Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs. Galaxy S23+: Incremental improvements
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Samsung Galaxy S24+
A new sweet spot
The Galaxy S24+ continues to be the sweet spot in Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup, and it’s even more closely matched to its pricier sibling this year, thanks to a brighter and higher-resolution QHD+ display, plus seven years of Android updates and the same new Galaxy AI features.
Pros- Solid new hardware design
- Excellent battery life
- Seven years of Android updates
Cons- Camera system is a bit quirky
- Galaxy AI features are of dubious value
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Samsung Galaxy S23+
Still a contender
The Galaxy S23+ remains a solid performer thanks to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which was already ahead of the curve. You’ll get solid all-day battery life, a capable three-lens camera system, and processing power to spare.
Pros- Great performance
- Solid all-day battery life
- Excellent build quality
Cons- Photos are a bit overprocessed
- Still a bit pricey
Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S24 lineup earlier than usual this year, delivering its 2024 flagships only eleven months after their respective predecessors. While some of this year’s Galaxy S24 models will undoubtedly rank among the best Samsung phones of the year, Samsung’s plus-series phones often find themselves as the awkward middle children of the family — even though they’re usually the sweetest spot in the lineup.
Last year’s Galaxy S23+ proved to be an excellent choice for folks needing a smartphone that offered the size, power, and performance of the Galaxy S23 Ultra without the higher price tag. The Galaxy S24+ follows suit. However, has it improved enough to justify paying full price for the latest and greatest, or will you be just as well-served by last year’s model? Let’s dive in and take a look at how these two compare.
Best Samsung phones in 2024
There’s an amazing Samsung phone out there for every size and budget
Price, availability, and specs
Samsung’s Galaxy S24+ is now available at all the usual retailers and carriers. You can buy it unlocked directly from Samsung, Amazon, or Best Buy, starting at $1,000 for the base 256GB configuration, or get it on a plan from AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and numerous smaller carriers. It comes in Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow, with exclusive Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, and Sapphire Blue finishes available directly from Samsung.
The Galaxy S23+ started at the same $1,000 for the base model with 256GB of storage, although you can likely find better prices on it now that it’s been superseded by the Galaxy S24+. Samsung is still selling it directly for full price, presumably while supplies last, with only the Cream version remaining. You may be able to find more colors at other online retailers, as it was originally available in Phantom Black, Green, and Lavender. The Samsung-exclusive Graphite and Lime will be trickier to get your hands on unless you’re shopping the used market.
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Samsung Galaxy S24+ Samsung Galaxy S23+ SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (US), Exynos 2400 (International) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy RAM 12GB 8GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB Battery 4,900mAh 4,700mAh Ports USB-C USB-C Operating System Android 14 and One UI 6.1 Android 14 and OneUI 6 Front camera 12MP, f/2.2 12MP, f/2.2 Rear camera 50MP, f/1.8 OIS main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP, f/2.4 telephoto (3× zoom) 50MP, f/1.8, OIS main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP, f/2.4, OIS, 3x telephoto Connectivity NFC, UWB UWB, NFC Dimensions 158.5 × 76.2 × 7.6mm 157.8 x 76.2 x 7.6mm Colors Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone Orange Phantom, Cream, Green, Lavender + Samsung.com exclusive Lime, Graphite Display type AMOLED, 1-120Hz AMOLED, 120Hz Weight 196g 195g Charge speed 45W wired, 15W wireless 45W wired, 15W wireless IP Rating IP68 IP68 Price $1,000 From $1,000 Stylus No No Display dimensions 6.7″ 6.6″ Display resolution 3120 × 1440 2340 x 1080 Charge options USB-C wired, Qi wireless USB-C wired, Qi wireless SIM support Nano-SIM and eSIM Dual SIM (Nano SIM and eSIM) Cellular connectivity 4G LTE, 5G (sub-6 and mmWave) LTE, 5G, mmWave Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 6e, Wi-Fi Direct Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3
Samsung Galaxy S24+ review: This is the one to buy
Closer than ever to Samsung’s top of the line, the S24+ is worth your attention — and maybe even your money
Samsung Galaxy S23+ review: No S Pen, no problem
The middle S23 is the best one for most people
Design
Unlike its smaller sibling, Samsung’s Galaxy S24+ has gained a slight increase in screen size, although that’s mostly accounted for by smaller bezels. The phone’s actual dimensions increase by less than a millimeter in each direction. Both phones also weigh almost the same, with this year’s model gaining a single gram.
The design of the Galaxy S24+ follows what is now unmistakably Samsung’s established design language. The camera bump of yesteryear is now long gone in favor of the company’s cleaner aesthetic, with camera lenses protruding on their own against the otherwise unadorned back glass.
This means you’ll have a hard time distinguishing between the two phones from the back. However, a closer inspection reveals that Samsung has seemingly taken a page out of Apple’s design playbook with a flat-edged design that very closely resembles the iPhones of the past few years. Several of our editors have even remarked on how much the Galaxy S24+ feels like an iPhone in the hand.
That’s not to say it’s a carbon copy of Apple’s design. Samsung has put some thought into it to provide a better and more premium feel than last year’s Galaxy S23+ and has softened the edges just enough to keep them from feeling sharp. Have no fear; you’ll still be able to use this one caseless without worrying about it digging into your hand while keeping a solid grip.
The Galaxy S24+ follows its predecessor’s design in just about every other way, including the same Armor Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (only the pricier S24 Ultra gets the newer titanium and Gorilla Armor materials), along with an IP68 rating that offers dust- and water-resistance in up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.
Display
While the Galaxy S24+ gains 0.1-inch in screen size, it gets a substantial boost in screen quality. Last year’s Galaxy S23+ featured an FHD 2340 x 1080 screen, while this year, Samsung has upped its game by going to QHD for its plus-sized phone.
This gives the display on Galaxy S24+ a 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution, which works out to 512 pixels per inch (psi). That’s a noticeable bump over the 393 ppi of the Galaxy S23+ and should provide a crispness on par with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The new screen also gets a healthy boost in brightness, now reaching 2,600 nits outdoors compared to the 1,750 nits on Galaxy S23+, along with a variable refresh rate that can still hit 120Hz but can also drop as low as 1Hz to extend battery life and also power a much richer always-on display.
This is another area where Samsung seems to be following Apple’s lead. When the iPhone 14 Pro (finally) gained an always-on display in 2022, it eschewed the bland monochromatic versions found on most Android phones, keeping the user’s wallpaper and notifications always visible for a more colorful look. That was a very polarizing design, to be fair — people seemed to either love it or hate it — and Apple eventually relented and added some options to tone it down in a later software release.
However, Samsung has clearly decided it’s time to give its users a similar option with the Galaxy S24 lineup. It’s actually a OneUI 6.1 feature, so it might also be coming to Galaxy S23 and older models. Still, if it does, you’ll likely take a heavier hit on battery life by using it on the Galaxy S23+, as the older model can only reduce its refresh rate to 48Hz.
Software
Speaking of software, the Galaxy S24+ naturally ships with the latest Android 14 operating system embellished as usual by Samsung’s OneUI skin. In this case, that’s OneUI 6.1. For now, that’s exclusive to the S24 lineup, but based on Samsung’s usual track record, we should see it coming to older models in the next few weeks.
This year, Samsung’s most significant software improvement is Galaxy AI, a new feature set that lets you translate conversations, create AI-generated summaries in Samsung Notes, and add some clever new photo capabilities to fill in backgrounds and even fill in missing frames to turn regular clips into slow-motion videos.
Although it may seem like these will set the Galaxy S24+ apart, it turns out Galaxy AI is also coming to the Galaxy S23+ in a software update. It’s also worth noting that Samsung may also eventually start charging a subscription fee for Galaxy AI, at least for those that are exclusive to Samsung. Some, like Circle to Search by Google, will likely remain free, as it would be silly for Samsung to charge a subscription for something that’s already rolling out to other Android phones.
Perhaps the biggest software advantage the Galaxy S24+ brings to the table isn’t what the smartphone runs now but what it will be able to down the road. This year, Samsung has matched Google’s promise of a staggering seven years of Android updates, beating even Apple’s longstanding trend of offering five or six years for its iPhones. That promise doesn’t apply to the Galaxy S23+, which will still only get four years of updates — and has already received the first of those to take it to Android 14.
This means the Galaxy S24+ has unprecedented longevity since it will someday run Android 21 when it comes along in 2030. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23+ will be left behind after Android 17 ships in 2026.
Performance
One of the best things about Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup is that the company doesn’t skimp on delivering the best performance across all three models. While you might expect the premium Galaxy S24 Ultra to lead the pack, the Galaxy S24+ gets the same flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-a-chip (SoC). This year, it also packs in the same 12GB of RAM. Sadly, models of the Galaxy S24+ sold outside the US and Canada still use the Exynos 2400 chipset, as Samsung’s new Snapdragon-only policy applies solely to the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is Qualcomm’s latest and greatest mobile platform, and Samsung has once again worked with the chipmaker to customize a “for Galaxy” version. It offers performance to spare, and this year, it also bakes in some new machine learning capabilities that are undoubtedly helping to power Samsung’s new AI ambitions. This may give the Galaxy S24+ an edge when running Galaxy AI tasks over the Galaxy S23+, but we won’t know for sure until Samsung rolls those out to the older model.
To be fair, the Galaxy S23+ was never a slouch when it came to performance, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy used in that phone was already a class-leading chip. Over time, those differences may become more apparent as future Android and OneUI updates demand more from the device’s silicon, but for now, it’s fair to say you won’t see much difference between the two for most tasks. The performance was excellent throughout our entire time testing the Galaxy S24+, and the 12 gigs of RAM allowed more apps to remain open in the background. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s most noticeable advantage is that it runs much cooler under heavy load while drawing less power than its predecessor.
Battery life
It’s likely the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s power efficiency results in the Galaxy S24+ delivering unprecedented battery life for a Samsung phone. Despite only having a slightly larger 4,900mAh cell, it’s hard to exhaust the phone during even a heavy day of use, and with moderate use, you could probably reach two days before hitting a charger.
In our testing, the Galaxy S24+ lasted a whole 15-hour day, including over 5 hours of screen time, with an hour of gaming and 20 minutes of GPS navigation, ending up with 23 percent battery life remaining at bedtime.
The Galaxy S23+ packs in a 4,700mAh battery that should still easily get you through a day of typical use. Heavy gaming or streaming video sessions could exhaust it in a day, but most folks won’t have a problem with all-day battery life on it, and we found it wasn’t too hard to push it to two days with lighter use.
The Galaxy S24+ hasn’t changed the wired or wireless charging situation. You still get the same 45W wired and 15W wireless speeds as the Galaxy S23+, along with 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Both phones should hit 50% in about 20 minutes and reach full in a little over an hour.
Camera
While Samsung still reserves its top-tier cameras for its Galaxy Ultra, the other S series phones typically still pack in solid camera hardware that takes quality photos and offers enough versatility for all but the most serious mobile photography enthusiasts.
However, unlike its big brother, the Galaxy S24+ hasn’t moved the needle much in hardware over last year’s model. You’re still getting the same triple-camera system with identical specs: a 50-megapixel (MP) primary camera joined by a 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto. It’s a good combination of lenses, and while it’s unclear if Samsung has upgraded the sensors behind those lenses in any way, the Galaxy S24 lineup has upped its computational photography game with a new ProVisual Engine. With it, Samsung promises the Galaxy S24+ will capture better photos through AI-based image processing, likely also leveraging some of the power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and its new image signal processor.
In practical terms, while Samsung’s image processing still leans toward the kind of vibrant and highly saturated colors that turn some folks off, the company appears to have dialed that down with the Galaxy S24+. Some colors are still exaggerated and not nearly as natural as what the naked eye sees, and don’t come close to the Google Pixel, which has always done an excellent job of capturing photos with a more balanced and true-to-life look. Still, in our testing, we found that the new ProVisual Engine seems to capture pictures that are a bit more nuanced with more realistic shadows and highlights, although it does tend to overdo the contrast in some settings.
That all adds up to a noticeable improvement over the Galaxy S23+, but that’s not saying very much, as the camera system and image processing still appear to have a few quirks, and there are much better smartphones to buy if taking great photos is a priority.
Which one is right for you?
To get one thing straight right off the bat: The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is not a meaningful upgrade from the Galaxy S23+. Unless you’re the sort of person who doesn’t care about spending whatever it takes to have the latest and greatest every year (in which case you’re probably already toting a Galaxy S24 Ultra), there is no compelling reason to trade in your Galaxy S23+ for a Galaxy S24+.
The trickier question is whether the Galaxy S24+ is worth considering over a Galaxy S23+. At the same price, the answer is an unquestionable yes — it’s a better phone in every way, even if the improvements are iterative. You’ll get a slightly larger and much brighter, higher-resolution screen, plus excellent battery life and seven years of Android updates. It’s hard to argue those are universally good things.
Samsung Galaxy S24+
Editor’s choice
Takes the cake, but no substantial improvements
Samsung’s Galaxy S24+ features a brighter and crisper screen, excellent battery life, and a sleek new design that make it an obvious choice for anybody shopping for a new phone that doesn’t need everything the pricier Galaxy S24 Ultra has to offer.
However, the other benefits of the Galaxy S24+ are less cut and dry. Most of the new Galaxy AI features are of dubious value right now. Many of them are downright gimmicky, and the most fun and useful things, like Circle to Search by Google, will be available on other smartphones. Plus, Samsung is bringing Galaxy AI to the Galaxy S23 lineup, and while it may not perform as well as it does on the newer AI-powered Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, we don’t think the features are groundbreaking enough that many folks will care all that much.
We’re undoubtedly going to see some serious deals on the Galaxy S23+ now that its successor has arrived, which means you can get an excellent phone that still offers top-notch performance and solid cameras at a much more wallet-friendly price.
Samsung Galaxy S23+
Runner-up
Not the newest, but still good
The Galaxy S23+ is last year’s model, but it still packs in power to spare thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. It’s slated to get most of the groundbreaking software features of this year’s lineup, including Galaxy AI, in an upcoming OneUI 6.1 update.