Samsung Galaxy S24 Review: Familiar Yet Smarter Than Ever

 The Samsung Galaxy S24 lineup has arrived, offering three tiers of flagship phones: the standard S24, the larger S24 Plus, and the feature-packed S24 Ultra. While at first glance they may seem like iterations of last year's models, a closer look reveals some noteworthy upgrades, particularly on the S24 Ultra, making it Samsung's smartest phone yet.

Specifications

Specs	Galaxy S24	Galaxy S24 Plus	Galaxy S24 Ultra
Display	6.2 inches, FHD+, AMOLED, 1-120Hz	6.7 inches, QHD+, AMOLED, 1-120Hz	6.8 inches, QHD+, AMOLED, 1-120Hz
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Optimized for Galaxy	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Optimized for Galaxy	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Optimized for Galaxy
Storage	128GB, 256GB	256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Rear cameras	50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom	50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom	200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x  Zoom, 50MP 5x zoom
Front camera	12MP	12MP	12MP
Battery and charging	4,000mAh; 25W wired charging, up to 15W wireless charging	4,900mAh; 45W wired charging, up to 15W wireless charging	5,000mAh; 45W wired charging, up to 15W wireless charging
Starting price	$799.99	$999.99	$1,299.99

Design and Display

All three models sport the new "One-Mass" design language, featuring squarer edges and a textured aluminum frame that offers a better grip than the S23. The standard S24 and S24 Plus retain their curved displays, while the S24 Ultra adopts a new flat display with slim bezels and a super-bright peak brightness of 2600 nits. All models now offer a full 120Hz adaptive refresh rate for smoother scrolling and animations.

Specs and Performance

Powering the show is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip across all models, delivering flagship-level performance. The standard S24 and S24 Plus come with 8GB of RAM, while the S24 Ultra boasts 12GB. Storage options range from 128GB to 1TB. Battery capacities also see a slight bump, with the S24 Ultra now holding the largest battery in the series at 5500mAh.

Cameras

The camera systems remain largely unchanged, with the only significant change on the S24 Ultra being the swap of the older 10MP 10x telephoto lens for a new 50MP 5x zoom unit, promising near-lossless magnification even at 10x. All models retain their excellent low-light photography performance and reliable video recording capabilities.

AI Features

Samsung is heavily pushing Galaxy AI this year, a suite of features designed to enhance various aspects of the phone. Some notable examples include Chat Assist, which predicts your next word and offers suggestions, and new photo editing tools that use AI to automatically fix photos and create artistic effects.

Overall

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is a solid upgrade, especially on the S24 Ultra. While it might not wow owners of the previous models, its brighter displays, faster chips, improved AI features, and longer-lasting batteries make it a powerful flagship phone. If you're looking for the most feature-packed Android phone, the S24 Ultra is worth considering. However, if you're on a budget or prefer a more compact design, the standard S24 or S24 Plus are still solid choices.

Pros

• Brighter, smoother displays

• Faster chips and improved performance

• Enhanced AI features

• Longer-lasting batteries

• Excellent camera systems

Cons

• Design similar to S23 series

• Standard models have lower display resolution

• S24 Ultra is quite expensive

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series is a powerful lineup of flagship phones, especially for Android users seeking the latest and greatest features.