The $799.99 Galaxy S24 is the smallest and most affordable entry in Samsung’s flagship phone lineup, but it more than earns its place alongside the S24+ ($999.99) and the S24 Ultra ($1,299.99). In addition to a top-end Qualcomm processor and excellent cameras, the Galaxy S24 gets all of Samsung’s cutting-edge AI features and a generous seven-year commitment to software updates. The Google Pixel 8 remains our Editors’ Choice winner for compact Android phones thanks to its lower $699 price, slightly better cameras, and competitive set of AI features, but Samsung devotees are sure to enjoy the longer battery life and the additional processing power of the S24. For the best phone in the Galaxy lineup, meanwhile, the S24 Ultra is our top pick for its S Pen stylus, extra camera zoom, and more durable build, but it costs a lot more than the standard Galaxy S24 and isn't for fans of small phones.
Design: Pocketable and Premium
The Samsung Galaxy S24 shares its rounded design language with the slightly larger S24+. Neither bears much resemblance to the squared-off S24 Ultra. I prefer the rounded corners of the S24 and S24+ since they don't dig into my hands.
At 5.79 by 2.78 by 0.30 inches (HWD) and 5.93 ounces, the Galaxy S24 is easy to hold or carry in a pocket. It absolutely qualifies as a small phone in an industry that assumes bigger is better. It's noticeably smaller and lighter than the Galaxy S24+, which measures 6.2 by 3.0 by 0.30 inches and weighs 6.95 ounces. The Pixel 8 (5.93 by 2.79 by 0.35 inches, 6.6 ounces) and the Apple iPhone 15 (5.81 by 2.82 by 0.31 inches, 6.02 ounces) are about the same size, but heavier.
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the company's second-most resilient smartphone glass, protects the front and back of the S24. Victus 2 is a robust material that resists scratching and shattering, but the Gorilla Armor panel that appears on the front of the S24 Ultra is even tougher and less reflective. The Pixel 8 uses first-gen Gorilla Glass Victus, while the iPhone 15 uses Apple's Ceramic Shield.
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An Armor Aluminum frame surrounds the bodies of the S24 and S24+, a step down from the S24 Ultra's titanium. That said, the frame meets the glass front and back panels elegantly. A volume rocker and a power button on the right edge provide a satisfying, clicky response, while the bottom houses a SIM tray, a USB C port (3.2 Gen 1), and a speaker. As expected, there is no microSD card slot or 3.5mm headphone jack. yhutgfr
Like the S24+ and Ultra, the standard Galaxy S24 has an IP68 rating. It's fully resistant to dust and can withstand being submerged in water as deep as 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. This IP rating has become a checkbox feature for premium phones and is something you also get with both the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8.
A three-camera array lines up on the rear of the phone, while the front-facing camera sits in the top center of the screen. The rear camera lenses rise above the back surface a bit, but you won't find an oversized camera bump like on the iPhone 15 or the Pixel 8.
An under-display fingerprint sensor is your best bet for biometric security. It's quick and accurate. Facial recognition is available too, but it isn't as secure.
Color choices include Amber Yellow, Cobalt Violet, Marble Gray, or Onyx Black. These four options are widely available, but Samsung also offers three exclusive colors from its website: Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, or Sapphire Blue. I received the Cobalt Violet model for testing, which appears a bit muted in indoor lighting, but brighter elsewhere.
Display: Sharp and Bright
The Galaxy S24's 6.2-inch display is a hair larger than the Galaxy S23's 6.1-inch panel, but both share the same 2,340-by-1,080-pixel resolution. For comparison, the Pixel 8's 6.2-inch screen has a slightly higher resolution of 2,400 by 1,080 pixels. The 6.7-inch S24+ and the 6.8-inch S24 Ultra are sharper still, with 3,120 by 1,440 pixels.
The S24 features the same 120Hz variable refresh rate as the S24+ and the S24 Ultra, as well as the Pixel 8. That means the screen can dip as low as 1Hz to preserve battery life or scale up for smooth gaming performance. All three Galaxy models share a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, which goes beyond the Pixel 8's 2,400 nits and the iPhone 15's 2,000 nits.
Performance: Big Power in a Small Package
Samsung gives the S24 the same system on a chip (SoC) that powers the S24+ and S24 Ultra, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy. This is a modified version of the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with tweaks for better CPU, GPU, and NPU performance. I've benchmarked several 8 Gen 3-based smartphones and, so far, the results are close across the board.
If there's anything that holds the S24 back compared with its peers, it's RAM. Samsung caps the phone's memory at just 8GB, whereas the S24+ and S24 Ultra get 12GB. I would have liked to see all three models at the 12GB mark or higher. For comparison, the Pixel 8 also has 8GB of RAM while the iPhone 15 has 6GB.
For storage, the S24 starts at 128GB ($799.99) and maxes out at 256GB ($859.99). If you like carrying a lot of media with you, plan to take a lot of high-res video, or install large apps, get the 256GB model. The S24+ tops out at 512GB for $1,119.99 and the S24 Ultra with 1TB goes for $1,659.99.
To make comparisons fair, I used a series of artificial benchmarks to test the S24. On Geekbench 6, which tests basic computing power, the S24 scored 2,260 on the single-core test and 6,893 on the multi-core test. On the same test, the S24+ scored 2,289 and 7,075. The Pixel 8, which uses Google's Tensor G3 processor, scored 1,171 and 3,119, though Google claims it tunes the G3 for AI performance and not benchmarks. The iPhone 15, which runs on Apple's A16 Bionic chip, pulled in scores of 2,607 and 6,231. Historically, Apple's SoCs have far outperformed Qualcomm chips, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 narrows the gap.
The PCMark Work 3.0 test measures general mobile tasks. Here, the S24 hit a score of 17,399. For comparison, the S24+ scored 18,476, while the Pixel 8 hit 9,959. On the Basemark Web 3.0 browser test, the S24 scored an impressive 1,198, beating both the S24+ (988) score and the S24 Ultra (1,017).
For gaming performance, I used the GFXBench Aztec Ruins test. The S24 managed to produce 85 frames per second (fps) at a resolution of 2,253 by 1,041 pixels. On the same test, the S24+ pushed 83fps and the Ultra reached 66fps. The iPhone 15 averaged 60fps.
In real-world tests with Genshin Impact, one of the most resource-intensive mobile games available, the S24 provided a smooth experience with no slowdowns or dropped frames even at the highest settings. During a 15-minute session, the back of the S24 became warm, but not hot enough to become uncomfortable. The S24+ and Ultra didn't get as warm to the touch. Basic games like Alto's Odyssey or Mario Kart Tour ran without a hitch, were easy to play, and didn't cause the phone to get warm.
Battery Life: Plenty of Pep for the Day
Samsung boosts the capacity of the Galaxy S24's battery to 4,000mAh, a 100mAh increase over the S23. Wired charging maxes out at 25W, while wireless charging reaches 15W. Reverse wireless charging is also available at up to 7.5W, which can come in handy in a pinch. Samsung doesn't pack a charger with any of the S24 phones, so you need to supply your own.
The Pixel 8 and the iPhone 15 charge at similar rates (30W and 20W, respectively). The Galaxy S24+ and Ultra both can charge at a speedier 45W rate and I would have liked to see parity with the S24 here. However, other manufacturers are pushing the limits of wired charging even further. The OnePlus 12 ($799), for example, charges at speeds up to 80W via a proprietary power brick.
In my battery tests, which involve wirelessly streaming an HD video with the screen brightness set to the maximum level, the S24 survived for 13 hours and 5 minutes. This is 7 minutes shy of the S23's battery life of 13 hours and 12 minutes. For comparison, the S24+ and the S24 Ultra each lasted over 14 hours. The Pixel 8 hit just 10 hours and 20 minutes, while the iPhone 15 ran for 16 hours.
It took one hour and 22 minutes to charge the S24 from 0% to 100% using a 25W charger. Plugging it in for 15 minutes yielded a charge of 34% and 30 minutes got the phone to 60%.
Connectivity
The Galaxy S24 shares its radios with the S24+. That means it has 5G, with support for mmWave and C-band. It supports one physical SIM card and one eSIM. It also has Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and Wi-Fi 6E. The S24 Ultra steps things up to Wi-Fi 7.
When I tested the S24 on T-Mobile's 5G UC network in New York City, it reached a maximum download speed of 813Mbps and an upload speed of 82.1Mbps, which are almost identical to the Galaxy S24+'s numbers on the same network in the same place (812Mbps down, 82.1Mbps up).
I tested the S24 on my home Wi-Fi 6 network and it reached a max download speed of 420Mbps and an upload speed of 10.5Mbps (that low upload speed is a function of my internet service provider and not the phone). The S24+ fared a little better at 468Mbps down and 15.1Mbps up. When I took the S24 as far away from the access point as possible in my apartment, speeds dropped to 149Mbps down and 5.2Mbps up. The S24+ pulled in an impressive 200Mbps down and 15.0Mbps up at that distance.
Call quality on the S24 is pretty good. The phone is particularly effective at rejecting background noise. When I left a voicemail with a loud television playing in the background, the recorded message sounded loud and clear. The TV was audible in the background only when I wasn't speaking, and even then, just barely. The earpiece speaker maxes out at 80.6dB and the speakerphone volume reaches 72.1dB. Generally, volumes at or above 70dB should allow you to hear most calls without difficulty.
You shouldn't expect to hear a lot of bass from the S24's stereo speakers. When I listened to The Knife's "Silent Shout," I could hear the low-end response only if I strained my ears. When the speakers are at their maximum (93.5 dB), they can fill a small room without distortion. For better audio fidelity, I recommend using Bluetooth headphones.
Cameras: Plenty of Detail With Saturated Colors
The S24 has the same cameras as the S24+, including a main 50MP f/1.8 sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), an ultra-wide 12MP f/2.2 lens, and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto imager with 3x optical zoom. The 50MP camera takes 12MP pictures (via pixel binning) by default but is capable of full 50MP images if you prefer. Samsung makes it easy to switch from one mode to the other in the camera app.
Image quality from the S24 and S24+ appears identical, with slight variations in tone easily attributable to changing weather and lighting conditions. Photos show sharp detail even when there are fine overlapping elements like tree branches and bricks. Colors are a bit oversaturated, but generally less vibrant than from older Galaxy phones. This is an improvement, though the Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 still produce images with more natural color. If you want to boost color back to the level of previous Galaxy devices, you can do so via the Gallery app.
The ultra-wide camera does a good job of fixing fish-eye distortion for inanimate objects, but people on the edge of the frame sometimes show stretching.
Details of faraway subjects look clean even with the 3x optical zoom. What would be a jagged mess with digital zoom is smooth and clear thanks to the telephoto camera's optics.
All three S24 models rely on the same front-facing 12MP f/2.2 camera. Portrait images generally feature a more realistic bokeh effect—the background blur is less aggressive than in previous generations. Regular selfies can blur the background of the subject slightly, but it depends on the distance. All the photos I captured with the front-facing camera have plenty of detail and saturated colors.
You can record video at up to 8K30, but be aware that a 22-second 8K30 clip is over 200MB. Lengthy 8K recordings will chew through the base 128GB of storage quickly. If you shoot at 4K60 or lower resolutions, you can change your zoom on the fly (0.6, 1, or 3x) while you record. Video stabilization works quite effectively, and I saw smooth results from clips I took while walking around normally. The colors in video clips look less saturated overall than those from stills and more closely resemble the colors I saw with my eyes. Details also appear sharp.
Artificial Intelligence, Real-World Utility
All three S24 models have the same set of Galaxy AI features. For a full breakdown of how the AI features perform, see my review of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. In general, you should know that the S24's AI features are well thought-out and can genuinely improve your phone experience. Samsung may charge for them in the future but has provided few details.
The Circle to Search feature (which lets you quickly perform a Google Image Search from the screen) can satisfy your curiosity about a subject quickly. Meanwhile, the Object Eraser image editing tool can help you clean up or alter images without a lot of work. So far, these are the two features that I miss most when I switch to other devices. The Pixel 8 has both of these features.
The S24 runs on Android 14 with Samsung's One UI 6.1 interface on top of it. One UI gives you advanced multitasking and access to DeX, Samsung's productivity mode that lets you connect the S24 to a display, mouse, and keyboard. DeX can't replace a full desktop PC experience, but I appreciate its inclusion nonetheless. If you want a purer Android experience, the Pixel 8 is the way to go.
Samsung says it will support the entire S24 lineup with seven years of OS and security updates. This new policy (older Samsung devices get five years of updates) puts the S24 on par with the Pixel 8 series.
A Compact Contender
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is a perfectly capable small phone with a high-end processor and a premium build. We’re also fans of its quality camera stack and AI features. The S24 Ultra is our Editors' Choice in the Galaxy lineup thanks to its S Pen stylus, increased durability, and additional camera zoom, but it costs $500 more than the base Galaxy S24 and is much larger. When it comes to one-handed devices under $800, the Pixel 8 slightly edges out the Galaxy S24 with its lower price and better camera quality. But if you want more processing power or longer battery life, the Galaxy S24 is a worthy alternative.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 combines a fast processor, a bright display, sharp cameras, and helpful AI tools in a pocket-friendly size for a reasonable price.
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