Back in January, Samsung unveiled its flagship Galaxy S24 Series globally. Previously, we reviewed the compact king Galaxy S24 (read here) and the specced-out Galaxy S24 Ultra (read here). Now, we turned our attention to the middle (and often overlooked) variant, the Galaxy S24+. In its previous iterations, the Plus variants of the Galaxy S Series used to be the go-to device for users who want a big smartphone with a flat-screen display that can do it all. This year’s Ultra variant may have swayed some of those buyers by ditching its curved display for a flat unit with minimal bezels around it. The Ultra’s impressive periscope lens is another reason why many camera enthusiasts prefer it over the other S Series smartphones. If you’re in India, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the only smartphone in the S24 lineup that is equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. The other variants utilise the infamous Exynos SoCs from Samsung’s workshop. However, having used the S24+ as our daily driver for the last week, we firmly believe that it is still one of the best Androids you can buy right now. Need more details? Here is our review of the Samsung Galaxy S24+.
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In This Article
Samsung Galaxy S24+ review: Design and Display
Here’s what you get inside the Samsung Galaxy S24+ retail package:
- Smartphone
- USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- SIM ejector tool
- Quick Start Guide
The Galaxy S24+ is essentially a bigger S24. It retains the design and the form factor of the entry-level compact variant in the S24 lineup. This means it gets a flat glass back with a vertical layout for the rear cameras. The back panel has a nice matte-like feel to it. The aluminium frame now has flat edges, lending it a nice in-hand feel. These edges have a smooth texture, which offers a nice contrast to the matte feel of the back panel. The smartphone is curved along the corners, unlike its Ultra sibling.
Certain physical attributes of the S24 Series have been held back on the first two variants. The Galaxy S24+ does not have a titanium-infused frame and makes use of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection for the front and back panels. The Utlra variant flaunts titanium edges as well as Corning Gorilla Armour protection. The overall form factor of the S24 Ultra feels a lot more premium than its two siblings, mostly due to how exclusive it is. The two entry-level variants are rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, so you don’t have to worry about the occasional dip or splash.
On the bottom edge of the Galaxy S24+, you will find the SIM card slot, primary microphone, USB Type-C slot, and primary speaker. Up top, lie the secondary speaker and microphone. The left edge is keyless while the right side of the frame holds the volume rocker keys and the side button.
There’s one thing that Samsung does better than anyone else, and it’s making splendid displays. The S24+ continues that tradition. The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is bigger than the 6.2-inch unit on the entry-level variant and just 0.1 inches smaller than the Ultra. It has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz and can hit a brightness of 2,600 nits under direct sunlight. Needless to say, you can pull out this phone under any lighting condition and comfortably read whatever is on the screen. The touch response is as smooth as it gets, making the smartphone almost unputdownable.
The AMOLED panel produces very rich and dynamic colours that truly pop. With HDR10+ support and Widevine L1 certification, you can watch HD content across all streaming platforms on the device. We binged through Abbott Elementary and were pleased with the composition of the images and the details produced by the display. The stereo speaker setup produces a good output. We didn’t feel the need to reach for our headphones any time we played something on the phone.
Samsung Galaxy S24+ review: Performance and Cameras
Let’s address the elephant in the room – the Exynos 2400 SoC powering this smartphone. When you’re splurging Rs 1 lakh on a smartphone, expecting the best chipset on the market is a reasonable demand. However, Samsung has reserved the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC for the S24 Ultra in India. In the USA, Canada, and China, all three variants in the S24 lineup are equipped with the S8G3 SoC under the hood.
Even though it isn’t as powerful as its Snapdragon counterpart, the Exynos 2400 chipset does not crack when tasked with handling routine functions. Even with multiple apps running in the background, the smartphone carried out all of its tasks impeccably. We did notice the rear camera bump heat up slightly while video calling for an extended period of time, but that is something you’ll encounter in a lot of flagship devices. Social media browsing, emailing, and media playback presented no problems. On the Geekbench 6 app, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ scored 2,105 points on the single-core test and 6,668 points on the multi-core test. Its single-core performance was very close to the S24 Ultra (2,165 points), while in the multi-core test, it left its elder sibling (6,416 points) behind.
The only time you will notice a significant difference between the two chipsets is while gaming. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ tends to warm up easily compared to the Ultra variant. We played Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt 9 in their highest settings and started feeling the rise in temperature after the 30-minute mark. This was also the case with the compact S24. However, to the S24+’s credit, its larger size works in its favour due to the vapour chamber being able to dissipate the heat quicker than the entry-level S24.
We’ve talked about the One UI 6.0 experience and the new Galaxy AI features at length in our reviews of the Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra. The OS performance on the S24+ is the same as the other two smartphones. The AI features are not in-your-face, but speckled across the interface and accessible whenever required. Some of these features (like live translation), may cater to a niche audience and are incredibly fun to use. Other, like Generative AI Editing, make us feel like AI is here to stay in smartphones. If you want to dazzle up your device, you can create unique AI wallpapers by entering a prompt. One thing that we don’t like about the new One UI is the redesigned Quick Start Menu which makes it harder to use the device with one hand.
We got a steady one-day battery backup on the Samsung Galaxy S24+ during the week-long review period. The 4,900 mAh battery pack is bigger than the one on the regular S24. However, it doesn’t hold a candle to the battery life of the S24 Ultra. The latter can last up to 2 days on moderate usage. On the bright side, the S24+ gets support for 45W fast charging, like the Ultra variant. Plugging the charger into the device for 30 minutes can charge it to 65%. It takes just under an hour to fully charge the phone.
The S24+ sports the same camera specs as its younger, compact sibling. It gets a 50MP primary shooter, a 10MP 2x telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. The pictures taken by the two phones are inseparable.
This isn’t a bad thing by any means, because Samsung’s flagship smartphones consistently produce excellent results. In daylight conditions, the S24+ takes detailed pictures with dynamic and punchy colours. The images do not seem overprocessed or oversaturated. We were pleased with the dynamic range and the contrast management as well. For a smartphone that goes up against the camera champs in Vivo X100 Pro (our review here) and Xiaomi 14, the S24+ holds its own.
The 12MP ultrawide camera retains the colour composition of the primary shooter. You can easily use the two cameras interchangeably. There is no softness to the images taken using this lens, at least in broad daylight. We were highly impressed with how accurately the ultrawide camera captured the shadows and the reflections.
The 3x telephoto lens is a reliable player if you want to take pictures of distant objects. The colours are tuned nicely on this camera as well. We were also happy with the detail in the images. Samsung’s photoprocessing chops do a good job of smoothening and resolving the images up to 10x, but after that, the drop-off in quality is very significant.
When things go dark, you can rely on your Samsung Galaxy S24+ to take amazing pictures. The 50MP sensor lets in a lot of light and takes detailed pictures even when the Night Mode is not turned on. If there is some artificial source of light falling on the subject, we’d suggest using the normal configuration for this lens. However, for the ultrawide and telephoto lenses, you will need the Night Mode to brighten the subject and smoothen out the grain.
Portrait shots taken with the Galaxy S24+ are breathtaking, to say the least. The primary camera does a great job of separating the subject from the background and applying the perfect amount of blur to create a focused image. The richness of colour is a delight to watch. If you don’t fancy moving closer to the subject, you can zoom in up to 3x in Portrait Mode.
Selfies taken with the 12MP camera are detailed and free of any unwanted skin tone correction. This camera can record 4K videos at 30 and 60 fps. Meanwhile, the primary shooter can shoot in 8K resolution at 24 and 30 fps.
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Verdict
After daily driving the Samsung Galaxy S24+ for a week-long review period, if we were to sum up the device in one word, we’d say it’s underrated. For a significantly lower price than the S24 Ultra, the S24+ offers an excellent display, a refined form factor, and impeccable camera performance. If you’re not into mobile gaming, the Exynos 2400 SoC will not disappoint you. It manages to do a good job while handling routine tasks. At the price of Rs 1 lakh, you’re getting a top-notch premium device in the S24+.
Samsung Galaxy S24+: Pros
- Refined form factor
- Smooth display
- Great set of cameras
Samsung Galaxy S24+: Cons
- Not powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC
