Samsung Galaxy S24+ Review: An S Pen Short of Ultra

The Galaxy S24+ is the middle entry in Samsung’s latest line of S phones, sitting between the more compact (and affordable) S24 and the more premium (and expensive) S24 Ultra.

It offers a healthy compromise between the two models, jettisoning the S Pen support and titanium frame of the Ultra but providing a larger, more luxurious display than the S24, as well as a bigger and more dependable battery.

But just how good is it, and does it justify the £200 (or $200) price increase over its smaller sibling? I put it to the test in this review, and while some may argue that a large phone such as the S24+ should provide S Pen support, we find it nigh-on perfect in nearly every other department.

Update May 2024: We’ve updated this review following testing and benchmarks of the Galaxy S24+ model powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, to see how it compares to the Exynos 2400 one originally reviewed.

Our list of the best smartphones contains some of the S24+’s biggest rivals.

Design & Build

• Clean and uncluttered squared-edge design
• Punch-hole selfie camera
• IP68 rating

The S24+ finds Samsung continuing the cleaner, more modernistic design of the S23 series. But it also introduces a couple of subtle changes, which help to extend this design ethos even further, although some critics might argue that it makes the phone resemble recent iPhone models a little closely.

On the one hand, it features much the same rear camera module that has the three lenses mounted vertically and directly into the back of the phone. This is without the protruding bump (as we had with the S21 and S22 lines), making for a tidier look overall.

On the other hand, the S24+ has given its sides a fully flat-edged appearance. Again, this does make the model look noticeably more contemporary and streamlined, even if some may accuse Samsung of taking too many cues from Apple. 

a remarkably durable and rugged device, despite its elegant appearance

Still, the phone certainly does please the eye, with its gently metallic range of colours – I’ve reviewed the lovely Cobalt Violet – serving to accentuate the overall sleekness. You can also get the phone in Amber Yellow, Onyx Black and Marble Grey then a further three colours are exclusive (in the UK at least) to the Samsung store: Sapphire Blue, Jade Green and Sandstone Orange.

The overall effect is also helped by the discreet punch-hole selfie camera in the top-center of the display.

In terms of dimensions and weight, the S24+ is tangibly bigger and heavier than the S24, yet it’s also conveniently smaller and lighter than the flagship S24 Ultra. The difference between each model is approximately 30g (or 1.06oz), meaning that the S24+ provides a healthy compromise between the compactness of its smaller sibling and the heft of the Ultra.

It’s also a remarkably durable and rugged device, despite its elegant appearance. Fitted with a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back (and an ‘Armor Aluminium’ frame), it also carries an official IP68 rating, so it should take a reasonable amount of use before it shows any wear or damage.

One other nice design feature is the phone’s haptic feedback, which is capable of subtle variations in intensity. This makes interacting with the phone more dynamic and rewarding, with the vibration motor reacting to such actions and events as typing, calls and notifications.

Screen & Speakers

• 6.7-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 32-bit/384kHz audio with stereo speakers

As far as its screen goes, the Galaxy S24+ provides more of an evolution over its predecessor than a revolution. It too houses a Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, yet this time out the latter uses LTPO technology, providing for a more dynamic, efficient refresh rate and other subtle benefits.

Another minor difference is that the S24+ actually has a fractionally bigger display, at 6.7-inch rather than the 6.6-inch of the S23+. This may not be very meaningful by itself, but it also comes with an improved resolution of 3120×1440 pixels (compared to 2340×1080 with last year’s model), making for a more vivid screen overall.

So too does the enhanced brightness of the display, which maxes out at roughly 2600 nits. This means you’re never really struggling to see everything on screen, and when married to a max refresh rate of 120Hz, the overall visual experience provided by the S24+ is almost second to none.

One unseen yet important feature of the display is the revamped fingerprint sensor, which is now a little faster and more accurate. It’s a slight difference, but in reducing the latency involved in unlocking the phone, it helps the phone to give the impression of providing a smoother overall experience.

Complementing the display are the S24+’s narrower bezels, which allow for the 0.1-inch increase in the phone’s screen size. Its overall thinness helps to give the phone a more premium aesthetic, as does the aforementioned punch-hole selfie camera.

Rounding off the phone’s impressive screen are its stereo speakers, which provide high-fidelity 32-bit audio and make the device viable as a low-key audio player. While it unsurprisingly doesn’t stand up against dedicated stereos, it provides enough quality for you to watch TV and film without missing a standalone Bluetooth speaker.

the S24+ certainly isn’t a slouch in terms of power

Specs & Performance

• Exynos 2400 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
• 12GB RAM and 256GB storage
• No microSD card slot

Samsung has always prided itself on the performance of its Galaxy S line, and the S24+ certainly isn’t a slouch in terms of power. Equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor in North America and China, it packs an Exynos 2400 everywhere else, with both chipsets produced using a 4nm manufacturing process.

We’ve now tested both models and can confirm: the Galaxy S24+ remains responsive and rapid in pretty much all situations. With 12GB of RAM on either, it opens apps without delay, can flick between multiple tasks seamlessly, and handles all of the latest Android games with ease.

Asphalt 9 is usually a good benchmark of how capable phones are as gaming devices, and the S24+ provided a very frictionless experience. Graphics are rendered smoothly and without any lag or slowdown, while detail and resolution remain high throughout.

It seems that the S24+ will have no problem handling games for the next few years, with the 256GB of internal storage you received as standard (can also pay more for 512GB) providing enough space for several game installations.

However, one slight drawback is that the S24+ doesn’t come with a Micro-SD card slot, which is something you can get with more budget models (such as the Galaxy A15 5G). This seems like something of an oversight on a model that costs £999/$999 (or £1,099/$1,119 with 512GB), even if it is common on flagship handsets.

The riposte to this complaint is that, as the benchmarks below make clear, this money is justified by the phone’s market-leading performance. You’ll struggle to find a faster Android for the price, with performance fairly consistent across Exynos and Snapdragon models.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp dual pixel main rear camera
• 12Mp ultrawide and 10Mp telephoto lenses
• Useful AI features

Samsung is known for its highly versatile camera phones, and the Galaxy S24+ is no exception.

It comes with a 50Mp main rear lens that includes dual pixel auto-focus and optical image stabilisation (OIS), as well as a 12Mp ultrawide lens (and Super Steady video recording) and a 10Mp telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom.

Each of these lenses are useful, and while the two extra cameras may require more careful use in certain situations, they’re more accommodating than the ultrawide and telephoto lenses you find on many Androids.

Using the main 50Mp lens, photos are detailed and rich under good lighting. Colours are strong and dynamic, and while some may continue to pine for a little more realism, the saturation is never too excessive. Indeed, the way the phone handles processing arguably means that the photos you’ll take will be more impressive and more shareable, especially in contrast to phones that provide images with a more transparent yet sometimes dull aspect.

The ultrawide lens is also very handy, providing for more panoramic scenes while still retaining a satisfying level of resolution and sparkle. Colours continue to pop, and given that it offers a 120˚ field of view, it will be great for holiday and travel snaps.

Something similar can be said for the 10Mp telephoto camera, even if you will likely see a dropoff in clarity and crispness in many cases. It can be very useful for taking photos of subjects at some distance away (as you can see with the deer pictures in the gallery below), although there’s little doubt that it won’t be an everyday lens in the way the wide and ultrawide cameras are.

It’s also worth mentioning the phone’s night mode and new AI-based editing features, which can both serve a purpose even if they aren’t always perfect.

The night mode, which automatically activates when things turn darker, does a great job of artificially illuminating scenes and providing subjects with enough definition. Meanwhile, you can use the new editing features to (re)move and resize objects à la Google’s recent Pixel phones, something which can prove a lifesaver once you learn how to do it properly.

Lastly, the S24+ comes with a 12Mp selfie camera that also features dual-pixel autofocus, making it very reliable as a point-and-shoot portrait taker. Allied with the software-based portrait mode, it’s very easy to take selfies that you’d happily post on social media and share with others.

Battery Life & Charging

• 4900mAh battery
• 45W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging

Battery life may not be particularly sexy, but it’s one of the main factors determining just how reliable and useful a smartphone is. And fortunately, the S24+ has battery life in spades, whether you have an Exynos or Snapdragon version.

All models are equipped with a 4900mAh cell, which puts it just below the S24 Ultra (5000mAh) and comfortably ahead of the S24 (4000mAh). Sometimes, a large battery doesn’t always equal a long-running battery in practice, yet this isn’t the case with the S24+.

During our time with both versions of the S24+, it comfortably lasted two days on numerous occasions, although those who use it regularly for gaming and other media will need a more or less daily recharge. The adaptive refresh rate setting – which enables the max 120Hz rate – doesn’t drain its juice as much as it does with other Androids as it can drop to lower rates to save power.

These observations are backed up by the results of the PCMark battery test we subject phones to, with the S24+ lasting just over 16 hours on the Exynos model and just under 16 hours on the Snapdragon version. Both are very impressive results.

Samsung does actually claim that battery life allows for 29 hours of video playback , yet getting close to such a figure will depend on turning off the adaptive refresh rate and lowering the brightness, while also using the phone a little more sparingly.

When it comes to charging, the S24+ continues the phone industry’s latter-day tradition of not including chargers. However, the model is compatible with 45W fast wired charging, as well as 15W wireless charging. With a 25W charger, the Exynos version got to 34% in half an hour. But with a much faster charger, the Snapdragon model reached 60% after the same amount of time.

The S24+ is not as fast at replenishing itself as other devices available this year, but it’s fast enough if you have the right charger, and when combined with its long battery life will keep most people happy.

Software & Apps

• Android 14 and One UI 6.1
• Seven years of update support
• Helpful AI tools

The Galaxy S24+ comes with Android 14 and One UI 6.1 installed out of the box, with the latter providing a very frictionless and well-presented user experience.

As we’ve come to expect with Samsung One UI skin, panels and screens are laid out in an intuitive and responsive way, with the phone making it easy for users to find their way around.

it’s very pleasing that Samsung has committed to providing the S24+ with seven years of core Android updates

One UI 6.1 is one of the best-looking Android skins and remains highly customisable. This time around you can also customize the phone’s lock screen according to the Modes you’ve set up, for example, enabling you to add app shortcuts depending on which Mode is activated.

Of course, the headline addition to the S24+ from a software perspective are the variety of AI features, which Samsung refers to as “Advanced intelligence” features. These are organised into seven different groups, with most offering helpful ways of getting certain things done more quickly.

While much has already been written about the photo editor and live translator, my personal favourite is the auto-transcript tool for voice recordings. It’s not always 100% accurate, but if you need to record and then transcribe lectures, interviews and other speech, it can save you plenty of time without costing you a penny.

Overall, the phone’s software is second to none when it comes to Androids (save for perhaps the Pixel phones), so it’s very pleasing that Samsung has committed to providing the S24+ with seven years of core Android updates. This provides excellent value for money, enabling users to avoid having to upgrade their phones within only a few years.

Price & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ was released in the UK on 31 January, and in the US on 17 January. It’s available directly from Samsung, or via Amazon and numerous other third-party retailers such as Currys, Argos and Very.

You can also get it on contract with the top deals below:

It officially retails for £999 in the UK if you buy the version with 256GB of memory, or for £1,099 if you buy the 512GB model. In the States, these prices are $999 and $1,119, respectively.

Given that the Galaxy S24+ is almost peerless as a state-of-the-art Android device, it doesn’t have many direct alternatives. However, the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are definitely up there with the S24+ as excellent Android phones.

Check our chart of the best smartphones to see more rivals.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S24+?

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is undoubtedly one of the best Androids you can buy today, and despite the lack of S Pen support and other features is surprisingly close to the S24 Ultra in terms of overall quality.

It ticks all of the important boxes, offering a clean design, beautiful screen, superb performance, versatile cameras, powerful software, and generous battery life. This is all true of both the Exynos and Snapdragon versions, with only a very slight improvement on the latter.

It’s a happy medium sitting in the middle of the range if you want a big phone and have the money to spend, you won’t be disappointed.

Specs

• 6.7in Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X (3120×1440), 19.5:9, 120Hz
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (USA/Canada/China), Exynos 2400 (rest of world)
• 12GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 256/512GB UFS 4.0 internal storage
• 50Mp wide camera
• 10Mp telephoto lens
• 12Mp ultrawide lens
• 12Mp front facing camera
• Under-display fingerprint scanner
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz+5GHz, VHT80
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, eSIM, dual stand-by)
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Stereo speakers
• 4900mAh battery
• 45W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm
• 196g