Since some years, Samsung got the habit of releasing a so called ‘FE’ model of their top range smartphones and tablets and now it’s finally time for the S24 FE, and it’s comes with a tempting price tag. But can it truly hold a candle against its big brother, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, when it comes to pure camera performance? I put both phones through different tests to find out if the FE is a true flagship killer or just a good budget option.
First Impressions
The S24 Ultra boasts a stronger camera setup, but the FE isn’t far behind. While the FE lacks the Ultra’s dedicated 5x telephoto lens, it still packs a respectable 3x optical zoom.
Zooming In
- Ultra-wide: Both phones deliver similar results, with the FE sometimes showing slightly more vibrant colors. Neither is great at night though.
- Main Lens: A very close performance again, with minor differences in sharpness and brightness.
- 3x Zoom: The S24 Ultra has more details and better color accuracy.
- 5x and Beyond: The Ultra’s dedicated telephoto lens is the clear winner, capturing significantly sharper images at higher zoom levels.
Low-Light Showdown
In challenging lighting, the Ultra consistently captures brighter and more detailed images, especially with the ultra-wide lens. The FE holds its own up to 3x zoom but struggles at higher zoom levels.
Portrait Perfection?
Both phones produce great portraits with good background separation.
Video Verdict
Both phones capture high-quality video, but the Ultra offers more flexibility. It allows for lens switching while recording in 4K 60fps, a feature missing on the FE. Both have a portrait video mode too, which will help create cinematic videos.
The FE’s Achilles’ Heel
While the FE impresses in many areas, its digital zoom beyond 3x simply can’t compete with the Ultra’s optical superiority. If you’re a zoom enthusiast, the Ultra is the clear winner.
Is the FE Worth It?
Absolutely! For everyday photography, the S24 FE delivers very good image quality at a significantly lower price. It’s a fantastic choice for budget-conscious users who don’t need extreme zoom capabilities.
Want to see the results for yourself? Check out my full video comparison here for detailed image samples and analysis. Don’t forget to subscribe for more smartphone camera showdowns!
A camera comparison like no other
Hello dear tech enthusiast and welcome to my camera comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Honor Magic 5 Pro. But this won’t be your average camera comparison. Follow me on a journey from Germany to Pakistan, where I put both devices in different scenarios to the test.
From Bremerhaven to Dubai
My journey started in Bremerhaven. I took the train to Hamburg to catch my flight with Emirates to Dubai. In the air I got some snaps and watched a movie while rather not enjoying the on-flight meal. My arrival in Dubai brought a 5 hours layover with it and I took the chance to take a few more pictures with the Magic 5 Pro and the S23 Ultra.
Honor Magic 5 Pro vs S23 Ultra in Pakistan!
After arriving in Faisalabad and resting in a hotel, it was time for me to participate in a wedding. The coming days were filled with wedding-related stuff, but I took both phones to the test whenever I had the chance.
A personal highlight was my trip through the bazar at the clock tower of Faisalabad, one of the most popular areas of the city. I was able to capture some good comparison material here and later that night, I took the phones outside for a low-light comparison.
It was a short but memorable trip. I hope this video was enjoyable for all of you. Make sure to check my other camera comparison out, for example the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs the Huawei Mate 50 Pro.
As I mentioned in my Tutorial about capturing star trials with the hyperlapse mode of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (which can be found here), I just love the night sky. At least as long as the stars are visible and the weather allows me gazing at the stars.
Let me show you how you can easily capture beautiful pictures of the lovely night sky with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Using a tripod is highly recommended, but leaning your phone unto something is possible too.
- Open the camera app and navigate to Experte Raw under “more”
- Activate “Astrophoto” in the top right corner
- Click on “show” for the sky guide, to see which constellations are above you
- Choose the duration between 4, 7 and 10 minutes
- Take a picture and wait for your result
And there you you have it.
Do you love taking pictures of the night sky? Feel free to share your experience and captures, weather it was done with the S23 Ultra Astrophotography mode or any other device. I would love to see what you all create. In the end, these devices are here for us to get creative and share what we create.
Have fun capturing the night!
Get your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra here!
It’s time for my second big camera comparison test. This time it’s between the new star from Samsung, the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, which sports a stunning camera system overall. I tried to pour in way more than I did with my comparison between the Mate 50 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro, which you can find here.
My first video was around the 5 minute mark, this one here is now 4-times that size. I tried to compare both phones in different scenarios and to do a better job editing the video. I hope you like it.
First of all, I do believe that both phones are capable to produce great images at day. It might come down to personal preference here, but overall, both phones managed to do really well at day. I preferred the Portraits of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra a bit more.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro king of the night?
When it comes to the night mode, the Huawei seems to be doing a better job, using the main lens. The pictures have a hight dynamic range, just look way more vibrant and have more details. As soon as you switch the lens, the S23 Ultra comes out on top for me, be it ultra wide or any of the zoom lenses.
Video mode has a clear winner
Looking at the video recording capabilities of both phones, the Samsung is the clear winner. The phone isn’t just capturing the clearer video, but it is also has way better stability than the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, and that without “Super Steady” activated.
Unlike with photos, the Mate 50 Pro is especially struggling at night when it comes to videos. The videos aren’t just shakier, they suffer under the so called “jelly effect”. While also present on the footage taken with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it is way more prominent on the Mate 50 Pro.
If you want to buy either phone, feel free to use my affiliate links:
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
As I mentioned in my video, you can download the pictures in full quality here.
So you just got a new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and want to protect your shiny new toy? I always think it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to saving your phone. I tried out the Caseology Athlex and Nano Pop. Both cases offer a great level of protection, judging by the feel and and material used on these cases.
The Athlex is designed with athleisure in mind, Athlex is here to look effortlessly cool while staying comfy and offers two layers for optimum protection. On the other hand, the Nano Pop case has a slender and smooth design featuring a sturdy polycarbonate exterior and a soft TPU interior for enhanced protection.
While the feel of both cases differs, the level of protection seems to be about the same. Both sport an outer protection layer as well as an intern.
What I really like about these case is the fact that they completely protect the are around the camera. I know of cases where the full camera area is unprotected. Besides that, all cutouts are flawless. The speaker, charging port and S-Pen are easily accessible. The buttons give a better fell on the Athlex for me, they just feel better to click. But I think that comes down to personal preference in the end.
I myself am a fan of the more “rough” feel of the Athlex and sticked with it, just like I did with the Pixel 7 Pro variant.
You can buy the cases here:
Check out my unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra here
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsungs newest flagship phone. The unboxing experience is really unspectacular, as it is with most phones nowadays. I got the cream color variant, boosting 512GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. The biggest change for most users in the world will be the fact, that Samsung finally abandoned their homebuilt Exynos processor and thankfully integrated the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in all devices worldwide.
As it seems to be common nowadays, the unboxing experience is a plain as they come. The box contains the phone, a sim ejector tool and a USB C to C cable. No charger, because the environment will be saved this way. Or so they say.
But you are here for the phone anyway. If you want to protect your phone, you might want to take a look at the Caseology Athlex or Nano Pop here.
If you are interested in purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, you can get it by clicking here. Every purchase through these affiliate links will help me and won’t hurt me, so thanks!
If you want to check how the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra camera fares against the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, give it a look here.
