system inside the phone that did a great job. The phone only gets warm, not hot, during heavy use and gaming.
In benchmark tests, it also outperformed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (which was in the S23) right from the start. Even after a year, we didn’t see any performance drops, lags, or slowdowns in everyday use. The phone is still as fast and smooth as day one. This was the biggest salvation of the FE series.
Samsung S24 FE Software Review in the Long Term
This is where Samsung broke down. Samsung promised 7 years of software and security updates for the S24 FE. This means that this phone, which came with Android 14, is going to get updates until Android 21! This is a big promise and means that the S24 FE is a phone for long-term use. The Galaxy AI artificial intelligence was also there from the beginning and had a lot of cool features that came in handy for us in this year.
Everything was fine until the updates started. Our phone got the big One UI 7 update (based on Android 15). A massive 5.1 GB update that brought a lot of visual and security changes. But here a series of problems started. According to reports, after this update, their phone’s Wi-Fi kept disconnecting and reconnecting. Some others also reported that their phone’s touch became weak or that the phone got confused during the update and the update did not install at all.
We didn’t experience the Wi-Fi issue ourselves, but we did experience that touch bug a few times. It seems that the 7-year update promise has a hidden cost. Samsung has to update at a high rate, and this rate has caused the initial versions of major updates (like One UI 7) to be a bit buggy. So the software experience of this phone in the long run is a sinusoidal experience of getting new features and then waiting for a bug-fixing patch.
Samsung S24 FE Speaker Long-Term Review
The stereo speakers were mediocre at best. Our review showed that the volume was good, but at high volumes, the bass was lacking and the sound was a bit sharp. After a year, nothing special has happened to them. Neither better nor worse. Their quality has not decreased, but they are still as mediocre. It works and you can’t fault it.
Is the S24 FE still worth buying?
Well, friends, we lived with the S24 FE for a year. Let’s be honest; this phone was a salvation for the FE series. Samsung completely solved the catastrophic overheating problem and weak battery of the S23 FE. Its battery is great, its screen is as dull as ever, and the promise of 7 years of updates is now a thing of the past.
But in this year, its weaknesses have become more apparent. That 25W charger that was slow even at the beginning, now that it’s 2025, it’s officially on the nerves. That ultrawide and selfie lens that were recycled are also not going to be flagship-level with any update.
Now, should we buy this phone today? Look, the S24 FE is currently priced at around $340 in the market. If you have less money, buy the A56, which is a very good phone, but in terms of processing power (AnTuTu score of around 900 thousand versus 1.5 million for the S24 FE) and build quality, it doesn’t reach the S24 FE at all. If you’re a gamer, circle the A56.
But here’s the main problem; Samsung has released the S25 FE at a higher price. And guess what? The S25 FE has exactly fixed the weaknesses of the S24 FE; it has increased the charger to 45 watts, increased the selfie to 12 megapixels, and made the battery a little bigger (4900 mAh).
The S24 FE is not a bad phone; in fact, it’s a very good phone that has given us a lot of fun this year. It still makes sense to buy it at this price. If you want to buy an FE series phone and want to be comfortable with the charger and selfie and don’t have financial problems, pay a little more, but we recommend that you still go for the S24 FE while the price difference is there.