Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE: Budget smartphone packed with AI functions

Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday unveiled the Galaxy S24 FE, the latest addition to its AI-enabled smartphones series, with which the South Korean tech giant aims to stay ahead of its rivals in the budget smartphone segment.

Samsung said the Galaxy S24 FE provides the full artificial intelligence capabilities and powerful performance of its high-end S24 series at affordable prices.

“We want everyone to enjoy all the benefits of our latest mobile innovations,” said Lee Sea-young, executive vice president and head of Samsung’s smartphone research and development team. “Galaxy AI opens so many new experiences for users, helping them communicate and be more creative and productive.”

The company said it introduced ProVisual Engine, an AI-driven camera engine, to the FE series for the first time to make it easy for anyone to shoot stunning photos and videos.

“ProVisual Engine features vastly improved technology that leverages advanced AI algorithms to deliver breathtaking detail and remarkably subtle textures,” it said.

Advanced camera features such as Nightography and Photo Assist reserved for the premium S series are available.

PERFECT GAMING ON THE GO

Samsung said the latest smartphone is the perfect device for gaming on the go with a 6.7-inch dynamic AMOLED 2X display – the largest display ever used in the FE series, with an up to 120 Hz refresh rate for a smooth and stunning viewing experience.

Equipped with a long-lasting 4,700mAh battery, the Galaxy S24 FE is powered by the Exynos 2400 series chipset.

A 1.1 times larger vapor chamber improves cooling to maintain peak performance for longer durations, it said.

Samsung said the Galaxy S24 FE incorporates the same advanced AI experience as the Galaxy S24 series by offering premium AI tools, including Circle to Search, and ecosystem connectivity to enhance communication, productivity and creativity.

PREMIUM AI TOOLS

The AI-enabled Circle to Search function, jointly developed with Google Inc., is one of the most notable features of the Galaxy S24 series. It enables users to find real-time information about a product or a person appearing on the Galaxy smartphone screen by drawing a circle around an image.

Other AI-enable functions such as Interpreter, Live Translate, Composer and Note Assist are available on the Galaxy S24 FE.

The company said the latest phone’s functions are protected by Samsung Knox, its multi-layer security platform.

Guaranteed seven generations of operating system (OS) upgrades and seven years of security updates, the Galaxy S24 FE comes in a packaging box made from 100% recycled paper material.

The Galaxy S24 FE comes in five colors – blue, graphite, gray, mint and yellow – and will be available for order starting Oct. 3.

CHINESE RIVALS

Samsung has been turning its budget A series phones into AI smartphones to fend off Chinese competitors such as China’s Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, which are increasingly encroaching on its turf in the low-cost phone segment in emerging markets.

Samsung aims to expand its Galaxy AI ecosystem by linking its smartphones, smartwatches and smart rings from the low-end to premium levels.

While unveiling the Galaxy S24, which Samsung calls “the world’s first AI phone," earlier this year, Samsung mobile chief TM Roh said the company aims to have at least 100 million of its flagship Galaxy smartphones equipped with a variety of AI features by the end of this year.

Roh later said Samsung is upping the ante by doubling its AI smartphone target to 200 million units by this year’s end.

As part of such efforts, Samsung in July unveiled two new foldable smartphones – the Galaxy Z Flip6 and the Galaxy Z Fold6 – replete with AI functions.

Write to Chae-Yeon Kim at why29@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.