Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S24 FE this week, alongside two premium tablets. Meanwhile, Xiaomi launched a pair of 14T phones. Let’s take a closer look at the newcomers.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE starts at £650 and receives 7 OS updates and 7 years of security patches. Will a device with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage still be usable in 7 years? Who knows, Android may not be as slim as it once was and may not be getting any slimmer. Not all apps either.
The Samsung Galaxy S24+ also has a 6.7-inch display, but it’s a QHD+ LTPO panel versus an FHD+ non-LTPO display on the FE. And the Plus is actually a bit smaller and 17 grams lighter, despite having a battery that’s 200 mAh larger. The Plus also wins the charging race with 45W over a wire versus 25W. Instead of the Exynos 2400e, you get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and it comes with 12 GB of RAM.
The Xiaomi 14T Pro costs the same as the Galaxy S24 FE if you look at the 256GB versions. The 14T Pro is powered by the same Dimensity 9300+ chip that Samsung uses in its Galaxy Tab S10 premium tablet and is paired with 12GB of RAM. The camera is quite impressive, certainly more so than the S24 FE. It has a 50 MP main sensor (1/1.31 inch), 50 MP 60mm telephoto and 12 MP ultra-wide angle. The phone has a curved 6.67-inch 1220p+ display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 12-bit color. The 5,000 mAh battery charges at 120W via USB-C (nearly 5x faster than the S24 FE’s 25W charging speed) and there’s even 50W wireless charging available.
The Xiaomi 14T is the cheaper option. You get the same screen, but a slower Dimensity 8300 Ultra chip. You also lose some camera specifications, for example the 50 MP main lens has a slightly smaller sensor (1/1.56″) and the 50 MP telephoto lens has a shorter 50 mm lens. Finally, the 5,000mAh battery only supports 67W wired charging. Note that Prime and Prime Student members can get 14% off the 14T and 14T Pro, so prices could be £516 and £602 respectively.
Xiaomi 14T
14% discount for Prime and Prime Student members
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ and Tab S10 Ultra are 12.4 inches and 14.6 inches respectively, both with the Dimensity 9300+. This chip has an 18% faster CPU, 28% faster GPU and 14% faster NPU compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Tab S9 series. The rest of the hardware hasn’t really changed much, but unfortunately the Galaxy Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra offerings seem to have disappeared.
You can buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ for half the price of a Tab S10+. It also has a 12.4-inch screen, but it’s a 90Hz IPS LCD instead of the 120Hz OLED. And the Exynos 1380 chipset is noticeably slower. But if you don’t need heavy processing power, this could be better value for money.
Huawei recently launched the Watch GT 5 and Watch GT 5 Pro. The vanilla model is quite cheap – the 41mm and 46mm versions cost the same – but it’s a beautiful watch with a stainless steel case (5ATM rated) and great battery life (up to 7-9 days depending on size and the use).
The Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro costs £100 more, but switches to a titanium alloy frame and ceramic back. It is suitable for freediving up to 40 meters and has a depth tracker. It also has an IP69K rating for resistance to hot water jets. The Pro also features trail running navigation and golf maps. Moreover, it has a built-in ECG sensor.
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