Samsung Galaxy S24 review: small sensation

TechPhonesAndroid PhonesSamsung Galaxy S24 review: small sensationSamsung’s smallest flagship phone, the Galaxy S24, doesn’t reinvent the wheel – but is a great small Android phoneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)T3 VerdictWhile the Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t a major update over its predecessor, all things considered it’s a better-looking handset thanks to decreased screen bezel and a marginally larger resulting screen. There’s also a slight battery capacity enhancement – although it’s still not great in this department – and it’s actually cheaper than the S23 was when it went on sale. Sure, the Galaxy S24 might not reinvent the wheel, but if you’re looking for a small-scale Android phone then Samsung’s flagship impresses.Reasons to buy+Updated design means less screen bezel for this generation+Ideal for those seeking a small Android flagship+Minor battery life increase+Price drop year-on-yearReasons to avoid-Charging remains slower than the competition-No camera hardware updates this generation-Skips the S24 Ultra’s titanium finish-Battery life remains so-soWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.

Samsung’s smallest flagship phone, the Galaxy S24, doesn’t reinvent the wheel – but is a great small Android phone

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(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)T3 VerdictWhile the Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t a major update over its predecessor, all things considered it’s a better-looking handset thanks to decreased screen bezel and a marginally larger resulting screen. There’s also a slight battery capacity enhancement – although it’s still not great in this department – and it’s actually cheaper than the S23 was when it went on sale. Sure, the Galaxy S24 might not reinvent the wheel, but if you’re looking for a small-scale Android phone then Samsung’s flagship impresses.Reasons to buy+Updated design means less screen bezel for this generation+Ideal for those seeking a small Android flagship+Minor battery life increase+Price drop year-on-yearReasons to avoid-Charging remains slower than the competition-No camera hardware updates this generation-Skips the S24 Ultra’s titanium finish-Battery life remains so-so

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

T3 VerdictWhile the Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t a major update over its predecessor, all things considered it’s a better-looking handset thanks to decreased screen bezel and a marginally larger resulting screen. There’s also a slight battery capacity enhancement – although it’s still not great in this department – and it’s actually cheaper than the S23 was when it went on sale. Sure, the Galaxy S24 might not reinvent the wheel, but if you’re looking for a small-scale Android phone then Samsung’s flagship impresses.Reasons to buy+Updated design means less screen bezel for this generation+Ideal for those seeking a small Android flagship+Minor battery life increase+Price drop year-on-yearReasons to avoid-Charging remains slower than the competition-No camera hardware updates this generation-Skips the S24 Ultra’s titanium finish-Battery life remains so-so

T3 Verdict

While the Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t a major update over its predecessor, all things considered it’s a better-looking handset thanks to decreased screen bezel and a marginally larger resulting screen. There’s also a slight battery capacity enhancement – although it’s still not great in this department – and it’s actually cheaper than the S23 was when it went on sale. Sure, the Galaxy S24 might not reinvent the wheel, but if you’re looking for a small-scale Android phone then Samsung’s flagship impresses.

Reasons to buy+Updated design means less screen bezel for this generation+Ideal for those seeking a small Android flagship+Minor battery life increase+Price drop year-on-yearReasons to avoid-Charging remains slower than the competition-No camera hardware updates this generation-Skips the S24 Ultra’s titanium finish-Battery life remains so-so

Reasons to buy+Updated design means less screen bezel for this generation+Ideal for those seeking a small Android flagship+Minor battery life increase+Price drop year-on-year

Updated design means less screen bezel for this generation

Ideal for those seeking a small Android flagship

Minor battery life increase

Price drop year-on-year

Reasons to avoid-Charging remains slower than the competition-No camera hardware updates this generation-Skips the S24 Ultra’s titanium finish-Battery life remains so-so

Charging remains slower than the competition

No camera hardware updates this generation

Skips the S24 Ultra’s titanium finish

Battery life remains so-so

Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.

There’s no doubt that last year’sGalaxy S23was a fantastic handset (especially ‘if small if your cool’, as I quipped in that particular review’s headline), but there’s always room for improvement, right? And that’s exactly the nip-and-tuck take that the Galaxy S24 has taken in refining the flagship small-scale handset into an even more convincing proposition.

But I’m not here to oversell it, as it’s worth pointing out that the year-on-year changes in the Galaxy S24 are subtle compared to the outgoing Galaxy S23. Indeed, there are zero changes to the camera hardware, for example (unlike inthe S24 Ultra’s new zoom lens), but minor increases in screen size and battery life. Does that all add up to make the Samsung Galaxy S24 one ofthe best phonesfor 2024?

Samsung Galaxy S24: Price & Availability

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I think that’s an important statement. In such a competitive environment, where the likes of theNothing Phone (2)are even more affordable, and evenGoogle’s Pixel 8can be bagged for a similar price, not to mentionSamsung’s own slightly disruptive Galaxy S23 FEhaving gone on sale late last year, the Galaxy S24 has to remain relevant for cash-strapped buyers. Not that it’scheap, but it remains relevant.

Samsung Galaxy S24: What’s New?

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Unlike in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which has seen significant changes compared to itsS23 Ultra predecessor, the Galaxy S24 is a more moderate year-on-year update. Which I don’t mind, although I do wish the cameras had an overhaul to be more competitive… as they’re identical to the last-generation model.

That’s not to say there are no changes, though, as some small but important aspects have been tweaked for the better. The bezel has shrunk, for example, meaning the display is actually 0.1-inch larger on the diagonal for this generation – without any real impact on physical scale, which is one of the S24’s most important selling points in being such a small-scale device.

Samsung has even managed to squeeze in a marginally more capacious battery, which given the handset retains its pocketable scale is a great thing. Charging speeds remain the same, though, which is a shame as the 25W wired speed is fairly slow in context to some of the main competition these days – I certainly noticed it, given that I change phones every two weeks as part of this job and my last phone review, theOnePlus Open, offers almost three times the speed, at 67W.

Samsung Galaxy S24: Design & Display

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

The display is really the Galaxy S24’s biggest change overall, just as it is for all Galaxy flagships in this year’s range. That’s thanks to the bezel shrinking to permit a marginally larger 6.2-inch panel to squeeze into the same footprint as before – which I’ve found is still great for single-handed holding. That’s the ultimate charm of this handset for me: it’s an easy-to-pocket yet powerful and great-to-use option.

Just because the S24 is the smallest in the range doesn’t mean it steps down in specification compared to the S24 Ultra’s panel, though, as all handsets this year receive the potential to deliver a 50% brightness increase when needed. That can be handy, although in situations of increased sunlight the Samsung automatically kicks into a kind of ‘overdrive’ mode that, in any other ambient lighting scenario, would look blown out. It’s easy to read when outside, though, which is the whole point.

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

The entire Galaxy S24 range feature flat screens this year (the previous S23 Ultra had a curved-edge display), which adds consistency to the look and feel of all three handsets. There’s no step down in other key areas either: you’ll get the same dynamic refresh rate (to 120Hz), a resolution that scale-to-scale is just as pixel-dense, and all the brightness to match – whichever model you choose of the three. It’s only the Ultra model that nets the Gorilla Glass Armor protection, though, this S24 on review is the step-down Gorilla Glass Victus 2 – which is slightly less tough and less able to counter reflections.

I still think the Galaxy S24 looks superb, with its now iconic design format exposing a trio of raised camera lenses to the rear. It doesn’t benefit from the new titanium material finish of the Ultra model, but I actually don’t mind that – because the smaller S24 handsets have much brighter colour options, as you can see from my review unit images on this page (although some colours might not appeal to everyone – I still think the most exciting options are thespecial-edition colours available direct from Samsung).

Samsung Galaxy S24: Performance & Battery

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

There were rumours aplenty aboutwhether Samsung would opt for its in-house Exynos silicon for the Galaxy S24series and, lo and behold, that’s what’s come to bear… well,sort of. The Galaxy S24’s ‘international’ iteration houses Samsung’s Exynos 2400 processor – and that’s what we get here in the UK. In the USA, Canada and China you’ll instead get theSnapdragon 8 Gen 3(which is the processor of choice in the S24 Ultra, irrelevant of market).

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

As for the Galaxy S24’s longevity per charge? I’ve found it to be just about okay, but nothing more. As ever with Samsung phones, the first few days of use are a bit yo-yo-like as the software settles down, identifies various apps to park, and aligns power with your typical usage patterns. I’ve been achieving 14 hours of use and getting to around 15% charge remaining – and not with especially taxing all-the-time use, but that does include a smattering of game-playing and Bluetooth use. I’d still like faster charging than the 25W here, though.

In terms of power there’s no doubting that the Galaxy S24 is capable: in more realistic terms the Exynos 2400 is closer toQualcomm’s last-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but for day-to-day use that’s not going to affect most users. If you’re a hardcore gamer looking forthe best gaming phonethen, while the S24 is capable enough, it does throttle after a given period of use to offset overheating. Still, I’ve been able to keep on playingSouth Park: Phone DestroyerandMighty Doomwithout feeling the heat (physically, that is, in-game and I’m still getting smacked,sigh!).

I’d mentioned up top that this is the year Samsung goes all-in on AI… and yet it’s taken me this long to address those Galaxy AI features in the S24. The suite of offerings – from live transcription, to live translation, and auto-generated fill-in in pictures – are pretty great in part. However, theGalaxy S24 brings Google Pixel 8-like toolsthat, given I’ved used Google’s phones for so long, don’t feelnewnew – especially the (admittedly very useful) transcription and 13-language translation features. It’s the photo-based features that are a little more hit-and-miss overall, though, as I’ll get into below.

Samsung Galaxy S24: Cameras

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

If I wind my mind back a year, I remember saying that the “Galaxy S23 is an excellent camera phone” (i.e. the previous model) but that its lack of hardware upgrades was disappointing. Well, that’s only even more disappointing for the Galaxy S24, which is a total echo of its predecessor when it comes to cameras. That means no hardware upgrades, no 200-megapixel shooter like the S24 Ultra, no improved zoom. It’s justall the same.

However, the biggest area of progression comes from the new Galaxy AI features, which I initially tested out using some pre-loaded images on a device. There’s Generative Edit, a cloud-based AI tool that allows you to select objects to manipulate, resize, even move within the frame while offering an auto-fill of background areas. On-device AI features are automated suggestions that analyse images and suggest improvements based on the specific frame. So far so great.

Image1of10(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

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(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review sample image

Except, with various images of my own taking, I’ve found the AI results to be a mixed bag. Generative Edit, for example, can be hugely impressive in certain scenarios, able to remove distinct subjects and background-replace with relative accuracy. But it’s all dependent on the shot, and I’ve had some examples where, say, simple gradient backgrounds have confused the heck out of the tool and the result is a mess, or a seemingly simple object replacement pulls in all manner of surroundings. It’s a great first step, just don’t overstep your expectations of what you’ll be able to do with this tool.

So is the Samsung Galaxy S24 still amongthe best Android phonesfor photography? Well, I certainly think it’s still an excellent camera phone, just as its predecessor was – but that feels somewhat stagnant when so many competitors, such as Xiaomi, are moving forward at pace. What I’d really like for the S25 is a cameras overhaul, opting for, say, a larger main sensor and higher-resolution option for the zoom lens in particular (as its results are rather average), to really create something that’s class-leading once more.

As you can see from my gallery of images above, however, I’ve been able to snap shots in a variety of settings – the wallpaper, keys and lamp were shot in very low-light, not that you’d necessarily know – and point-and-shoot snapping is super easy. Selecting between zoom options is nice and simple too. That’s the beauty of the Galaxy range: it makes taking photos a cinch. High dynamic range kicks in automatically, colours look generally balanced across all lenses, detail is sufficient. But Samsung could offer yet more in the hardware department and impress all the more is all.

Samsung Galaxy S24: Verdict

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Samsung Galaxy S24 review

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

While the Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t a major update over its predecessor, all things considered it’s a better-looking handset thanks to less screen bezel and a marginally larger resulting screen. There’s also a slight battery capacity enhancement – although it’s still not great in this department – and the push forward with Galaxy AI features is a great first step (with room for improvement, no doubt).

Also consider

TheNothing Phone (2)is perhaps the strongest competitor, given its lower price, great power, and fun features such as Glyph lighting. It is physically larger, though, if that’s not your thing.

That said, the previous Galaxy S23 may now be even more appealing thanks to hefty price cuts since launch. It’s a very similar proposition to the S24, minus those Galaxy AI features, but remains a stellar small phone.

And let’s not forgetGoogle’s Pixel 8, which is a bit like the archenemy to Samsung for delivering many similar features in a different-but-just-as-good-looking package with great cameras.

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Samsung Galaxy S24: What’s New?#

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Samsung Galaxy S24: Price & Availability

Samsung Galaxy S24: What’s New?

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