Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is a good all - circular Android phone . I love the modest size of it , it has a good projection screen , and it performs admirably . It ’s a disgrace then that Galaxy AI require time to educate and the lack of camera progress stop this from being the compact superstar it really should be .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
After spend a few weeks with the Samsung Galaxy S24 one matter is very absolved – this is one of the best modest Android phones on the marketplace .
Something equally cleared is that Samsung really would prefer you to spend more and get theGalaxy S24 Ultra . That ’s the 2024 tone ending from the stain that truly packs everything you ’d desire from a high - end twist .
compare to the rightful Samsung flagship , the £ 799/$799 Galaxy S24 ( and its larger £ 999/$999Galaxy S24 Plussibling ) lacks true hardware innovation , putting a tidy sum of air pressure on the Galaxy AI package to make this phone feel raw .
Design
The easiest way to report the Samsung Galaxy S24 is that it looks very much like aniPhone 15 . The insipid , Al sides with rounded edges and a 2-dimensional back are very reminiscent of Apple ’s flagship gimmick and the two sound feel very standardized in paw too . This is n’t a dig at Samsung , it just would have been skillful to have a phone with a little individuality .
What set up the Galaxy S24 out from the residue of the Android phone market is that this is a smaller equipment . It ’s not ‘ Mini ’ by any means , but it ’s dinkier than the Pixel 8 and on equivalence with the iPhone 15 . It also stay put this size without sacrificing too many feature , as I ’ll get into afterward .
At 168 g it ’s fantastically light and it ’s one of few flagship - level devices that can be used – by many – with one hand .
The overall design is also very standardised to the Galaxy S23 , with only a handful of changes setting the two phones aside . Like the Plus - variant , the small S24 ekes the screen sizing up this year – from 6.1 inches to 6.2 inches . It does this by shaving some heaviness out of the bezel , leave behind the earphone roughly with the same dimensions as before . A bountiful screen in a physical structure the same size of it is always a incentive .
When it comes to the colour choices , the Galaxy S24 disappoints . That is unless you ’re rat via the brand ’s on-line store where the grasp of three exclusive hue are far more neat .
The standard range comes in four colours : a very soft white-livered ( you could see that in the photos company this followup ) , violet , plus standard black and grey options . The colour palette is n’t quite as deadening as the S24 Ultra , but they lack punch and fail to stand out . Samsung ’s store is offer a sapphire blue , jade green and moth-eaten sandstone orange as a threesome of undivided color and these three appear far nicer .
While the color are n’t to my taste sensation , the feel of the phone is . The back is matte , which is first-class at reducing marks and fingerprint , and the side have a soft finish that take in it a pleasure to prevail .
Samsung move from Al to titanium with the flagship Galaxy S24 Ultra , but that move did n’t dribble down the range of a function . Both the S24 and S24 Plus stick with Samsung ’s Armor Aluminium , which is now say to be 17 % stronger than the version used on the S23 . Whether that ’s the case or not is heavy to say with certainty , but just as Lewis mentioned in hisSamsung Galaxy S24 Plus review , the minor reading is also amazingly undestroyable . A few drop during the review period left no visible scrape or gouge .
I am not in the slightest turn fussed that Samsung has n’t trade to titanium here . When Apple moved to the fabric it made ended sense , as it let them to bring the weight of its very heavy Pro headphone down . With the S24 Ultra , the stuff changed but the system of weights stayed very much the same . And as the S24 and S24 Plus remain light anyway , it would have likely add together cost for very minimum benefit .
There is a good amount of recycle material used throughout . Samsung used recycled cobalt and brand in the talker and battery respectively and the promotion is completely free of individual - function plastic .
Screen
Continuing the report of pocket-size updates over its predecessor , the screen on the S24 come with a few welcome tweaks – although none of them are what I would call ‘ raise worthy ’ .
The biggest change is an upgrade to a fully - featuredLTPOdisplay , allowing the refresh rate to move between 1Hz and 120Hz . This has been a feature on the Ultra series – along with much of the competition – for a few years now , but this is the first time it feature across the whole S - serial line .
As the sieve can now refresh at more speeds , it can bring through barrage fire when idle and it ramps up rapidly to secure each swipe and scroll is as fluent as potential .
The AMOLED 2X showing here is slightly big ( 6.2 as opposed to 6.1 - inch ) than it was on the S23 and the bezel is thinner and more consistent . small-scale alteration yes , but it does make for an overall better experience .
One notable difference between the S24 and S24 Plus is that the latter has a QHD+ resolution , while the little modeling has a lower FHD+ version . This is n’t a huge issue in literal use as the smaller board still bet crisp and elaborated with fewer pixels .
Dolby Vision HDRsupport is n’t anywhere to be see – normal for Samsung – so HDR10 + is here instead which is n’t as wide plump for on mobile streaming apps . HDR content does look neat though , thanks to a high superlative cleverness of 2600 nits . There ’s enough luminance for leisurely outdoor visibility too and Samsung ’s software does a skillful job of automatically push the brightness even further when required .
Camera
The camera setup on the Galaxy S24 is very much the same as the outgoing S23 , and the S22 before it . There ’s a main 50MP sensor with OIS and an f/1.8 lense , 10MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide .
Considering there ’s been so much advancement on the photographic camera used by Samsung for its Ultra earphone – making the S24 Ultra easily one of thebest photographic camera phoneson the marketplace – it ’s a shame that the optics have almost been all forgotten about here . This is an £ 800/$800 earphone after all .
Phones available at only slimly higher Leontyne Price , like the Pixel 8 Pro and OnePlus 12 , provide far more complete tv camera arrangement and superscript solution , while I would also take the images and video from the cheaper Pixel 8 over those from the S24 . as , on the iOS side , the iPhone 15 might lack a telephoto camera , yet it captures far salutary calibre images and video when compared to the S24 .
Now , I am not say the cameras here are speculative , it ’s just that competition has outpaced Samsung in this price tier up to such an extent that the just camera here feels outdated . If you ’re not comparing it to anything else on the market , however , the S24 does produce some nice - look snapshot .
Predictably , the best event , whether that ’s images or video recording , come from the main 50MP sensor . This is a various sensing element that does well in various lighting status and broadly make pleasing shot that have burnished , vivid colors made for social metier . Detail can feel a little oversharpened at multiplication , but that ’s a traditional Samsung aesthetic many enjoy .
The telephotograph lense lets you get secretive to a subject without moving and it ’s good for portraits . You ca n’t push it far without losing rafts of item , but the effect are still superior to digital zoom .
The ultrawide dispatch the deuce-ace , coming in handy for all-embracing landscape shots . Both of these petty sensing element could do with packing eminent - megapixel sensors and more or less beneficial colour standardisation with the principal sensor .
Performance and Galaxy AI
Samsung would probably like everyone to cogitate that the deficiency of notable ironware upgrades this yr is countervail by the advance in software , notably the huge stress on AI .
Galaxy AI makes itself apparent all over the S24 , from the default keyboard to the phone app to , more predictably , the camera and verandah . We ’re talking Pixel story of AI skill , rather than some of the other Android devices in 2024 that merely find like they are touch the airfoil .
I have both been impressed and disappointed by theGalaxy AIsystem so far . At time some of the acquirement it has , and the tasks it can accomplish , degree towards a tantalising new commission for smartphones . Other time I ’m left feel how limited AI stay , just wish I had nail the task myself .
lease ’s start with the positive because there are plenteousness of them . I jazz how Galaxy AI has been built into the Notes app , allowing it to transcribe encounter accurately and quick . It can easily secern the difference between speaker too , and in my test , the termination were just as good as the Pixel ’s excellent Recorder app .
The Notes app can then take that arrangement and slice it up into proper bullet compass point notes , arrange text edition and position everything out in an loose - to - read manner . If you take a deal of meeting note , you ’re going to use this every metre .
Another feature similar to the Pixel 8 is the productive AI photo editing skills . These can be hit - and - miss on the Galaxy S24 . When it work , it look large – someone plaguy jutting into an otherwise Insta - worthy picture ? No job , just cancel them . It ’s immediate and away from sometimes replacing people with random bitt , you would n’t notice anyone has been brutally scrubbed from realism .
I am less impressed with the generative filling skills , which need an internet connection as opposed to being all done on the equipment . modify the face of the sky , for deterrent example , feels like nothing more than a doojigger . Why would I desire a icon of something that was n’t real ?
Another joke that Galaxy AI pop the question is the power to rewrite text edition when you ’re using the nonremittal Samsung keyboard . you’re able to ask the AI to vary the tone of an electronic mail , for instance , if you consider your original elbow grease was n’t formal enough . The AI - bring forth result , for me , still sense too stilted and are clear not written by a real individual – but then I often palpate the same about anything written by an AI .
I ’m equally disappointed with some of the phone call transformation feature film , which are often so slow that they ’re rendered dead pointless .
Of course , the benefit of AI is that it is constantly evolve , so even these griping could be pay back in the time to come . This feels like a good starting percentage point , but there simply is n’t enough AI prowess here to guarantee an update strictly for the welfare .
calculate on which region you ’re buying the headphone in will limit which chipset ride deep down . US emptor get the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy that is in the S24 Ultra , whereas those in European countries , let in the UK , get Samsung ’s own Exynos 2400 . The Exynos model is what I was provided for limited review use .
That flake is mate with 8 GB RAM ( paltry on paper in 2024 , but equal in unremarkable use ) and 128 GB or 256 GB of non - expandible storehouse . With phones like the OnePlus 12R offer up to 512 GB of storage , maxing out at 256 GB is a bite stingy . But Samsung wants you to know , if you want more infinite , that the S24 Ultra is the right way there with 512 gilbert or 1 TB options .
When the phones were ab initio announce , Samsung reps were keen to target out to me that , while the chip are different , they should perform on par . In my benchmarking tests , the Exynos seems to be a good splintering , especially when paired with the 1080p video display .
However , aftertesting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - fit S24 , the latter is certainly the more powerful of the two — especially when it fare to GPU performance , where Qualcomm leaves Samsung in the dust .
In unremarkable use of goods and services , however , the Galaxy S24 is fast . It can handle intensive games with ease – whether or not you ’d require to play Call of Duty Mobile on a filmdom this size is a different story – and apart from getting quite hot to the touch sensation , I did n’t notice any electronegative issues when compared to a Snapdragon - power earphone .
Software
Samsung ’s OneUI 6.1 is a characteristic - rich skin packed with numerous customisation options . It ’s great that you may now add together multiple lock screen whatsis , and the always - on exhibit is better than ever . There ’s a lot of bloatware , but I quite like Samsung ’s apps and find them , specially the web internet browser , arguably estimable than Google ’s alternatives .
The overall designing leaves a portion to be desired , though . There ’s footling to no style here , with ugly icons and childish visual elements everywhere . A complete design rethink is ask here , especially with how dodgy Google ’s reading of Android is in 2024 .
One matter I ca n’t criticise Samsung for is its computer software raise promise . The company has said the S24 will get seven years of OS upgrades . That will take it through to Android 21 . That allow Samsung to compete with Google and the Pixel 8 , the first of the big players to offer the 7 - year group O rise hope .
A longer advance hope instantly makes the large investment in a sound easier to swallow . Of course , it ’s concentrated to say how well the phone will function in 7 years , but as long as those security updates keep arriving people are less likely to upgrade frequently and make more e - waste .
Battery life
On a spec sheet , the Samsung Galaxy S24 looks to be seriously behind the competition when it come to battery tech . Not only is the cell itself relatively small at 4000mAh ( Android phones tend to be close to 5000mAh in 2024 ) but the 25w maximum charging speeds are some of the slowest of any modern Android phones we ’ve reviewed .
In reality though , the small 1080p screen door and power - efficient display tech helper make this a earphone that can last a busy work day . It ’s certainly not a two - mean solar day equipment , like the OnePlus 12R or S24 Plus , but then sacrifices in endurance have to be made when a phone is little .
In my experience , I have typically managed to get 4 - 6 hour of sieve fourth dimension per care – down from about 6 - 7 hour on the S24 Plus . On lite day I was left with around 30 % juice leave when I was ready to secure in to shoot down for the night , which is slimly well than the Galaxy S23 .
The small screen also helps dilute battery loss when pullulate video . An hour of Netflix streaming took off just 4 % – a much better outcome than we amaze on the S24 Plus .
There ’s no fashion to tell yet whether the endurance on the S24 Qualcomm edition will be better or worse , but for a small phone with a belittled barrage fire , the endurance here is n’t a reason to look elsewhere .
have a 4000mAh shelling also makes the 25w charging fair to middling . In my test , the S24 can be charged from 0 - 50 % in just over 30 minutes , with a full electric charge taking just shy of 80 minute . obtuse wireless charging completes the package .
These results match up closely with the 45w subject S24 Plus . Of course , it does pale in comparison to the 28 minutes it takes to charge the OnePlus 12R from 0 - 100 % .
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Should you buy it?
There is n’t much competition when we ’re speak small Android phones . The Galaxy S24 packs plenty of office and features into a pocketable cuticle .
While the S24 is a good phone , it;s rather obvious Samsung has put more focus into the Ultra version . This is where the veridical upgrades sit , and the other S24 earpiece finger a little forget about as a solution .
Final Thoughts
While it impress in sure ways , the £ 799/$799 Galaxy S24 feels quite outdated in other areas . There are so many excellent Android phones on the market that have the S24 beaten for television camera ( thePixel 8 , for deterrent example ) and presentation ( theOnePlus 12is only £ 50 more or the same price in $ ) that you ’ve catch to really like what Samsung is offer to plump for this .
It ’s empty the focus of Samsung ’s attention has been on the Ultra serial . That ’s where the screen , tv camera and design innovations end up , and for the most part , they seldom seem to dribble down to the more low-cost options . The lack of photographic camera change with the Galaxy S24 is a substantial shame .
For the veracious person though , the Galaxy S24 can still be a great phone . The size is its master selling point , and it ’s one of the few remainingAndroid phonesthat ’s powerful and not massive . You are also getting 7 years of OS update , far more than the ilk of OnePlus , Xiaomi and Oppo offer . This is a phone that could last until Android 21 go far , and that ’s great news show .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly . We apply industry - standard tests to liken feature of speech right and we use the phone as our master gadget over the review period . We ’ll always evidence you what we find and we never , ever , have money to look back a product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
That depend on which region you ’re in . US buyers get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy , while those in the UK , Europe and other regions get the Exynos 2400 .
Yes , it supports 25W charging . There is n’t a charger in the box seat .
Test Data
Full Specs
