The S24 family from Galaxy has arrived, and each device in the trio truly has its own unique appeal. Historically, the Plus model tends to receive the least focus from buyers, and this year we don’t expect it to be any different. However, as we’ve mentioned several times before, the S24+ is arguably closer to the Ultra in terms of features. A large QHD display and an almost identical 4,900 mAh battery certainly make it an enticing option. Plus, the S24+ comes at a somewhat lower price than the S24 Ultra, making the transition from the vanilla S24 to the S24+ less painful.
Summary:
That being said, the Galaxy S24 still maintains its clear advantage for anyone seeking a compact flagship device. Even for those who don’t mind a larger device, the S24 remains the most affordable way to join the sleek new S24 family with its Galaxy AI and seven years of software updates. Here’s a detailed comparison between the Galaxy S24 and the S24+.
First, you can compare the complete specs sheets or carry on with our editor’s commentary in the text below.
Size comparison
Samsung didn’t significantly alter the size of the S24 or S24+ from last year. The slightly larger displays (6.2-inch and 6.7-inch, respectively) are thanks to the space-saving benefits of LTPO technology.
The size difference between the two models is quite substantial. The vanilla Galaxy S24 remains one of the few compact modern flagships available, while the S24+ boasts a display almost as large as that of the S24 Ultra. The S24 is both thinner and shorter than the S24+, and about the same in terms of thickness. The S24+ weighs about 30 grams more than the S24. Interestingly, the S24 Ultra is a hefty 232 grams, a good 36 grams heavier than the S24+, making the S24+ a great choice for a large-display Samsung flagship that’s lighter and more compact than its bigger sibling.
The styling between the Galaxy S24 and S24+ is identical. Besides the size, the two models are externally similar and come in the same color options: Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, and Sapphire Blue. Some of these are only available directly from Samsung’s store.
This year’s new design detail, shared between the S24 and S24+, is the matte finish, particularly visible on the middle frame of the phone.
Speaking of the middle frame, its material has been upgraded from the S23 generation and is now Armor aluminum 2. This should enhance the drop and scratch resistance. Both models come with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protective glass on the front and back. The new Gorilla Glass Armor is exclusive to the S24 Ultra this year. Both phones also enjoy a full IP68 ingress protection rating.
Display comparison
Both the S24 and S24+ are equipped with excellent Samsung-made Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels from the same generation and offering a maximum brightness of 2600 nits.
In standardized testing, the S24 managed 785 nits on the slider and 1401 nits in auto mode, while the S24+ achieved 781 nits on the slider and 1452 nits in auto mode. As we began to reduce the white patches, the brightness reached over 2000 nits, validating the advertised values.
Both phones have LTPO technology this year, which not only allowed Samsung to fit slightly larger panels in the same footprint as the S23 and S23+, but also offers better dynamic refresh rate control. Samsung’s LTPO tech and refresh rate switching logic are both exceptional, even matching video playback framerate with the display refresh rate.
The sole downside with these displays is that the S24 and S24+ still rely on 8-bit panels, while many competitors have moved on to 10 or 12-bit panels, though it’s hardly noticeable in practice.
Battery comparison
The S24 and S24+ have had their batteries upgraded compared to the S23 generation. The vanilla S24 has a slight 100 mAh increase for a total of 4000 mAh, while the S24+ saw an additional 200 mAh added, bringing its battery to 4900 mAh, almost as much as the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 5000 mAh battery.
However, Samsung didn’t increase battery capacity this year for better battery life, but rather to counteract the higher power draw of the new generation of Exynos 2400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chips.
Despite this, the S24 model saw a minor improvement in its Active Use Score compared to the older S23 model. Having 12:06 hours of usage from such a compact phone is commendable. Meanwhile, the S24+ only managed a slightly higher Active Use Score than the S24, reaching 12:30 hours. This is due to the added strain of driving the QHD resolution on a much larger display.
Charging speed
The vanilla S24 only gets Samsung’s 25W Super Fast Charging, whereas the S24+ is rated for 45W Super Fast Charging, just like the S24 Ultra. In practice, the difference in charging speed between the two models is notable but not extreme.
In our testing, the S24 reached 29% in 15 minutes, 59% in 30 minutes, and a full charge in 1:15 hours. The S24+, on the other hand, attained 41% in 15 minutes, 74% in 30 minutes, and a full charge in 0:58 hours. It’s important to note that using a 25W power adapter with the S24+ will take 10-15 additional minutes for a full charge, with 30 minutes of charging delivering 60% instead of 74%.
It’s important to note that although the S24+ supports the faster 45W charging standard, the cable included with the phone is only rated for 3A and can’t handle such speeds. However, Samsung typically sells all 45W chargers with an included 5A cable.
Another thing worth mentioning is that neither phone comes with a charger in the box, so you’d need to buy one separately unless you receive a promotional offer from your retailer or carrier. Samsung’s Super Fast Charging is PD-based, so any good PD charger should work, but we recommend getting a Samsung one to ensure it has the right PPS profiles.
In addition to wired charging, both the S24 and S24+ support 15W Qi/PMA wireless charging and 4.5W reverse charging.
Speaker test
Both the Galaxy S24 and S24+ feature a hybrid stereo speaker setup, with a dedicated bottom-firing speaker and an amplified earpiece acting as the second speaker. Both phones achieved a “Very Good” rating in our testing, a notable improvement over the previous S23 generation.
Despite their difference in size, the S24 and S24+ have remarkably similar audio systems in terms of loudness and sound quality.
You can compare how the two phones sound in controlled acoustic conditions using the samples below. Please ensure your headphones are on and the volume is at its max level.
Performance
After offering the S23 generation solely with Qualcomm chips, Samsung has reverted to using a two-chip solution for the S24 and S24+. The S24 Ultra still only uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Depending on your location, you might end up with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or an Exynos 2400 inside your S24 or S24+. The latter is far more likely due to the fact that only the USA, Canada, and China receive the Qualcomm variant.
Thankfully, you get a flagship chipset in both models, which is especially appealing in the smaller S24 since proper flagships in a compact form factor are hard to come by. Our initial testing batch was done on European S24 and S24+ units running the Exynos 2400 chipset. Our S24 review unit is the 8GB/256GB version, while our S24+ model has a 12GB/512GB configuration. We recommend avoiding the base 128GB S24 as it uses slower UFS 3.1 storage.
We have yet to test the Snapdragon version of the S24 and S24+, but early results indicate that Samsung’s chipset appears to be very close in overall performance to Qualcomm’s flagship. There may still be differences in thermals between the chips, though. Samsung mentioned that it has upgraded its vapor chamber cooling solution across the S24 lineup to account for the increased heat production by the new chipsets.
The Exynos-equipped S24 and S24+ don’t have particularly concerning thermal-throttling behavior, but we expected slightly better overall performance. However, neither phone gets too hot to hold under load, and the S24+ handles heat slightly better than the regular S24. Moreover, the S24+ consistently yields slightly higher performance scores than the S24, likely due to the 12GB of RAM that all S24+ units come with, as opposed to the regular S24, which still has 8GB (aside from a specific version in China).
Camera comparison
The Galaxy S24 and S24+ boast seemingly unchanged camera hardware compared to the previous year’s models. This entails a reasonably pedestrian but fully-featured triple setup on the back, complemented by a selfie unit that’s better than many others.
- Wide (main): 50MP Samsung ISOCELL (S5K)GN3, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, f/1.8, 24mm, PDAF, OIS; 4320p@30fps, 2160p@60fps
- Telephoto: 10MP Samsung ISOCELL (S5K)3K1, 1/3.94″, 1.0µm, f/2.4, 67mm, PDAF, OIS; 2160p@60fps
- Ultrawide: 12MP, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, f/2.2, 13mm, fixed focus; 2160p@60fps
- Front camera: 12MP, 1/3.2″, 1.12µm, f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF; 2160p@60fps
Samsung galaxy S24 daylight samples: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x
