Samsung’s S24 Ultra is the ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ model for the lineup this year, but for regular-sized pockets and wallets, the regular Galaxy S24 and the S24+ will hold a broader appeal. Sure, they come without the S-Pen stylus and extended zoom of the Ultra, but don’t miss out on all the Galaxy AI goodness that headlines the lineup this year.
Out of their boxes, the S24 and 24+ look remarkably similar to their predecessors, from the squared-off aluminium design with rounded corners to the vertical stacked camera layout on the rear. Samsung has managed to pack in some extra screen size on both models (6.2 vs. 6.1 and 6.7 vs. 6.6 inches) without making them noticeably bigger—they're just a shade taller and the bezels are a hair slimmer.
Size-wise, the S24 is a big win for smaller hands, and both phones are easy to grip with their flatter edges. Of course, there’s Gorilla Glass Victus protection and an IP68 rating, so there’s added durability even if you have butterfingers. Lovely colours too; the Amber Yellow and Cobalt Violet colours were distinctive without being over-the-top flashy.
Now, typically Samsung reserves its best displays for the Ultra, but the S24 and S24+ see equally bright 2,600 peak brightness displays, and the Plus even has the same QHD resolution AMOLED display as the Ultra (only FHD+ on the S24), albeit without the added glare reduction that really makes a difference in everyday use. Even so, these are excellent panels for HDR media consumption and gaming; the LTPO panels ensure the phone is fluid while still saving on battery; and the dual speaker setup gets reasonably loud as well.
One of the key differences with the Ultra (and the cause of some initial scepticism) was the choice of Samsung’s in-house Exynos chip to power the S24/S24+, as opposed to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that powers the Ultra. In daily use, I noticed no perceptible differences between the S24 Plus and the OnePlus 12 when used side by side, although the S24 series felt slightly warmer to the touch (courtesy of the OnePlus’ excellent vapor cooling). Games like Genshin Impact and COD Mobile ran without any issues as well, so it does feel that both phones serve up a comparable flagship experience. Software features are on par with the Ultra, with all the generative AI features like ‘circle to search’, summarization and translation, and photo editing features continuing to impress across the board.
But what do the performance and AI smarts mean for battery life, with past Exynos-sporting flagships lacking in longevity? The Plus variant certainly does well with its 4,900 mAh battery lasting nearly six hours of screen-on time, while the S24’s 4,000mAh battery does well for a compact flagship and manages a day of moderate use. Wired charging speeds are still comparably slow; the S24+ gets 45 W (same as the Ultra), and the S24 is limited to 25 W when plugged in.
Over at the cameras, one sees both the S24 and S24+ share the same rear camera system as the S23 and S23+ models, with a 50 MP primary sensor joined by a 12 MP ultrawide and a 10 MP telephoto with 3X optical zoom. If you stick to using the primary shooter for most of your shots, the S24/24+ will reward you with sharp images replete with vivid colours and good details in the shadows, and the story continues even when the sun goes down. It’s just that the 3x telephoto is starting to show its age with noise and grain in less-than-ideal light, and with the OnePlus 12 adding a comparable 3x telephoto this year, Samsung really should update its mainstream S series camera setup to stand up better to the Android competition.
All in all, the S24 and S24+ are great alternatives to the Ultra model; the 24+ is a good model to pick, though the savings are felt far more on the entry-level S24. They’re great all-rounders, and the AI features are neat, but the competition is snapping at their heels closer than ever.
Rating: S24 8/10, S24+ 8/10
Price: INR 79,999 (8/256 GB) and INR 99,999 (12/256 GB) onwards
