Samsung Galaxy S24: design
For the most part, the Galaxy S24 looks similar to last year’s Galaxy S23. They both have flat displays, the same triple-lens column camera module, and the same antenna markings on the frame. But there are some notable differences.First, the S24 now has a flat-edged frame, similar to the iPhone 15, rather than the rounded edges like before.
The frame now also has a matte finish rather than glossy. Sure, it does look like Samsung is a copycat because the S24 basically looks like an iPhone 15, but that’s not a bad thing. It feels more elegant and refined.
The front and back glass use Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the back still has a matte finish, so it’s pretty resistant to fingerprints. However, I do find that it feels slick and slippery, so I would prefer to use it with a good, grippy case.For my review unit, I got Marble Gray, which is a very light gray color — not my favorite. The S24 comes in three other standard colors: Onyx Black, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow. There are also three Samsung.com exclusive colors: Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone Orange. Most of the color lineup is too pale and boring for my liking, and I think Sandstone Orange and Cobalt Violet are the only good colors due to their higher saturation levels.
Samsung Galaxy S24: display
While the displays are also similar between the Galaxy S24 and its predecessor, there is one big upgrade this year. Samsung is now using an LTPO AMOLED panel, which is more power efficient with the always-on display. By using LTPO, the refresh rate can get as low as 1Hz when idle, whereas the S23 could only get down to 24Hz when not in use.
Aside from that, there are other differences with the display on the Galaxy S24. This year, Samsung has slightly bumped up the display to 6.2 inches from the 6.1-inch screen of its predecessor. This means the chassis is a smidge taller and narrower than last year, and the bezels have slimmed down slightly. At first, I was worried that the difference would be noticeable, but after using the S24 for the past week, it has been negligible.The Galaxy S24’s display looks great.The 6.2-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED display also reaches up to 120Hz refresh rate and has 2,600 nits of peak brightness.
For comparison, the S23 was only able to get 1,750 nits. The resolution is 1080 x 2340 pixels with a 416 pixel per inch (ppi) density. Oddly enough, the ppi is slightly less than the S23, but again, the difference is negligible.
Samsung Galaxy S24: performance and software
Samsung equipped the entire S24 lineup with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip. This slightly overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is optimized specifically for Samsung’s Galaxy devices, so it means better performance and efficiency.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 has Android 14 and One UI 6.1 layered on top. For the base model S24, Samsung gave it 8GB RAM with 128GB or 256GB of storage. Despite having less RAM than its larger siblings (both the S24 Plus and S24 Ultra have 12GB RAM), the base S24 is still plenty fast and capable for the average user.
I’ve used my S24 modestly in the past week for my daily tasks. This includes checking personal and work emails, Microsoft Teams messages, various social media accounts, reading and watching videos, and snapping photos. I experienced no lag or stutter in my use, and switching between apps is seamless.
My favorite Galaxy AI feature is easily Circle to Search. With a simple gesture of a long press on the center button or the navigation bar (depending on whether you have button or gesture navigation), you can tap, circle, or scribble anywhere on the screen to look something up. It’s like Google Lens, but it works no matter what app you’re in.
Samsung Galaxy S24: cameras
There haven’t been many changes to the base model Galaxy S24 camera from its predecessor. In fact, they are pretty much the exact same lenses: a 50MP main camera, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view. The front is still a 12MP selfie camera.
One of my biggest issues with previous Samsung phones was the photos. It wasn’t that the cameras were bad, but Samsung has a tendency to make colors in photos oversaturated and vivid, to the point where sometimes it doesn’t look realistic or true to life. While some people like it that way, I prefer images that are a bit more realistic and true to life — if I want to make something pop a bit more, I’ll do it in the editing process.
Images that I’ve taken so far have been quite impressive. They still pop but are more accurate with the coloring than before. The cameras capture all of the fine details, sharpness, and textures, and even close-ups have been good. I also notice that the skin tones feel more realistic this time around, too, as it doesn’t make my selfies look orange so far. It’s also quite fast to capture photos, as I tested it out while my daughter was playing with a bubble wand. It can quickly focus and capture the moment as soon as you tap that shutter button.
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