Key Takeaways
- Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S24 FE appeared in a newly leaked promotional video.
- It’ll come in several colors, use Samsung’s new Exynos 2400e chipset, and feature a larger, brighter display than last year.
- The Galaxy S24 FE is rumored to cost $650, which could make it a difficult buy next to discounted Galaxy S24+ models.
If leaks are to be believed, the Galaxy S24 FE is just days away from an official unveiling. It remains to be seen whether Samsung’s latest budget flagship offering will bring back the glory days of the Galaxy S20 FE — what a bargain that phone was — or something more in line with the relative disappointments of that device’s successors. After a price leak over the weekend that seemingly points to a more expensive experience, we’re getting our first glimpse at some official marketing materials thanks to a new leak.
Today’s official unboxing comes from Evan Blass, otherwise known as Evleaks, who shared this leaked video on his (private) Twitter account earlier today. While this 85-second promotional reel doesn’t give away everything about the Galaxy S24 FE — specs are kept to a minimum, and there’s no sign of an official price tag — there’s still plenty to learn about Samsung’s new phone. And, perhaps more importantly, we’re getting a good idea of how the Korean smartphone giant wants to market this particular device.
Let’s take this video (YouTube copy here) step-by-step. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S24 FE looks a lot like the rest of Samsung’s non-Ultra models, though with some new colors to choose from. Blue, Graphite, Gray, Mint, and Yellow are all familiar hues from Samsung’s clamshell lineup, and they’re here on the new FE. In addition to showcasing the colors on the box, this video also details what you’ll find inside, and frankly, it’s not much. The usual assortment of paperwork, a SIM tool, and a charging cable proves you aren’t getting much else for your (rumored) $650, but then again, the $1,900 Galaxy Z Fold 6 doesn’t include any additional accessories either, so no big shock.
Some glamor shots of the overall design reveal Samsung has swapped to a stock silver aluminum frame around the edge, rather than sticking with the matching color bands like on the standard Galaxy S24 and S24+. The display’s been upgraded to a brighter 17cm FHD+ — that’s roughly 6.7-inches, for my fellow Americans — a big upgrade from the 6.4-inch panel used on the Galaxy S23 FE. Samsung claims its camera system is the most powerful yet on an FE-branded phone, though considering last year’s camera left us unimpressed, it’s not a hard bar to clear.
The video isn’t particularly specific on specs, though it does call out a “hyper-realistic gaming experience” thanks to the Exynos 2400e chipset powering the device. Ignoring that the “realistic” gaming Samsung is highlighting here includes a dragon — big Genji vibes here, guys — that does seem to back up what we’d already heard about this phone’s performance. The Exynos 2400e is rumored to be an underclocked variant of the standard Exynos 2400 that should represent a big step up from the Exynos 2200 used last year.
The specs we do learn are pretty solid, though — at least on paper. 1,900 nits of peak brightness might not be impressive in the flagship world, but for this price, it’s solid. The same goes for the 4,700mAh battery, a big upgrade over last year’s phone.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this video is just how little attention is given to Galaxy AI. Despite delivering a decent summary of the Galaxy S24 FE’s marquee features, Samsung’s much-hyped suite of AI tools doesn’t get a mention until the very end with a simple “Galaxy AI is here” tagline. This was a huge aspect of both its Galaxy S24 and Galaxy Z-series lineups this year, and considering the (relatively) lower cost of entry with the FE-series, I’m shocked it didn’t get more of a mention.
Really, the big question mark around the Galaxy S24 FE is, once again, if it needs to exist. It’s like a cheaper take on the Galaxy S24+, but considering that phone is heavily discounted on carrier plans — $8.33 per month on T-Mobile, $5 per month on Verizon, free on AT&T — it’s unclear who, exactly, this is for. Either way, keep an eye out for a launch coming as soon as this week; September 26th is the rumored announcement date.
