Samsung unveils last-minute addition to its flagship Galaxy S24 phone range — at a much more affordable price

So, what's new inside the reimagined Fan Edition of the flagship Galaxy S24?

The Galaxy S24 FE comes equipped with a 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED touchscreen with an adaptive refresh rate that ranges from 60Hz to 120Hz. The latter should ensure system animations, like scrolling, appears buttery smooth and is perfect for fast-paced gameplay.

That palm-stretching screen size was reserved for the larger Galaxy S24+, with the standard Galaxy S24 sporting a more modest 6.2-inch screen. So, while there's no doubt the new Galaxy S24 FE packs more screen for your money, those who prefer a smaller smartphone might want to avoid this new model.

Under the bonnet, it's powered by Samsung's Exynos 2400e processor, which supports Ray Tracing — a lighting technique found on consoles like the Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X to generate realistic shadows and reflections in real-time during gaming performance.

Samsung has fitted an 11% larger vapour chamber to quickly cool down the internal components, so you can continue to push the 2400e chipset with intensive tasks — like video editing, gaming, and video calls — without overheating.

While it's not as powerful as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy found inside the rest of the flagship lineup, it is speedy enough to support Galaxy AI.

These AI capabilities can translate phone calls in real-time to make conversations with friends, family, and colleagues who speak another language seamless. A translated transcript will be provided at the end of the call within the phone app – no need for additional downloads.

Galaxy AI will also help to organise an over-stuffed Notes app, generating summaries and covers, so you can quickly find what you’re looking for when scrolling through the app. In messaging apps, Samsung’s new Chat Assist can advise on conversational tones to help you find the right phrase, whether you're sending a polite message to a new co-worker or an entertaining itinerary to a Bridesmaids group chat, for example.

When behind the wheel, AI will now summarise incoming messages and suggest relevant replies and actions – such as sending an updated ETA to a friend – so you won’t need to take your attention away from the road.

Samsung Galaxy S smartphones were the first to launch with Circle To Search, which lets you draw a circle around anything on-screen to search for additional details online. It works on everything from skylines in the background of an Instagram post, actors in a Netflix show, book covers, and much more.

This handy functionality, which has expanded beyond Samsung smartphones to Google Pixel and other Android handsets, is also available at launch on the more affordable Galaxy S24 FE.

AI-fuelled editing tools, like Generative Edit, which lets you remove unwanted objects from your photographs or use Generative AI to make adjustments with a quick written prompt — letting you add a boat to a snap of a river or a surfer on a nice seaside photo. Portrait Studio adds a swathe of creative selfie effects too.

When it comes to the camera, the Galaxy S24 FE is fitted with a 50MP main sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and an 8MP telephoto with 3x lossless optical zoom. On the front, you'll find a 10MP selfie camera that also handles all video calls.

Despite the larger 4,700mAh battery inside the Galaxy S24 FE, Samsung estimates that battery life will be worse than the standard Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, which has a comparable screen to power.

While the Galaxy S24 FE can endure up to 21-hours of web browsing via Wi-Fi, Samsung says the Galaxy S24 will last 25-hours doing the same activity, and the 6.7-inch Gaalxy S24+ can withstand 27-hours before it needs to be charged.

Galaxy S24 FE supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, so it shouldn't take long to refill the battery when it does come time to charge. Out of the box, the new entry into the Galaxy S24 lineup runs on Samsung's One UI 6.1, which is based on Android 14, and offers seven years of software updates.

Discussing the new launch, Annika Bizon, Director of Marketing for Samsung's MX Division, said: "We are committed to offering everyone the chance to experience the transformative power of Galaxy AI.

"Our new S24 FE underlines this commitment, giving more users the opportunity to enjoy a premium mobile experience, designed to unlock next-level creativity and enhance productivity. With a range of standout colours for customers to match to their individual styles, this is the perfect entry-level device into our Galaxy AI ecosystem."

Building on the progress made with the Galaxy S24 series launched at the beginning of the year, the Galaxy S24 FE uses recycled plastics, aluminium, glass, and rare earth elements in both internal and external components. The packaging is also made from 100% recycled paper material.

The Galaxy S24 FE is available in five colours: Blue, Graphite, Grey, Mint, and Yellow. Samsung offers two storage configurations, both ship with 8GB of RAM:

• 128GB | £649
• 256GB | £699

Samsung has opened preorders for the Galaxy S24 FE through its official UK website. Customers can secure their device ahead of the October 4 release date. As part of the preorder promotion, Samsung is offering a trade-in rebate of up to £350, potentially bringing the starting price down to £299.

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For a limited time, Samsung will bundle a Galaxy Watch smartwatch worth £199 with the Galaxy S24 FE too — a generous freebie that can be sold separately to recoup some of the costs of the handset, or used to track heart-rate, workouts, remotely trigger the camera shutter on the smartphone, control music playback, and more. Additionally, customers can get 20% off Galaxy Buds3 or Galaxy Buds3 Pro when bundled with the S24 FE.