It wasn't long ago when midrange phones were plastic, lagging disasters with little to no software support. The Galaxy S20 FE cut through that. While it wasn't a midrange phone at $700, it proved you didn't have to spend over $1,000 to get a worthwhile smartphone.

Pre-orders for the S24 FE appear to be at least momentarily open prematurely, starting at $650. Samsung’s formal launch of the phone has been expected for later this week.

That price hike could be due to the new software promises Samsung is making. Smartprix says that Samsung will offer seven years of Android updates and security patches when it launches the S24 FE. That matches Google’s new (ish) promise on updates and Apple’s unofficial seven-year policy.