This week’s Unpacked event brought Samsung’s latest flagships: the Galaxy S24 trio. You can check out our hands-on review for an introduction to the new features and hardware updates. And if you’re curious about what all these AI features are about, watch these videos.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a rethink on how the long telephoto should work: instead of a fixed 10x lens, Samsung has opted for 5x magnification and a high-resolution 50MP sensor that offers high-quality zoom between 5x and 10x . Furthermore, it allows 8K and 4K video recording at 120 fps from the tele camera.
Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy S24+ at $300 less than the Ultra. Except this year it has the same RAM (12GB) and boasts a flat 6.7-inch LTPO display with QHD+ resolution and 1-120Hz refresh rate, like the Ultra. The battery capacity is also only 100 mAh less than that of the Ultra. This is the best S+ we’ve seen in years, and (unless you don’t care about the S Pen), the only real downside to moving up to Plus instead of Ultra is that the cameras are basically the same as the S23+ and look already obsolete.
You can drop to $200 and get the tiny Galaxy S23—it’s not tiny, but it’s the smallest new phone Samsung has sold. However, you only get 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (compared to 512GB on the S23+ and S23 Ultra), and the display is stuck at FHD+ resolution (four years after the S20 introduced the company’s latest QHD+ display line). Furthermore, charging occurs at just 25W, not 45W like the two larger models.
We should note that Samsung will provide 7 generations of OS updates and 7 years of security patches. Even if you personally don’t keep it for that long, you can sell it or give it to a relative and they will still have the updated software. Also note that current storage capacities have doubled due to the pre-order bonus.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE costs $560 if you want the same memory configuration as the S24. This also has an FHD+ display (though it’s not LTPO) and 25W battery charging (for a 4,500mAh battery). However, it uses the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and will get more limited software support (3 OS updates, one of which has already happened, plus 5 years of patches).
Less glamorous but still very popular are the cheaper models of the A series. The Samsung Galaxy A25 has a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display at 120 Hz, an Exynos 1280 chipset (with a microSD slot) and a 5,000 battery mAh with 25W charging. In addition to the chipset, it also has a weaker camera setup than the S23 FE (50MP main with OIS, 8MP ultra-wide, no tele), but that’s good enough given the considerable price difference between the two.
The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is even cheaper, and while it gets some cuts, it’s pretty similar. It has a 6.5-inch FHD+ display with a sub-90Hz frequency and uses the slower Dimensity 6100+ chipset. The ultra-wide camera is down to 5MP and that’s about it for the differences between the A25 and A15 5G.
There aren’t many landscape foldables in the US market: Samsung’s, Google’s, and this one, OnePlus Open. At $1,500 this offers plenty of RAM and storage and boasts a better than average camera with a 48MP main (1/1.43″, OIS), 64MP 3x tele and 48MP ultra wide (114°) It has two LTPO3 displays (120 Hz), 7.82″ internal display and 6.31″ cover display. It also has fast charging, 67 W for the 4,805 mAh battery, unlike its two rivals.
The Motorola Edge+ (2023) is a killer deal: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 6.67-inch 165Hz display (FHD+, Dolby Vision) for just $425. It’s limited to 8GB of RAM, but at least Motorola has equipped it of 512 GB of storage space. The 50 MP (1/1.55”, OIS) main camera is joined by a 12 MP 2x portrait camera and a 50 MP (114°) ultra wide-angle camera. The 5,100mAh battery supports 68W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging.
The non-plus model is worth a look too, though it’s not worth downgrading for just $75 if you ask us. The Motorola Edge (2023) has a 6.6-inch 144Hz (FHD+) display and a mid-range Dimensity 7030 chipset. The 50MP main camera is about the same, but the ultra-wide drops to 13MP and there’s no portrait lens here. Additionally, the battery capacity is reduced to 4,400 mAh, although 68W wired and 15W wireless charging remain the same. Again, it’s a good phone, but the Edge+ offers so much more.
If you’re looking for a budget model, the Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) may be more appropriate. The 6.6-inch IPS LCD display (120 Hz, FHD+) works with the included stylus, and you get a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset that allows for 5G connectivity. The cameras are quite simple (50+8 MP) and the 5,000 mAh battery charges at just 20W.
There’s also the Motorola Moto G 5G (2023) for $50 less, but it might not be worth it. The display is almost the same with 6.5” IPS LCD at 120 Hz (FHD+) and the Dimensity 930 is comparable, but you lose the ultra-wide camera and 4K video recording. Charging is even slower at 15W.
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