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The Galaxy S24 is the best Samsung phone right now, and it’s not even close

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Feb 07, 2025, 11:10 AM

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Well, this is awkward. Yes, today is February 7, 2025, also known as Galaxy S25 D-Day, and here I am, essentially penning my suicide note in the eyes of many hardcore Samsung fans reading me right now.

Have I gone completely mad? Have I changed my mind after declaring my then-sincere excitement for the S25 series just around three short weeks ago? Am I beginning to like making people angry with my often controversial (and, according to some of you, "dumb") opinions on popular topics? None of the above.

Oh, okay, maybe a little of the latter. But pretty much everything I'm about to write as stores around the world start pushing S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra units to customers eager to embrace the "next big thing" primarily has to do with a simple yet brilliant decision recently made by Samsung that many of you probably didn't notice. See, this is a positive article for Samsung... kind of.

$700 Galaxy S24 - what could possibly be better?

The answer to that seemingly rhetorical question is actually pretty simple: a $650 Galaxy S24. Or a $600 S24. But will the 6.2-inch handset ever hit those price points at a major US retailer? I strongly believe so. In fact, professional bargain hunters might remember a couple of different occasions when the Galaxy S24's $800 starting price was knocked down to $650 and even $620 in the last few months.

Look at how snuggly the S24 fits in one's hand! | Image Credit -- PhoneArena

There's obviously only a small step to be made from $620 to $600, and with the phone's list price permanently reduced from $800 to $700, that step has just gotten smaller. I could even see the "vanilla" S24 drop to $550 relatively soon, at least during one of those limited-time Discover Samsung events and especially if the S25 starts receiving occasional outright discounts of its own, which is also likely to happen before long.

Why am I not recommending the Galaxy S25 then? Well, why should I? Yes, the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor is a lot faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3... on paper, but our Galaxy S25 review suggests the real-world performance upgrade is negligible at best (at least in the US). Besides, have you ever used the S24? That thing is buttery smooth regardless of what you throw at it, and with seven, yes, SEVEN major OS updates guaranteed, that's highly unlikely to change anytime soon.

Now, the S25's RAM enhancement from 8 to 12 gigs is undoubtedly cool and all, but with the risk of repeating myself, I dare you to take a Galaxy S24 for a test drive and find a use case, situation, or scenario where it stutters or lags. And yes, I fully realize Galaxy AI could eventually evolve in such a way that the 4 gigs of missing memory will start to be felt, but let's be honest, that's still a long way off.

Wait, so should you buy the Galaxy S24 today?

Absolutely not. Not at its new $700 list price on Samsung's official US website, and certainly not at its old $800 starting price (which has weirdly not been revised yet) at Best Buy or Amazon. But you should definitely not go for a Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, or S25 Ultra either. Or a Galaxy S24 Plus or S24 Ultra.

In theory, of course, the S24's bigger brothers could still receive their very own permanent price cuts in the future as well. But if that hasn't happened yet, I believe Samsung is far more likely to discontinue the S24+ and S24 Ultra in the next few weeks, which would basically confirm that the company shares my opinion about the smaller device showing the most promise for enduring success.

Samsung Galaxy S25 next to the Galaxy S24

The S24 (right) delivers more value than the S25 (left), and that gap is likely to get bigger soon enough. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena

At $700 (for the time being), the "regular" Galaxy S24 also eclipses the otherwise pretty great S24 FE in terms of value for your money... unless Samsung will decide to reduce the latter model's $650 list price too, in which case you can probably expect a "Galaxy S24 FE is the best Samsung phone you can buy" type of article for me.

Until that happens (which, mind you, will probably never be the case), I can't stress enough how amazing of a deal you'll make when (not if) the S24 inevitably drops to $600 or $550. That would be less than half of what the S25 Ultra costs, and most likely, just a bit higher than the starting price of Apple's long-awaited iPhone SE 4.

I obviously realize that some of you prefer a larger screen, and I can totally respect that as a basis for choosing the Galaxy S25 Ultra and even the S25 Plus. But otherwise, there's simply no question that the Galaxy S24 is better than the S25 and in fact the best Samsung phone a well-informed buyer can get... at the right moment and the right price. You don't even have to do any of the heavy lifting and routine following of deals at US retailers, as that just so happens to be a large part of my job here at PhoneArena. So, keep your eyes peeled on my articles and don't hesitate to pull the trigger when I give you the signal. You can thank me later.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.