Apple’s iPhone 16E and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE are both affordable alternatives to more expensive flagship devices. The $599 iPhone 16E is an entry-level version of the $799 iPhone 16 while the $650 Galaxy S24 FE is a cheaper version of the $700 Galaxy S24 and $800 Galaxy S25. Both handsets offer a similar pitch: premium features but without the premium price. Of course, with both options, you do give up a few bells and whistles in order to maintain that lower cost.
If you want to see whether these phones measure up to their pricier siblings, we’ll refer you to these two comparisons: the iPhone 16E vs the iPhone 16 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 vs the S24 FE. But if you want to see how these two budget rivals compare to each other, read on for more.
The iPhone 16E.
Design
Even at first glance, the two phones look completely different. The iPhone 16E has a notch at the top of the screen (the iPhone 16, on the other hand, has the newer Dynamic Island instead) while the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE just has a single dot for the front-facing camera. Both have an aluminium frame and a Gorilla glass display.
Speaking of the display, they’re pretty different on that front too. The iPhone 16E has a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. If it weren’t for the Dynamic Island, the iPhone 16E’s display would look nearly identical to the iPhone 16 at face value.
The Galaxy S24 FE, however, has a larger 6.7-inch screen with a more impressive 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S24 FE also has a higher peak brightness of 1,900 nits. It’s a bigger display than the 6.1-inch screen on the Galaxy S24, and could be a close comparison to the larger Galaxy S24 Plus.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
Like its pricier sibling, the iPhone 16E has Face ID for unlocking the device by looking straight at it. The Galaxy S24 FE, however, utilizes an optical fingerprint sensor for unlocking your phone. That sensor is slightly slower than what Samsung includes in the more-expensive Galaxy S24, but is functionally identical.
Color-wise, the iPhone 16E comes in just black and white, while the Galaxy S24 FE comes in blue, mint, gray and graphite.
The cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
Camera
The Galaxy S24 FE absolutely wins the camera round by providing substantially more options for photography. It has three rear camera lenses – a 50-megapixel wide lens, an ultrawide lens with a 12-megapixel sensor, plus a 3x telephoto lens with an 8-megapixel image sensor. The iPhone 16E, on the other hand, has just a single 48-megapixel camera on the back. To mitigate the lower camera count, the iPhone 16E utilizes sensor cropping to get 2x magnification for better shots.
Both phones use their processing power to help in a variety of situations, including a night mode for low light shots and portrait mode for when you want a bokeh effect.
As for front-facing cameras, the iPhone 16E has a 12-megapixel sensor — matching the iPhone 16 — while the Galaxy S24 FE has a 10-megapixel one that’s slightly downgraded from the Galaxy S24’s 12-megapixel selfie camera.
The iPhone 16E includes Apple Intelligence features, such as these text summaries.
AI features
The iPhone 16E supports Apple Intelligence, a feature that was previously only in higher-end iPhones like the 15 Pro and the iPhone 16 series. Apple Intelligence features are still rolling out, and so far include a Clean Up tool for removing objects from photos, writing tools for proofreading work and text summarization. An improved version of Siri is also set for a future update.
Samsung’s Galaxy AI is a showcase feature in the Galaxy S24 FE, and includes art-focused features like turning sketches into photos as well as expanding the frame of an image. Galaxy AI also includes text message translation, audio transcription and its own set of writing tools.
The Galaxy S24 FE includes Galaxy Ai features like Sketch to Image, where you can use drawings to remix how your photos look. In this photo, a fish gets added to the Dunkin cup using the feature.
Price
The iPhone 16E currently retails for $599 starting price while the Galaxy S24 FE starts at $650 (these prices are for their 128GB versions). However, the Galaxy S24 FE can sometimes be found for cheaper at Best Buy or Walmart. At the time of this writing for example, the 256GB Galaxy S24 FE is available from Walmart for around $565 (normally this would retail around $700).
Use the below chart to further compare the differences between the Apple phone and Samsung phone, and you can also check out our iPhone 16E review and the Galaxy S24 FE review for a deeper dive into each device.
Watch this: iPhone 16E Review
Apple iPhone 16E vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 FE
| Apple iPhone 16E | Samsung Galaxy S24 FE | |
|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate | 6.7-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 385 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 in. | 6.4 x 3 x 0.3 inches |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm | 162 x 77.3 x 8 mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 167g (5.88 oz.) | 213g (7.51 oz.) |
| Mobile software | iOS 18 | Android 14 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel (wide) | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 8-megapixel (3x telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 10-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 8K |
| Processor | Apple A18 | Samsung Exynos 2400e |
| RAM/Storage | RAM unknown + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 8GB + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Expandable storage | None | None |
| Battery/Charger | Up to 26 hours video playback, 21 hours streamed video playback, 90 hours of audio playback. 20W wired charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging | 4,700mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | None, Face ID | Under display |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None |
| Special features | Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistance | 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G; IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 6E |
| Price off-contract (USD) | $599 (128GB) | $650 (128GB), $719 (256GB) |
| Price (GBP) | £599 (128GB) | £649 (128GB), £699 (256GB) |
| Price (AUD) | AU$999 (128GB) | AU$1,099 (128GB), AU$1,199 (256GB) |
