Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus Review: Ultra’s Underdog or Overrated?

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus

4.5

Overall Score

4.5/5

The Good Stuff

• Bright & stunning QHD+ display
• Includes Galaxy AI features
• Compact version of S24 Ultra
• Very good battery life
• Impressive performance
• Impressive speakers

The Bad Stuff

• Same camera features with S23 Plus
• Aluminum not titanium frame
• Less durable than S24 Ultra
• Pricey

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus

“The Galaxy S24 Plus delivers a true flagship experience, surpassing the standard Galaxy S24 with superior display, slightly better battery life, and increased RAM.”

Specs

Overview

Remember the rumors about the Galaxy Plus line ending? Forget them! The Galaxy S24 Plus is back and stronger than ever, making the “middle child” position a thing of the past.

Here’s why the S24 Plus is a serious contender: It boosts a sharp and improved QHD+ display; it comes with AI features, including tools like real-time translation and photo editing.

Next is the superior performance thanks to either the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip (released in the US) or Exynos 2400 in Europe and other regions. Then there’s the subtle design changes like narrower bezels, a flatter form, with a more durable frame to enhance the look and feel, and a 4,900mAh battery that offers the longest battery life.

While the camera remains unchanged from the S23 Plus, the addition of AI editing tools adds some versatility. 

Overall, the Galaxy S24 Plus is a significant upgrade over its predecessor and offers a compelling alternative to the S24 Ultra. For those who don’t necessarily need the absolute best camera but value features like a sharper display and AI capabilities, the S24 Plus delivers excellent performance and value.

This phone makes potential S24 Ultra buyers seriously consider their priorities before spending extra for the top model.

Design

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Plus prioritizes internal upgrades over a major design overhaul. While not a dramatic redesign, the S24 Plus features slightly narrower bezels, flatter edges, and a more durable aluminum frame compared to its predecessor. These changes improve handling and address the S23 Plus’s fingerprint-prone finish, but the overall look remains similar.  

The phone continues to use Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is less scratch-resistant than the superior Gorilla Armor glass found on the S24 Ultra. It’s best to get a screen protector for this one as the S24 Plus is prone to scratches if not watched.

The S24 Plus comes in seven colors, with three exclusive to Samsung’s store. While the matte finish and textured glass look good on the Cobalt Violet, we find the S24 Ultra’s titanium options more visually appealing.

Overall, the S24 Plus offers internal improvements but lacks a significant design refresh. The display’s scratch resistance is a concern, and while the color options are decent, they are outshined by the S24 Ultra’s premium choices.

Display

Galaxy S24 Plus Boasts the Best Display Yet. It breaks tradition by sporting a superior display compared to its smaller sibling, the Galaxy S24. This upgrade comes in the form of a larger dynamic AMOLED 2X display with QHD+ technology, offering noticeably sharper visuals and finer details. This high-resolution technology was previously reserved for Samsung’s top-tier Ultra phones.

While the difference in sharpness between the S24 and S24 Plus might not be earth-shattering, Samsung equips both phones with some impressive display improvements shared across the models.

These include: 2,600 nits peak brightness for clear and vibrant visuals even in bright outdoor conditions; a vision boost to enhance outdoor visibility for streaming content; and an improved refresh rate that offers a wider range (1-120Hz) compared to the previous generation’s 48-120Hz, this upgrade enhances the phone’s responsiveness, particularly noticeable for gaming.

Combined with the usual strengths of AMOLED technology (superior color accuracy, anti-distortion, and wide viewing angles), the Galaxy S24 Plus delivers the best display experience yet in the S Plus line, making it bigger, bolder, and brighter than ever before.

Cameras

While it boasts impressive camera features overall, it disappoints by reusing the same camera hardware as its predecessor. This means you get a 50MP main sensor, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto, and a 12MP selfie camera, which isn’t necessarily bad, but falls short of the cutting-edge technology found in phones like the S23 Ultra.

However, Samsung makes the most of the existing hardware with significant software improvements. It includes: Enhanced image processing to control the sharpness of images, giving it a more natural-looking and consistent photos; Ultra HDR to capture detailed and accurate colors even in scenes with high contrast, perfect for sharing on social media platforms like Instagram; Night Mode for use in low-lit areas and Portrait Mode mode for both foreground and background blur options; and new shooting modes for food mode and dual record cater to specific user needs. Dual Record allows for simultaneous recordings from multiple lenses for creative content creation.

Now Galaxy AI is in the picture, it includes these editing tools:  

While the lack of hardware upgrades is a missed opportunity, Samsung’s software advancements significantly improve the Galaxy S24 Plus camera experience, making it a compelling option for social media users and casual photographers.

Performance

While the Galaxy S24 Plus uses different chipsets depending on your region, unlike the significant performance gap between the S22’s Snapdragon and Exynos versions, this year’s difference is negligible. Here’s the breakdown: The US region gets the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, while Europe and other regions get the Samsung Exynos 2400 chip

While benchmark scores show the Snapdragon slightly wins over the Exynos in processing and machine learning tasks, the performance is not really a bit issue, as the difference in performance difference is very minimal, and the Galaxy AI relies on cloud processing, to make the machine learning score less impactful.

Therefore, you can rest assured that the Exynos 2400 in the Galaxy S24 Plus delivers smooth performance for gaming, video recording, and multitasking. Additionally, the S24 Plus boasts a larger vapor chamber for improved heat dissipation during gaming, ray tracing support, and includes dual stereo speakers that sound really good. 

In conclusion, don’t worry about which chipset your Galaxy S24 Plus has. Both versions offer exceptional performance, making it a great choice for gamers and everyday users alike.

Battery

The Galaxy S24 Plus Battery comes with a long-lasting but no major improvements. While the Galaxy S24 Plus packs a slightly larger battery than its predecessor (4,900mAh vs 4,700mAh), the real-world impact on battery life is minimal.

However, the phone still delivers excellent endurance, lasting well over a day and a half of moderate use, even with the always-on display active. This significantly outperforms the standard Galaxy S24.

Charging is also impressive. The Galaxy S24 Plus supports 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. Mind you that the phone charger is not included. Whilst charging the Snapdragon model, the phone reaches 40% in 15 minutes and 72% in 30 minutes.

Whereas the Exynos model takes slightly longer but still charges quickly, reaching full charge in just over an hour.

Overall, the Galaxy S24 Plus offers dependable battery life and fast charging capabilities, regardless of the chipset it uses. The minor charging quirk is a slight annoyance, but it doesn’t significantly impact the overall experience.

Verdict

Don’t let its understated design fool you, the Galaxy S24 Plus delivers a true flagship experience, surpassing the standard Galaxy S24 with superior display, slightly better battery life, and increased RAM.

Additionally, Samsung’s AI features (both impressive and sometimes lacking) are available throughout the S24 lineup, further narrowing the gap between the Plus and the top-tier S24 Ultra.

While you won’t find the Ultra’s premium titanium frame or groundbreaking camera, the S24 Plus offers a near-identical smartphone experience at a more attractive price point. Think of it as the value-conscious flagship phone, delivering powerful features without breaking the bank… too much.

If you like this review, please leave a comment here below. Let’s discuss matters relating to the Galaxy S24 Plus. Is it good? Is it Bad. Let me know. Until next time 😀