Samsung Galaxy S24 review

introduction

The Galaxy S24 series has finally been launched after numerous rumors, speculations and leaks daily. And the trio is what we expected: a solid but incremental upgrade over the S23 models. Today we’ll explore the next-generation Galaxy phones, the smallest of the bunch, and Galaxy mini, if you will: the Galaxy S24.

Quick note: We’re reviewing the Exynos model of the Galaxy S24 here.

The new Galaxy S24 introduces a refreshed, refined and uniform design, with Victus 2 flat panels and a flat aluminum frame with a new matte finish. The Galaxy S24 maintains the same dimensions as the S23, but thanks to the LTPO screen panels it manages to accommodate an even larger 6.2-inch display with thinner bezels in the same space.

And that’s the first update: The Galaxy S24 now features a 6.2-inch LTPO Dynamic AMOLED 2x with extended 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It has 2,600 nits of peak brightness, compared to the S23’s 1,750.

Left: Galaxy S24 • Right: Galaxy S23

The chipset upgrade is the next improvement, and hardware fragmentation is back! The S24 uses the Exynos 2400 chipset in most markets with a 10-core CPU and a new AMD GPU, while the US, Canada, and China get it with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The S24 has two storage versions for the global model: 128GB UFS 3.1 and 256GB UFS 4.0, both with 8GB of RAM. In some countries there is also a limited 512 GB version.

The specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S24 in brief:

• Body: 147.0×70.6×7.6mm, 167g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IP68 dust and water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes), Aluminum Armor 2 chassis with increased drop and scratch resistance (advertised).
• Screen: 6.20″ LTPO dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1080×2340 px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 416ppi; always active display.
• Chipsets: Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) – USA/Canada/China, Exynos 2400 (4 nm) – International: 8 cores (1×3.39 GHz Cortex-X4 and 3×3.1 GHz Cortex-A720 and 2×2.9 GHz Cortex -A720 and 2 2.2 GHz Cortex-A520), 10 cores (1 3.2 GHz Cortex-X4 and 2 2.9 GHz Cortex-A720 and 3 2.6 GHz Cortex-A720 and 4 Cortex-A520 1.95GHz); Adreno 750 (1 GHz) – USA/Canada/China, Xclipse 940 – International.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1 only – 128GB, UFS 4.0.
• Operating system/software: Android 14, a 6.1 user interface.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24 mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0 µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1/3.94″, 1.0μm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120 degrees, 1/2.55″ 1.4 µm, super stable video.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), dual pixel PDAF.
• Video Capture: Rear camera: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo audio recording, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K at 30/60 fps, 1080p at 30 fps.
• Drums: 4000mAh; 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 minutes (advertised), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6e; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Various: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support).

The base version of the Galaxy S24 is still 128GB, something we hoped Samsung would ditch since there are no UFS 4.0 chips for this capacity. This model doesn’t have ultra-wideband yet, and charging is still limited to 25W. None of these are deal-breakers, but they would have been suitable as small updates in the spec sheet.

Unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S24

The eco-friendly retail box is here to stay, of course. The Galaxy S24 bundle contains a 3A USB-DC cable and a SIM ejector tool.

And this is all.

At least the Galaxy S24 pre-order campaign included a 25W fast charger and a clear, transparent case. Even better, Samsung was selling the 256GB model for the price of the 128GB to those who pre-ordered it.