Samsung Galaxy S24+ review: Love at first sight, second, and beyond

One of the three big smartphones released this year, proudly wearing the flagship crown, is the Samsung Galaxy S24+. The plus in the model stands for bigger size, bigger battery and more, sitting below the Ultra in the hierarchy. Offering a comfortable choice for consumers to choose between the smallest S24 and the most powerful S24 Ultra, the S24+ has a commanding presence of its own. We put this "Plus" model to test in various ways a consumer might want to use in his/her tenure and bring these ultimate findings. Did you have your eyes set on the Samsung Galaxy S24+ ever since its release? Read this first.

Let's get the key specs of the phone out of the way to give you a fair idea of what's on paper:

1. Display: 6.70" Dynamic LTPO QHD+, AMOLED, 120Hz, 2600 nits (peak)
2. CPU: Exynos 2400 (4 nm)
3. RAM: 12GB
4. Storage: 256GB/512GB
5. Camera: 50MP F1.8, 24mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS + 10MP F2.4 67mm + 12MP F2.2, 13mm, 120-degree
6. Front camera: 12MP F2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF
7. Battery: 4,900mAh (45W wired, 15W wireless)
8. OS: Android 14, One UI 6.1
9. Dimensions: 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7 in mm
10. Weight: 196g
11. Add-ons: Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
12. Price: Rs 99,999 / Rs 1,09,999

Note: Samsung sent us the Galaxy S24+ in Cobalt Violet, which is a spectacular shade, running Android 14-based OneUI 6.1 out of the box.

Design and display

Samsung Galaxy S24+ maintains Samsung's signature aesthetic with a flat display and back housing three camera sensors. At a glance, it may look like an iPhone 15 Plus with its boxy construction. But it leans more towards the predecessor, with the exception of the flat sides.

Notably, the frame of the device adopts a matte aluminum finish, unlike the glossy design of its predecessors. With this single change, the phone gets a modern touch while improving the grip significantly. The placement of the buttons and the ports are unchanged. The volume and power/lock buttons are on the right side, while the USB Type-C port, stereo speaker grill and SIM card tray sit at the bottom. Despite being a particularly large phone, it doesn't feel so in hand. The weight distribution is excellent, making single-hand use easy.

On the back, things are kept very neat. The floating lens design continues, and the flash is strategically positioned next to the cameras. The cameras aren't even protruding much, making the phone sit flat on a table.

Turn over and you get a beautiful 6.7-inch AMOLED panel. The display offers vibrant colors and impressive brightness levels, making it suitable for outdoor use. While the resolution remains consistent with previous models, the S24+ delivers a higher peak brightness of 2,600 nits, ensuring optimal visibility even in direct sunlight. Unlike the S24 Ultra, the S24+ lacks the Gorilla Glass Armor panel. As good as that non-reflective coating on the S24 Ultra is, the lack of it didn't bother much on the S24+.

Having used the S24+ as a primary device, it is safe to say that the size and aspect ratio of the device make it ideal for day-to-day operations. The display is beautiful, the phone has a solid grip, and it looks fantastic in those different shades.

Camera

Samsung's camera performance in flagship smartphones has been well-lauded in the past, and the S24+ continues that legacy. Images captured in daylight conditions capture true-to-life colors with a wide dynamic range. The star of the show is its primary 50MP sensor, which is accompanied by a 10MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultrawide lens. All of them combined ensure versatility in capturing various shots depending on your needs. The portraits come out really good, even in low and ambiet lighting. The portrait of the cat with such accurate details and a nice soft bokeh was taken in ambient lighting. 

The ultrawide camera reproduces decent colors, but you will notice some shortcomings in the shadow development compared to the primary camera. The ultrawide sensor also lacks autofocus support, which limits the use of macro shots from that lens. At this pricepoint, the lack of macro is certainly shocking, but I managed to get some real closeup shots, mimicking the macro lens to an extent like that photo of the peacock feather. But the autofocus accuracy on the primary sensor is commendable. The Galaxy S24+ packs a new image processing pipeline, which significantly reduces lag between shots. You'll love shooting with this phone, that's for sure.

In low-light conditions, our go to choice remained the primary camera, which delivered impressive results. There's a capable Night Mode in case the low lighting gets challenging to shoot. You can see that in the zoomed in shot of the UB tower. There seems to be a lot riding on the 50MP main sensor, as the telephoto and ultrawide cameras didn't seem to go out of their way to impress rather, there were some signs of ageing.

Video recording capabilities remain robust, with support for 8K and 4K resolutions across all cameras. The selfie camera, which comes equipped with dual-pixel autofocus, captures stunning photos with ample details and dynamic range, making it an excellent choice for those who love clicking selfies and group photos.

Check out some cameras shot on the Samsung Galaxy S24+:

Now, what sets the S24+ apart is how it processes the images and videos after they're shot. Samsung's use of AI to edit and regenerate images has been incredible and fun. A single swipe up on a photo will give you suggestions on how to remove shadows and reflections with a tap. With a single tap, the photo can also be remastered with a sliding comparison to show before and after shots. After all, not all remastered shots are better than the original. But having such features a few taps away makes for an excellent use case. And then comes Generative Edit, which basically hands a magic wand in the hands of those who don't know how to get into advanced editing. It's not perfect yet, but you can get the desired results most of the time.

Finally, there's the option to turn your normally-shot videos into slow-mo. The gallery app also lets you preview a slow-mo shot without having to go into full editing mode. This will help you decide whether or not you wish to add that slow-mo effect to your video.

Performance

Even though Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a beast when it comes to performance, the Galaxy S24+ is no joke. The latter ensures seamless animations, swift app transitions, and performance almost comparable to the S24 Ultra.

If you're a gamer, the S24+ won't disappoint. Having played titles like PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact, leveraging the 120fps settings, the S24+ performed impressively with sustained frame rates without drops, even during long gaming sessions.

Though there are some reservations about the Exynos chip, it proved to be quite an efficient one. There was a minimal overnight battery drain of just 2%, which is a marked improvement. But comparing Exynos chips to their Qualcomm Snapdragon counterparts in terms of battery performance won't yield equal results.

Using the S24+ as a daily driver was no issue at all. It is fluid and responsive, devoid of the frame drops that occasionally plagued Exynos-powered Samsung devices in the past. Despite intensive gaming sessions, the device maintained optimal performance without heating. This is thanks to the the enlarged cooling vapor chamber.

In terms of connectivity, the S24+ delivered consistent results, with seamless 4G/5G and Wi-Fi performance. Even the call quality and signal reception were excellent during the entire review period.

Overall, the Galaxy S24+ delivered consistent smoothness, with remarkable RAM management seen regularly while running multiple apps in memory.

Software and AI

The Galaxy S24+ delivers an exceptional user experience that blends with the hardware seamlessly. The software is flagship-grade and doesn't let you feel outdated or lacking in any way.

One UI 6.1 based on Android 14 brings forth plenty of new features. The interface feels intuitive on the S24+, delivering smooth performance without any speed issues or lags in everyday use. The Settings navigations still remains complex, but for someone who has used one too many Samsung phones, we know our way around. For new users, it may still pose a challenge. The trouble may well be worth it for all the customizable features in One UI that offer ample flexibility.

As for what's changed, the Quick Settings panel now offers convenient Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles, which prominently stand out on top. Overall, the UI offers fluid animations and transitions than before.

There are plenty of new features, including customizable lock screen widgets, enhanced AoD functionality, and advanced AI-powered capabilities such as Circle to Search and Generative Wallpapers. All these AI features are not only fun to use, but practical in the real world, depending on the situation. There's also Super HDR feature, which enhances the device's imaging capabilities. All of these combined make for a strong software game, even though OneUI falls far from stock Android.

Finally, Samsung's commitment to long-term support is evident with the promise of seven years of Android, One UI, and security updates for the Galaxy S24+. That should give a sense of security to its users. Seven years is a long time, and it will only be in 2031 that Samsung can truly claim it finally delivered on its bold promise of its software support.

Battery life

Coming from Galaxy S23+, you'll notice only slightly better battery performance in the Galaxy S24+. The S24+ is powered by a 4,900mAh battery, which delivers reliable performance.

In our daily usage, the S24+ managed to last a whole day without much strain. After a full day's worth of usage, the phone would still have 35% charge left, which would mean even if you didn't charge the phone overnight, there's still juice left to read morning news bulletins.

Even under heavy usage, the S24+ endured a full day. But if you're a moderate user, expect a day and a half worth of battery on a single charge. Under typical usage conditions, including demanding tasks like scrolling through social media, web browsing, and video streaming at 120Hz refresh rate, the S24+ can deliver around 6.5 to 7 hours of screen-on time over a 24-hour period. It's quite good for a phone of QHD+ resolution.

There's not a drastic improvement in the battery life, but what I loved more was the introduction of 45W fast charging. By 2024 standards, it may not seem much, but it is the fastest Samsung has offered to date, so that amounts to something. We could easily charge the phone to 70% in just 30 minutes, which turns out to be sufficient for a full day's use. Even a full charge was possible in under an hour, which is something worth noting. In order to preserve the battery for long runs, Samsung even added a few battery protection features, like the Basic mode, which stops charging at 100% and resumes at 95%. What I found useful was the Adaptive mode, which stops charging at 80% and adjusts based on sleep patterns. But what's highly recommended is the Maximum Battery Protection mode, which caps charging at 80% for prolonged battery health.

Verdict

The Galaxy S24+ does not come with bells and whistles, but there are incremental improvements that enhance the overall user experience. From design refinements to the T to camera improvements in areas needed the most, Samsung continues to improve on its flagship lineup. A better zoom camera that allows either lossless or hybrid zoom could've been an excellent choice. But that's something for the successor. If you need it now, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the way to go. 

The phone's attractive design, vibrant display, and reliable camera performance make it a worthy contender in the competitive smartphone market.