Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+ review: The full package!

Like always, this year too, the center of attraction is of course the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But let me tell you why the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ also deserve some love in this review. These come with equally enticing specs, all the cool AI features that the Ultra has, and a much lower asking price too. And apart from changes to the size, battery, storage, and resolution, both of these phones are pretty identical. In this review, let me go through my experiences with the Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus in detail.

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+ Review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+ Review:

Design 

• Armor Aluminum 2.0 protection,
• IP68 certification

In terms of design, not much has changed from last year. We’re still rocking the flat, boxy form factor, complete with a glass design and armored aluminum frames. Now, if you caught my S24 Ultra review, you’ll remember I mentioned the minimal difference in actual feel between the Titanium and Aluminum frames. Sure, Titanium is touted as tougher, but Aluminum holds its own just fine. So, no gripes there.

Moving on, can we talk about how darn comfy both the S24 and S24 Plus are? Especially the S24 – it’s like a gift from the smartphone gods for folks who prefer a more compact device. Even the S24 Plus doesn’t feel overly massive, at least not compared to the Ultra. So, if you’re all about that compact life, rest assured, that both of these babies won’t let you down.

Now, here’s the kicker: Samsung’s flagship lineup seems to be taking a page from the iPhone playbook more and more each year. Not that I’m complaining, mind you! Also Kudos to Samsung for nailing the fingerprint sensor placement – it’s right where you need it, sparing your fingers the stretch. Plus, it’s an ultrasonic sensor that’s quick, and precise and doesn’t blind you with a light show when unlocking in the dark.

Display

• Screen: Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz
• Resolution:
  • S24: FHD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels)
  • S24+: QHD+ (1440 x 3088 pixels)
• Size:
  • S24: 6.2 inch
  • S24+: 6.7 inch

Transitioning to the display realm, let’s dive into the differences between the ultra and the regular models. First off, the S24 and S24 Plus ditch the Gorilla Glass Armour for Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Victus 2 packs a punch, no doubt, but it’s a tad too susceptible to scratches for my liking. Take my S24, for instance – it’s been jostling around in my pocket alongside keys and whatnot, and now it’s a canvas of scratches waiting to happen. Moreover, the screens on the S24 and S24 Plus are a bit more reflective than their Ultra sibling, courtesy of the Gorilla Glass Victus 2’s lesser anti-reflection prowess compared to the Gorilla Glass Armour.

But hey, no qualms about the display quality here! They’re crisp, and vibrant – just as bright as the Ultra, mind you. Sporting an LTPO screen that can scale down to a soothing 24Hz, coupled with stellar contrast and color reproduction, these displays are top-notch. Sure, the regular S24 rocks a Full HD resolution versus the Quad HD on the S24 Plus, but given its compact nature, you won’t be missing out on much. Besides, it’s a smart move considering the S24’s smaller battery capacity – but we’ll get to that later.

On another note, my S24 unit is grappling with the same display hiccup as the Ultra – no discrepancy between color reproduction in natural and vivid modes. As a proper vivid mode aficionado, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a swift fix from Samsung.

Speakers and Haptics

Ah, how could I forget about the speakers! The S24 comes packed with a fantastic set of stereo speakers that deliver a loud and well-balanced audio experience. Samsung has always leaned towards a slightly sharper sound profile, but the output is undeniably impressive.

And let’s talk about that typing experience—oh boy, it’s a delight! The vibrations are crisp and precise, adding satisfying tactile feedback to your typing sessions. Plus, they’re strong enough to ensure you never miss important calls or notifications amidst the typing frenzy. It’s the little things that make all the difference, right?

Performance

• Chipset: Exynos 2400 5G (4nm)
  • Deca-core (1×3.2GHz Cortex-X4 & 2×2.9GHz Cortex-A720 & 3×2.6GHz Cortex-A720 & 4×1.95GHz Cortex-A520)
• GPU: Xclipse 940

Alright, let’s tackle the big elephant in the room now: Exynos! Yup, Samsung’s gone back to using its in-house Exynos 2400 chip for most of the world, except the lucky folks in the US, Canada, and China, who get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Now, I gotta admit, seeing Exynos make a comeback surprised me. I mean, after skipping it last year, I figured it was gonna be a while before we saw it again. But here we are! Now, historically, Exynos hasn’t exactly wowed us, thanks to its tendency to run hotter than a frying pan and lower performance yields.

But hold your horses! Before you start waving the red flag, let me break it down for you. Yeah, Exynos still warms up, but it’s not as bad as before. I ran some stress tests, and while the S24 hit around 42.7 degrees, the S24+ hit…well, it was hot, let’s leave it at that. But it’s not exactly a meltdown, right?

In the past, throttling was a major headache with Exynos chips, but this time, it’s not as bad. Maybe it’s thanks to the beefier vapor chamber cooling system. The S24 gets a bit toastier than its Plus sibling, but neither of them turns into a hot potato during regular use or multitasking. Even when I was charging them up, there was no fiery drama.

Gaming Performance

But when it’s game time, things heat up a bit. After about 30 minutes of PUBG or Genshin Impact, both phones hit around 40 degrees. But hey, no lag or stutters during gameplay, and I was hitting smooth 90 fps in PUBG and a solid 60 fps in Genshin Impact. Not too shabby, right?

Now, keep in mind, that it’s winter here, so these tests were done in cozy room temperatures. As summer rolls in, expect these babies to warm up a bit more, depending on where you live and how you use them.

So yeah, Exynos is back in town! Am I throwing a fit about it? Nah. But would I have preferred the silky smooth performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3? Heck yeah, especially after seeing what the S24 Ultra can do!

Additional Goodies

Here’s the scoop: all those nifty AI features you find on the Ultra? Well, guess what? They’re all here on the S24 and 24 Plus too! From circle to search to fancy camera tricks and even live call translations and voice transcriptions. Bug thumbs up by my side.

And here’s the real kicker: Samsung’s stepping up big time with a whopping 7 years of updates for the entire S24 lineup. Talk about commitment, right? Now you can hang onto your Samsung flagship for ages, not only saving you stress but also doing your bit to cut down on e-waste. It’s a win-win situation that’s got me grinning from ear to ear!

Battery and Storage

• Battery and charging:
  • 4000 mAh (S24) with 25W Charging
  • 4900 mAh(S24+) with 45W charging
• RAM: 8GB LPDDR5 (S24), 12GB LPDDR5 (S24+) 
• Storage:
  • S24:128GB (UFS 3.1)/ 256GB (UFS 4.0) (non-expandable)
  • S24+: 256GB / 512GB (UFS 4.0,non-expandable)

Samsung beefed up the battery capacity on both the S24 and S24 Plus. The regular model now packs a 4000 mAh battery, while the Plus model falls just shy of the S24 Ultra’s battery capacity by a mere 100 mAh. You’d think this would translate to better battery life, right? Well, not quite. Despite the boost, I found myself clocking slightly less screen-on time compared to last year – blame it on the Exynos, perhaps?

On the S24, I managed about 5 hours of screen-on time, with the S24 Plus squeezing out an extra 45 minutes. That’s nearly half an hour less than their predecessors, mind you.

Charging these Samsung flagships remains a waiting game, especially with the regular S24 sporting a modest 25W max input wired charging, 15W wirelessly, and a paltry 4.5W for reverse wireless charging. The S24 Plus, however, steps up the game with a zippy 45W wired charging – just like its Ultra sibling!

Now, here’s the bummer: the 128GB variant of the S24 ships with slower UFS 3.1 support, while all variants of the S24 Plus boast UFS 4.0. Talk about a mixed bag!

Cameras

Alright, let’s dive into the camera setup on the S24 and S24 Plus. Sporting the same configuration as last year, both phones come equipped with a 50MP primary sensor, a 10MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. Since they share a similar setup, I’ll draw references primarily from the regular S24.

Compared to the top-tier S24 Ultra, the camera performance here is undeniably flagship, albeit not on the same level as the Ultra. You still get that signature Samsung processing, delivering clear details, vibrant blues and greens, and bright images that are easy on the eyes.

Sure, you won’t be snapping shots at 100x zoom or taking 5x portraits, but let’s be honest, the 5x portrait lens on the Ultra isn’t exactly blowing minds either. I found the 2x and 3x portrait modes on the S24 to be more than sufficient, especially with their pleasing skin tones and ready-to-post quality. No further edits are needed, folks!

Daytime images impress with their nice contrast, sharp details, and commendable dynamic range, often rivaling even the iPhone 15. The ultra-wide shots may not boast the same level of detail as the primary lens, but they maintain pleasing colors and overall aesthetics. On the way I will have to mention the fact there’s also no autofocus in ultra-wide mode for both the S24 and S24 Plus. 

Moving on to nighttime photography, the images remain bright and appealing, albeit with a slight blue tint that may not always hit the mark. My only gripe here is Samsung’s tendency to overprocess images in night mode, but aside from that, low-light shots hold up admirably.

Selfies, on the other hand, can come off a tad too bright from the S24, lacking that natural touch. They’re not terrible by any means, but the artificial brightness is noticeable.

Videography

As usual, you’ve got the option for shooting 4K 60 fps selfie videos, a handy feature with excellent quality and stabilization to boot.

When it comes to rear camera recording, you can capture up to 8K 30 fps videos, and Samsung has really stepped up its game in this department. The 8K footage now maintains a wider field of view and delivers more stable output, with minimal movement jitters.

That said, 8K might be a bit over the top for smartphone videography, so I mostly stuck to shooting at either 4K 30 or 60 fps. As you can see from the footage, the output is smooth and stable. It’s worth noting that with both the S24 and S24 Plus, you can’t switch between lenses while shooting at 4K 60 fps. However, Samsung does allow you to seamlessly switch to the selfie camera at the same resolution, a feature I highlighted in my S24 Ultra review and one that’s particularly handy for vloggers.

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+ Review: Conclusion

Ah, the age-old question—how do Samsung’s affordable flagships stack up? Well, as for the Plus variants, they’ve always felt like the awkward middle child to me. They’re essentially just larger versions of the regular S-series, offering a tad more battery life and screen real estate. But when you’re shelling out a grand for the S24+, it’s hard not to think you might as well snag the S24 Ultra or even last year’s S23 Ultra at a lower price point, especially since the S23 series is also set to receive all those fancy AI features.

Now, onto the S24. In my book, it takes the cake as the top compact flagship on the market right now for us regular folks. It boasts a stellar display, the coziest feel in your hands, top-notch flagship cameras, blazing performance, and let’s not forget about those years of promised updates and those sweet AI features sprinkled on top.

But if you’re a hardcore gamer, I’d pump the brakes on recommending this phone to you. Not only does the Exynos chip run a bit hotter, but the form factor might not lend itself well to marathon gaming sessions. However, for anyone craving the ultimate Samsung experience in a smaller package, the S24 is the way to go.

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+ Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Compact form factor
• Flagship Display
• Great everyday and gaming performance
• Great software support and timely updates

Cons

• Average battery life
• Slower charging
• Slight heating issues