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Samsung's new S24 and S24+ intro drastic display and Android updates as Galaxy AI rules One UI

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Jan 17, 2024, 3:31 PM

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Samsung

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Samsung just made the Galaxy S24 series official way before schedule, introducing some of the most important upgrades to the smallest S24 and the S24+ middle child since it introduced three phones in the lineup some years ago, and you can preorder your Galaxy S24 deals right now with free storage upgrades, exclusive colors and great trade-in offers.

Galaxy S24+, 256GB: Now $153 off at Amazon

The Galaxy S24+ is also available on Amazon. At the moment, the exciting Samsung device with 256GB of storage sells for 15% off, saving you $153.

$153 off (15%)

Buy at Amazon

Galaxy S24, 256GB: Now $80 off at Amazon

The Samsung Galaxy S24 with 256GB of storage is now $80 cheaper than usual at Amazon. At present, the only discounted color option is the one in Marble Gray.

$80 off (9%)

Buy at Amazon

Galaxy S24+: up to $600 off with eligible trade-in

If you don't care much for the latest and greatest flagship model from Samsung, consider the S24+. The middle member of the S24 family is currently up to $600 off with eligible trade-ins.

$600 off (54%) Trade-in

$519 ⁹⁹

$1119 ⁹⁹

Buy at Samsung

Galaxy S24: save up to $400 with a trade-in

The S24 arrives at Samsung as well. Right now, there are no discounts available before trade-ins, but you can trade in an eligible device to save up to $400. Online exclusive colors available.

$400 off (50%) Trade-in

$399 ⁹⁹

$799 ⁹⁹

Buy at Samsung

Besides the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, this time around the phones come with flagship-grade displays, along with all of the new Samsung AI goodness that they are the best vessel for due precisely to the fact that they are carrying the new processor that may not have gotten any significant clock speed boost, but is optimized for AI calculations.

Praise the LTPO gods: S24 and S4+ design and displays

Finally bright and frugal OLED panels!

Starting with what is probably the most welcome upgrade for the more affordable members of the Galaxy S24 family, they both sport thinner bezels and larger, modern LTPO displays at long last, and Samsung has finally equipped them with granular 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate, depending on the content shown. Shaving off the bezels has not only allowed a tad bigger panels, but Samsung finally equipped the middle 6.7-inch child with a 1440p display which is something that everyone would now expect from its price point.

The larger S24 and S24+ screens are now protected by the tougher Gorilla glass Victus 2 edition and are completely flat, but the backs are slightly curved and fuse with the sides allowing for a better grip. Samsung's Galaxy S24 colors of choice are cobalt violet, amber yellow, marble gray, onyx black, and the same goes for the S24, just in a matte, instead of a glossy finish. Needless to say, Samsung offers exclusive colors that are only available at its store, as well as double storage upgrades for free, so head over for the best Galaxy S24 preorder deals.

The LTPO screen addition alone would do wonders for the Galaxy S24+ and S24 battery life, since this modern OLED display technology is much more frugal in terms of power draw. The 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch panels are now able to only refresh at very low speeds when displaying static content like pictures or while reading a page, so that the power consumption of the most demanding component in a phone would fall drastically.

Not only that, but the LTPO screens are much brighter at the same level of power draw, so now Samsung lists 2,600 nits of peak brightness across the lineup, not only for the Ultra. We can't wait to test the greatly upgraded Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus display specs and the battery life improvement they would bring coupled with the more frugal chipset.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy AI, baby!

Built from the ground up with AI calculations in mind, the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset has been tailored by Qualcomm explicitly for the Galaxy S24 family. Not only does it allow for a more frugal power consumption at the same high performance level, but most of the new Galaxy AI interface, computational photography, and video editing shenanigans that the S24 and S24+ are capable of will probably stay exclusive to the lineup because of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.

In places like Europe, however, the S24 and S24+ are powered by Samsung's exclusive Exynos 2400 chipset, so it remains to be seen if there will be differences with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 performance in that regard.

Key Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specs

4nm TSMC production method
10% higher system efficiency
30% faster and 20% more frugal Kryo CPU

1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3GHz
3 x A720 @ 3.2GHz
2 x A720 @ 3.0GHz
2 x A520 @ 2.3GHz

25% faster and 25% more frugal Adreno GPU
AI: 98% improved AI performance and 40% better performance per watt
Spectra ISP: Supports 8K HDR and features multi-camera real-time semantic segmentation, HDR photo technology from Dolby, and dual always-sensing cameras
Snapdragon Elite Gaming features and new hardware accelerated ray tracing with global illumination
Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System with 10 Gbps peak download speeds
Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Mobile Connectivity System, supporting Wi-Fi 7 with 5.8 Gbps

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmark scores

Geekbench single core: 2329 points
Geekbench multi-core: 7526 point
AnTuTu: 2.14 million points
PCMark: 21628 points
GFXBench Aztec Ruins OpenGL (High Tier) Offscreen (1440p): 83 FPS
GFXBench Aztec Ruins Vulkan (High Tier) Offscreen (1440p): 96 FPS
3Dmark WildLife Extreme: 32 FPS
Jetstream 2 browser test: 241

Galaxy S24 AI features: One UI 6.1 over Android 14

Meeting notes and translation: 10-voice identification
Circle Search: circling something on the screen will launch automatic AI search
Title writing: the S24 is able to do a whole essay on a topic, ChatGPT style

The S24 and S24+ come with a new One UI 6.1 overlay of Android 14 which represents Samsung's largest AI upgrade in history. As mentioned, all those new Galaxy AI goods are made possible by Google's Android 14 update and AI-focused Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset that target AI calculations, while Qualcomm's tailored the processor specifically for Samsung, just as it did with the S23's Mobile Platform for Galaxy chipset based on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The One UI 6.1 interface update that will come with Android 14 on Samsung Galaxy phones also has other tricks up its sleeve in terms of the new AI-driven features like generative wallpapers, Google Pixel style. The One UI 6.1 also brings weather effects on the lock screen, the Magic Editor-styled photo retouching, as well as the Circle Search and Meeting Notes functions explained above.

That's not to mention the live translation during calls or meetings, and the smart battery defense system, all thanks to Samsung's new generative AI model that it calls Gauss and which is making a cameo now at the Galaxy S24 series Unpacked event.

7 years of Android updates!

In addition, Samsung will be offering 7 years of software support, referring both to the major Android version updates and the security patches, better than anyone out there but Google's own Pixel line.

Galaxy S24 camera, the king of AI editing

Camera Obscura

S24 and S24+ camera kits

While the Galaxy S24 and S24+ don't offer any significant camera hardware upgrades like their Ultra sibling and its 50MP periscope camera sensor, Samsung has leveraged the power of Galaxy AI and the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset for significant low-light and color improvements

"Front and rear cameras are now equipped with advanced noise reduction algorithms, so the device analyzes gyro information to distinguish between your movement and the movement of your subject," chimes Samsung, so that night shots are sharper and clearer than ever before on a Galaxy S line.

The colors and image processing have also benefited from the power of Galaxy AI with a dedicated tuning algorithm for more natural HDR photos that don't look extremely processed, something that the new Oppo Find X7 Ultra with its 8 Gen 3 processor and HyperTone Image solution also strives for. "The reinforced AI engine offers improved details while suppressing noise and improving object recognition, and the powerful processor on the Galaxy S24 series enhances photo processing," adds Samsung, but the proof is in our camera score pudding and we are running the S24 through its camera sampling paces to let you know.

Generative photo and video editing

The Galaxy AI algorithms on the S24 and S24+ aren't just used for better low-light photo and video samples, but also for on-device editing. Samsung now offers unsurpassed professional photo editing tools with a photo editor that has greater contextual awareness for its Object Eraser feature.

The algorithm learns with every picture you take, while the new Generative Edit feature can take out any object in the picture, resize and edit it as you see fit, all the while the remaining image background is smoothed to stay intact.

Longer Galaxy S24 and S24+ battery life awaits

While Samsung hasn't upgraded the 25W charging speeds of the S24 and S24+, it did bump their battery capacities. The S24 now comes with a 4,000 mAh power bank, while the S24+ has the whopping 4,900 mAh battery encroaching on the capacity that was heretofore only reserved for the larger Ultra member of the Galaxy S family.

Galaxy S24/S24+ prices, storage, and release date

Samsung S24 price: $799 (128GB)
Samsung S24+ price: $999 (256GB)
Release: January 31, 2024
Preorder start: January 17, 2024

Despite the massive display upgrades, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, and the introduction of all new Galaxy AI features like live translation, Samsung kept the S24 price the same, and ditto for the S24+ price tag. The $899 Galaxy S24 now comes with a modern LTPO panel that offers 2,600 nits of peak brightness, as well as a larger battery, making it one of the best small Android phones to grab.

The $999 S24+, on the other hand, adds a Quad HD display resolution to the mix, doubles the storage compared to the S24, and bumps the RAM amount to 12GB. All in all, two very worthy contenders for the best midrange phones ranking in 2024.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.