Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S23 FE: Which should you buy?

The base Samsung Galaxy S24 is the most affordable member of the series, but it’s far from the cheapest Galaxy S model out there. The budget-oriented Galaxy S23 FE arrived back in October of 2023 at an unbeatably low price for a phone of its caliber. Which value pick is the better deal? Let’s jump in and take a closer look in our Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S23 FE comparison.

The Galaxy S23 FE is noticeably larger and thicker than the S24, measuring 158×76.5 mm with a thickness of 8.2mm, compared to the S24’s 147×70.6 mm and 7.6mm thickness. Because of its larger footprint, the S23 FE only features a slightly larger 6.4-inch display, whereas the S24 has a 6.2-inch screen. As seen in the images above, the main reason for the increase in body size is the larger bezels on the budget model. These larger bezels help reduce costs, which is a significant factor for a model priced around $200 less than its beefier Galaxy S family counterparts.

The Galaxy S23 FE isn’t an oversized phone, but it has a larger footprint than most phones with its screen size in the name of saving on costs. It also weighs considerably more than the Galaxy S24, coming in at 209g compared to the S24’s 168g. This weight difference is expected for a phone in this price range and is unlikely to be a major deal-breaker for many users.

The Galaxy S24 has a much more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, two full generations ahead of the Gen 1 model found in the S23 FE. It also has higher storage configurations available and a few other key changes, but most aren’t as big as you’d think — like the minor difference in display size. The battery on the S23 FE is also bigger, but it also has a less efficient SoC, so we suspect battery life won’t be too different. There is at least one hardware area with a bit more notable differences, which is the camera.

While the Galaxy S24 mostly utilizes the same camera as its predecessor, the FE has slightly different hardware here than its S23 siblings. While the S23 FE has the same main 50MP sensor as the S23 series, it downgrades the telephoto and selfie cameras to 8MP and 10MP, respectively.

Hardware isn’t the only area that sees improvement with the Samsung Galaxy S24. The software experience takes a big jump forward with the Galaxy S24. Firstly, Samsung has enhanced its software commitment for the Galaxy S24 to align with Google’s seven-year Pixel software policy, offering seven years of OS and security updates. In contrast, the Galaxy S23 FE sticks with Samsung’s previous policy, which provides four OS upgrades and five years of security patches.

More importantly, Samsung introduces Galaxy AI for the S24, offering new AI tools such as real-time live translations during calls, transcription assistance, a chat assistant to improve your messages, and more. It even includes a Note Assist function for summarizing and auto-formatting notes, along with a browsing assistant that translates text on the fly and offers potential security enhancements.

While some AI functions may require cloud-based processing, many features will be performed on the device itself, and users can choose whether to store data locally or not. We will delve deeper into these AI features in the future, but it appears that the S24 aims to deliver an AI experience similar to the Pixel 8. It’s also important to note some of these AI features will likely come to the Galaxy S23 FE in the future, though some of the AI features will remain exclusive to newer phones like the S24 family.

Samsung formally announced the Galaxy S24 on January 17, with pre-orders starting immediately. Sales kick off on January 31. Anyone who pre-orders the Galaxy S24 will be given a $100 discount and a free upgrade to the next highest storage tier, which represents a total savings of $220. The starting price for the Galaxy S24 is $799.99 for the 128GB model, with a more expensive 256GB variant available for $859.99.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, it was released in late October 2023, with a starting price of $599 for the 128GB version. Additionally, a higher-priced model is available at a $60 premium over the base model. The Galaxy S23 FE is currently available for purchase at most major online retailers.

There’s no denying that the Galaxy S24 represents a significant leap forward compared to the S23 FE in multiple aspects. The Samsung Galaxy S24 boasts a superior processor, introduces new AI features, offers higher storage options, features an improved camera, sports a more premium design with thinner bezels, and impressively, provides seven years of software support. If the price doesn’t matter, it makes more sense to get the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus ($1119.99 at Samsung) or Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1419.99 at Samsung). If price does matter, however, the Galaxy S23 FE is $200 cheaper than the S24 — and maybe more if you can find it on sale — and is a great phone overall.

So if your main concern is performance on a budget, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. It gives you a flagship-level performance without some of the extras you’d find on its more expensive flagships. What if you can’t afford to spend $800 or more but would still like some of the Galaxy S24’s new features like Galaxy AI? If you don’t mind moving outside of Samsung’s camp, the Google Pixel 8 ($699 at Amazon) retails for a hundred less and can often be found on sale for even less than the S23 FE’s retail price.

The Galaxy S23 FE is a solid phone that will provide long-lasting performance. That said, if you have the budget to spare an additional $200, we highly recommend opting for the Galaxy S24. You’ll benefit from significantly improved long-term software support, and the hardware is powerful enough to ensure many years of reliable usage.