Samsung Galaxy S24-series – smarter and faster (smartphone specification comparison)
The Samsung Galaxy S24-series launch focused on its AI capabilities. Like Google, with its AI-feature-driven Pixel 8/Pro, it wants you to focus on what it can do for you versus ‘speeds and feeds’.
What is AI?
There is no doubt that AI is creeping more and more into the Android ecosystem. Things like AI camera processing, battery management, Google Lens, Gboard, Maps, Chrome, Search, RCS Messages, and more have AI underpinnings, so what makes the Samsung Galaxy S24-series that much smarter?
Well, like the Google Pixel 8/Pro, Samsung AI is powered by, you guessed it, Google Cloud. It is the first Google partner to use Google’s Deep Mind Gemini Pro and Imagen 2 Vertex. It has incorporated these AI features into its Galaxy apps – camera, phone, keyboard, etc. That means you will need a Samsung Account and an active mobile data internet connection for any off-device processing.
Note that Samsung states, ‘Galaxy AI features will be provided free of charge until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices.’ We need to know which features and what the costs will be.
While AI is the way to the future, it also needs lots of processing power and fast 5G mobile data. There will be a digital divide between the cost and capabilities of a smartphone and now an AI phone.
If you want to know more about AI, read What is AI (Artificial Intelligence), how will it affect me? (simple guide). Here is an overview What is Samsung Galaxy S24-series AI all about? We will look at Samsung’s AI in more depth during the review.
Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+ and Ultra key differences
Before you get buried in specs, there are a few fundamental differences. Ultra has:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 System-on-a-chip (SoC) – the fastest flagship processor of 2024. S24 and S24+ get the Samsung Exynos 2400 (SoC), which has different CPU, GPU, NPU and 4/5G modem performances. Reviews will show if there is a significant gap or not.
- Titanium frame. S24/+ gets an aluminium frame.
- Gorilla Glass Armor and S24/+ get Gorilla Glass Victus 2 screen protection and glass backs.
- Ultra and S24+ get 12GB RAM versus S24 8GB.
- Four rear cameras 200+50+12+10MP. S24/+ get 50+10+12.
- Ultra/S24+ has 45W cable charge (not supplied) and S24 has 25W (not supplied)
- Ultra/S24+ have Ultra-wide-band chips, and S24 does not.
Samsung Galaxy S24-series specifications
| Item | S24 Ultra | S24+ | S24 |
| Website | Product page | Product page | Same as S24+ – select S24 |
| RRP 18/1/223 Excludes any pre-order pricing | 256GB $2199 512GB $2399 1TB $2799 | 256GB $1699 512GB $1899 | 256GB $1399 512GB $1599 |
| Colours | Retail: Titanium Grey, Violet, Black, Yellow Online: Titanium Blue, Green, Orange | Retail: Cobalt Violet, Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Amber Yellow Online: Sapphire Blue, Jade Green, Sandstone Orange | Same as S24+ |
| Size | 162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6mm x 232g | 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm x 196g | 147.0 x 70.6 x 7.6mm x 167g |
| Screen | 6.8”, 3120 x 1440, 8-bit/16.7m colour, 120Hz adaptive refresh, 2600 nits peak, LTPO AMOLED 2X | 6.7” same | 6.2” same |
| Screen protection | Gorilla Glass Armor | Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Same |
| Stylus | Yes supplied | No | Same |
| Processor | Qualcomm SD8 Gen 3, 4nm, 1×3.3GHz + 5×3.2GHz + 2×2.3 GHz | Samsung Exynos 2400, 4nm, 1×3.2GHz + 2×2.90GHz + 3×2.60GHz + 4×2.0GHz | Same |
| GPU | Adreno 750 1GHz | Xclipse 940 | Same |
| Modem/4/5G | SIM+eSIM X75 4×4 MIMO DSDA (Dual sim, dual active) 10/3.5Gbps | Same Exynos 5300 2×2 MINO. Not sure about DSDA. 9.64/2.55Gbps | Same |
| RAM | 12GB | Same | 8GB |
continued
| Battery | 5000mAh 45W PD 3.0 charger not supplied. 15W Qi wireless 4.5W reverse charge | 4900mAh Same | 4000mAh 25W PD 3.0 charger not supplied. Same Same |
| Comms | Wi-Fi 7 BE EHT320 BT 5.3 GPS Dual NFC Ultra-wide-band USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 OTG Dex cable/wireless | Wi-Fi 6E AXE HE160 Same Same Same Same Same Same | Same Same Same Same No Same Same |
| Sound | Stereo earpiece and bottom-firing speaker | Same | Same |
| Frame | Titanium | Aluminium | Same |
| Camera Rear | 200.0 MP + 50.0 MP + 12.0 MP + 10.0 MP | 50.0 MP + 10.0 MP + 12.0 MP | Same |
| Camera Front | 12MP | Same | Same |
| Android | 14 and UI 6.1 7 x OS upgrades 7 x years of security patches | Same, but with a disclaimer, ‘ The new update policy may not apply to every Galaxy S24 model or region’. | Same |
| AI Features | Subject to a review. | Same | Same |
CyberShack’s view – Samsung Galaxy S24-series pack serious hardware and smarts
We review almost every new smartphone, and there is no doubt that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a great device. Its differentiator to the S24/+ is the Stylus and now the Qualcomm SD8 Gen 3 (and all that means).
The S24 and S24+ are also great devices, although purists are already making SoC comparisons. On synthetic benchmarks, the Snapdragon is well ahead of the Exynos. But these benchmarks don’t relate to real-life, everyday use like phone antenna signal strength and battery life/use, which more than 70 CyberShack tests clearly show.
Google set the AI trend with its Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. Read
- Google Pixel 8 and Pro – a deep-dive smartphone review
- Google Pixel 8 Pro and 8 – which one? (review companion)
Will Samsung do it better? I suspect so, if only because it sells many more devices, and its owners seem happy to be locked into the Samsung ecosystem. But it is pleasing to know that both use Google Cloud and its AI smarts.
Even more pleasing is that other makers like OPPO and Motorola have AI devices ready to roll. And that non-AI smartphones and even feature phones still have a bright future for those who don’t want or cannot embrace AI.
