Verdict
Despite its modest appearance, the Galaxy S24 Plus feels every inch a flagship phone. It boasts a better display, slightly better battery life, and more RAM than its standard-sized sibling, while Samsung’s suite of hit-and-miss AI features – which are available in equal measure across the Galaxy S24 range – narrow the gap between the Plus and the more expensive S24 Ultra. You don’t get the latter’s titanium frame and superior camera credentials here, but the Galaxy S24 Plus offers a comparable smartphone experience at a more accessible price.
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Pros
- +Big, bright, outdoor-friendly QHD+ display
- +Same Galaxy AI features as the S24 Ultra
- +Class-leading battery life
Cons
- -Cameras remain unchanged
- -Design feels distinctly less premium than the Ultra
Two-minute review
Despite offering Galaxy Ultra sizing at a more accessible price, Samsung’s Galaxy Plus phones have seldom, if ever, proven better value for money than its all-singing, all-dancing Ultra devices. This year, though, the Galaxy S24 Plus is a much more enticing proposition: its display is objectively better than the one you’ll find on the standard-sized Samsung Galaxy S24, and it doesn’t lose out when it comes to the myriad AI features that Samsung is touting as the key selling point of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Specifically, the Galaxy S24 Plus benefits from QHD+ display technology – a feature previously reserved for the Galaxy S23 Ultra – and a bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset (or Samsung’s own Exynos 2400, depending on your region) that places AI at the forefront of the mobile experience. The former upgrade is far from game-changing – it essentially means the Plus’s 6.7-inch screen is sharper and more detailed than the S24’s FHD+ equivalent – but it’s enough to better differentiate the Plus from its cheaper sibling. The AI features, by contrast, bring a parity to the Galaxy S24 range that we haven’t seen, well, ever; it’s one of the best AI phones.
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Galaxy AI is the umbrella term for Samsung’s suite of AI-powered features, which range from real-time text and call translation to generative photo editing. In truth, I suspect that only a handful of these tools will be genuinely useful long-term – namely Circle to Search and Live Translate – but I’m glad that Samsung opted to distribute its suite of Galaxy AI features across the Galaxy S24 line equally. If nothing else, it gives Galaxy S24 Ultra owners one less feature to boast about.
On the physical upgrade front, the Galaxy S24 Plus sports marginally narrower bezels and a slightly flatter design than its predecessor, though its stronger Armor Aluminum frame is the most noticeable change. The phone’s 4,900mAh battery is a touch larger, too; however this doesn’t equate to much real-world battery life improvement over the Galaxy S23 Plus (presumably due to the newer phone’s more demanding software). Still, the Galaxy S24 Plus is objectively the battery-life king of the Galaxy S24 line.
If you’re after the best camera phone around, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the way to go, but the new Plus model boasts some decent, if not groundbreaking, photography hardware nonetheless. The phone retains its predecessor’s 50MP wide lens (f/1.8), 12MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.2), 10MP telephoto lens (f/2.4, 3x optical zoom), and 12MP selfie camera (f/2.2), though the aforementioned addition of Galaxy AI has thrown some neat new AI-powered editing capabilities into the mix.
All told, then, Samsung’s latest second-tier flagship is an objectively better phone than last year’s S23 Plus, and it should make prospective Galaxy S24 Ultra buyers think twice about what they really value in a smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review: Design
- Slightly flatter edges and narrower bezels
- New Armor Aluminum frame
For the second year running, Samsung’s newest Galaxy Plus model places an emphasis on meaningful internal upgrades over a dramatic aesthetic redesign; but that’s not to say the Galaxy S24 Plus looks identical to its predecessor.
Measuring 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm and weighing 196g, this year’s Plus phone has slightly narrower bezels, slightly flatter edges (think theiPhone 15 ProandGalaxy Z Fold 5) and a more durable Armor Aluminum frame than the Galaxy S23 Plus. Personally, I’m all for the changes – the S23 Plus’s mirrored frame was a garish fingerprint magnet – although you’d be hard pressed to distinguish the Galaxy S24 Plus from its predecessor when viewing the two phones at a glance.
The Galaxy S24 Plus is still stuck with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, which wouldn’t be a problem if the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Gorilla Armor wasn’t so much more effective at reducing scratches. Annoyingly, my Galaxy S24 Plus review unit has picked up a fair few screen blemishes while bouncing around in my pocket and work bag, so I’d suggest picking up a compatible screen protector (if not a full-blown protective case) if you do purchase this phone.
As for theSamsung Galaxy S24 colors, the Galaxy S24 Plus ships in Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Sandstone Orange, Sapphire Blue and Jade Green, with the latter three colors exclusive to the Samsung store. I was handed the Cobalt Violet color for this review, which shows off the phone’s matte finish and rear glass texture pretty nicely, though it’s no secret that the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s titanium color options are much more premium-looking.
- Design score: 3 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review: Display
- QHD+ display for the first time in a Plus model
- Enhanced outdoor visibility
- New 2,600-nit peak brightness
For the first time, the display on Samsung’s latest Galaxy Plus model is objectively superior to the display used by its standard sibling. Specifically, the Galaxy S24 Plus uses a 6.65-inch dynamic AMOLED 2X display, with QHD+ technology that delivers improved sharpness and detail compared to the screen on the smaller Galaxy S24. Previously, QHD+ displays have been reserved for Samsung’s Ultra phones, and although the differences here aren’t all that noticeable, it’s good to see Samsung giving the Galaxy S24 Plus the best screen possible.
The other display upgrades are shared between the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus. Both phones get a new peak brightness of 2,600 nits, as well as improved outdoor visibility thanks to Samsung’s Vision Booster feature. Their refresh rates have also been improved – you’ll now get 1-120Hz instead of 48-120Hz.
The usual color, anti-distortion and wide-angle viewing benefits of AMOLED display technology are present and correct on the Galaxy S24 Plus, too, and all of the above features combine to deliver the biggest, boldest and brightest Galaxy S Plus display yet.
- Display score: 5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review: Performance
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset in the US, Exynos 2400 elsewhere
- Larger vapor chamber and ray tracing support
- Phenomenal speakers
Much to the chagrin of Samsung fans the world over, Samsung has again split the chipset offering for its latest Galaxy phones – though the situation isn’t as bad as it was for the Galaxy S22 line, where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 outperformed the Exynos 2200 by some margin.
Specifically, the chipset powering your Galaxy S24 Plus depends on the region in which you buy the phone. Those in the US get a bespoke version of Qualcomm’s newly released Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while those in Europe and other regions get Samsung’s new Exynos 2400. As I’m based in London I reviewed the Exynos-equipped version of the Galaxy S24 Plus, and I can safely say that I never once felt that my phone was equipped with a second-rate chipset.
If you’re interested in benchmarks, my Exynos-equipped Galaxy S24 Plus achieved a single-core Geekbench 6 score of 2002, a multi-core score of 6732, and a machine-learning Geekbench ML score of 423. For comparison, our Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-equipped version of the S24 Plus – which we tested in the US using the same Geekbench programs – achieved a single-core score of 2272, a multi-core score of 7083, and a machine-learning score of 694 (using Geekbench ML). All tests were conducted with the phones in Standard mode rather than Light mode, which prioritizes battery life and cooling efficiency over processing speed.
- Performance score: 5 / 5
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review: Battery
- 4,900mAh battery is a slight upgrade
- 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging
The Galaxy S24 Plus has a 4,900mAh battery, which is a 200mAh increase over the S23 Plus’s 4,700mAh power pack. Unfortunately, that size increase doesn’t result in much (if any) tangible battery life improvement, but the Galaxy S24 Plus is still a phenomenally long-lasting phone, and one that trumps the standard Galaxy S24 by some margin in this respect.
During testing, my Exynos-equipped Galaxy S24 Plus lasted well over a day and a half with moderate use, even with the always-on display enabled. In the US, our Snapdragon-equipped Galaxy S24 Plus registered 16 hours of battery life in two separate rundown tests (one with Adaptive mode enabled, the other with Standard mode enabled). So, regardless of which Galaxy S24 Plus model you choose, you won’t be left wanting for battery life.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Value | The Galaxy S24 Plus is significantly cheaper than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but it’s still a mightily expensive phone. | 4 / 5 |
| Design | The phone’s slim bezels and flatter sides look great, but the lack of Gorilla Armor glass is dissapointing. | 3 / 5 |
| Display | The Galaxy S24 Plus’ display is big, bright, outdoor-friendly and as good as the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s. | 5 / 5 |
| Software | Samsung’s Galaxy AI features are welcome addition, but they don’t do enough to mitigate OneUI’s dizzying complexity. | 3 / 5 |
| Cameras | The Galaxy S24 Plus’ camera array is objectively solid, but some hardware upgrades are long overdue. | 3 / 5 |
| Performance | Despite the region-based chipset discrepancy, the Galaxy S24 Plus is a phenomenally powerful phone. | 5 / 5 |
| Battery | The phone’s class-leading battery life and speedy charging make it a battery champion. | 5 / 5 |
Buy it if…
You want Ultra-level specs for a cut price
The Galaxy S24 Plus is $200 / £250 / AU$500 cheaper than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, yet you still get an equally-powerful chipset, the same amount of RAM, the same charging capabilities, the same peak brightness, the same variable refresh rate, and even better battery life.
You’re a fan of big phones
If you’re after a big-screened Samsung phone that won’t weigh down your pocket, the Galaxy S24 Plus is as portable as 6.7-inch phones come.
You want class-leading battery life
The Galaxy S24 Plus ranks among the best Android phones for battery life; if endurance is your primary concern, this is the phone to go for.