The Samsung phone I'm recommending to most people this Black Friday isn't a flagship model

• The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE starts at $649, with 128GB of storage and AI features included.
• Large 6.7-inch AMOLED display and an enduring 4,700mAh battery are the top two strengths.
• At its price, the S24 FE faces stiff competition from Google, OnePlus, and Samsung itself.

With the fall season in full swing, I've recently been catching up with more friends and family. It's during these times when I'm most in touch with "the average consumer," able to gauge interest in new features, understand which ones matter most to people, and know just how much money users are willing to spend on a new handset, headphones, laptop, etc.   

I also do this thing where I pass the latest phone I'm testingaround the room and ask people to guess its price. With the new Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, the ballpark value was around $1,000 ...