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The Galaxy S24 series is out and while it’s safe to say Samsung took some inspiration from the iPhone 14/15 Pro when making its latest flagships, I must also say that, this year, there are quite a few Galaxy S24 features Apple might want to consider stealing back from Samsung for the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro! So, I’ve selected a few of them to share with you…
It’s also worth pointing out that not only Apple, but pretty much every other phone-maker can take note of the Galaxy S24’s best new features.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say some of them must come to every new flagship phone in 2024, because they are that good, and maybe even… game-changing.
Let’s take a look…
Game-changing anti-reflective glass in Galaxy S24 Ultra makes my iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro hard to look at - literally
I’d like to start with a feature Samsung glossed over while revealing the Galaxy S24 series on stage, but one that’s easily the most impressive upgrade to the Galaxy S24 Ultra - the new Corning Gorilla Glass Armor.
Corning’s latest and greatest glass (for now) exclusive to the Galaxy S24 Ultra promises to be tougher than ever and all that jazz we hear every year except, this time, it also boasts a new type of anti-reflective coating, and let me tell you… it’s not a marketing trick or a gimmick!
While the display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t necessarily brighter than other displays on the market, the magical new anti-reflective coating actually makes it way easier to view outdoors, and whenever there are light reflections around you (basically anytime you’re indoors). As you can tell by the pictures, the differences when comparing the S24 Ultra’s screen to the ones of other flagship phones like the iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro is pretty obvious.
I was sceptical when it was first announced, but Corning’s new glass covering the display of the Galaxy S24 Ultra suddenly made all other phone displays look bad, dim, and super reflective.
Quality of life improvements of this sort are rare in phones nowadays simply because smartphones are close to reaching their peak. Therefore, it’s awesome to see that Corning is able to make a serious leap and difference with such a simple but effective upgrade to its glass formula.
It’s also fascinating to see how a simple solution can be the key to solving a real problem, while making super-bright displays look less impressive. For example, the OnePlus 12claims to be able to hit 4000 nits of peak brightness in HDR but this might be less relevant if 2600 nits on the Galaxy S24 Ultra look better and brighter thanks to the screen being much less reflective. We’ll have to test that and get back to you.
Right now, Corning’s anti-reflective Gorilla Glass Armor is exclusive to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, it’s almost certain this won’t stay true for long. I expect and hope to see the new glass in upcoming premium flagships like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Vivo X100 Pro+, and maybe even the Pixel 9 Pro. On the other hand, Apple doesn’t tend to use the same Corning glass as Android phones, which leaves me hoping that Cupertino is developing its own type of anti-reflective glass for the iPhone 16 Pro.
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Useful and potentially game-changing Galaxy S24 features make my iPhone 15 Pro look pretty “dumb” - Apple should take note and make the iPhone smarter!
The other area where Samsung (in collaboration with Google) over-delivered is AI and software support. For starters, the Galaxy S24 Ultra now promises a total of 7 years of OS updates, and while iPhone users (who get 5-6 major iOS updates) don’t have much to be jealous of, I’d say the fact that Samsung has actually made an official commitment is what I (as an iPhone user) would love to see from Apple.
Famously, Tim Cook & Co never promise how many years of support to expect when buying a new iPhone, and while that’s far from a dealbreaker, letting people know what to expect would make it easier to estimate the potential lifespan of your device, and make selling/buying used/refurbished iPhones a bit easier and more straightforward.
Let’s not forget that (like all Android phones) the Galaxy S24 has direct/easy access to Google Assistant - the smartest voice assistant around. This means the everlasting challenge for Siri to get smarter remains valid. Apple might finally respond with iOS 18 and iPhone 16.
But the real software treat/threat in the Galaxy S24 series comes in the form of AI features. Sure, you can argue Samsung borrowed Google’s entire AI algorithm and slabbed the Galaxy branding on top of it but does it matter? The point is that the Galaxy S24 is probably the smartest phone money can buy right now, and Apple needs to catch up to Samsung (and Google) ASAP.
I’d put the Galaxy S24’s new AI features into two categories - “nice-to-haves” and “potentially super useful”. Photo editing features like the ability to use generative AI to erase and replace parts of your image, and Circle to search are nice to have, but I’m more excited about the Galaxy S24’s ability to automatically translate my WhatsApp texts from one language into another and live translate calls. I’d love to see this on my iPhone.
The good news is that multiple leaks/rumors say iOS 18 and iPhone 16 Pro are already expected to get major AI features and improvements, including a long overdue revamp to Siri. When? Perhaps during Apple’s upcoming WWDC event (June 2024?), which focuses exactly on software.
More Galaxy S24 features that should make iPhone 15 users jealous - Apple should bring them to iPhone 16
Another (literal) area of the Galaxy S24 series of phones that the iPhone can be jealous of is the cooling area in Samsung’s new flagships. According to Samsung, the S24 has a 1.5x bigger vapor chamber than the S23; the S24+ has a 1.6x bigger VC than the S23+, and the S24 Ultra has a 1.9x bigger VC than the S23 Ultra (Sammobile). iPhones are notorious for having bad/non-existent active cooling solutions, which has been known to cause throttling of Apple’s otherwise class-leading chips, resulting in some performance issues and overheating
A high-res 50MP 5x periscope zoom camera is another notable upgrade to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, allowing Samsung’s premium flagship to crop into the middle of the sensor, achieving a 10x lossless quality zoom for photos. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 12MP 5x camera, which holds it back in 10x zoom. Without a doubt, Apple will indeed add a higher res zoom camera to the iPhone eventually, but my guess is that they’ll (strategically) wait to do that with the iPhone 17 Pro - since the iPhone 16 Pro is already expected to upgrade the from a 12MP to a 48MP ultra-wide-angle sensor (as well as a new, larger 48MP primary sensor)
Another area (which isn’t talked about enough) where the new Galaxy S24 phones excel over the iPhone 15 series is colors. Although the main selection of colors for the S24 series is rather boring and actually almost identical to that of the iPhone 14/15, Samsung offers exclusive color variants through its website. This year, my personal favorite is the Tangerine Titanium Galaxy S24 Ultra - not quite my desired orange shade for a phone but nevertheless… orange (#GiveMeAnOrangeiPhone)
Last but not least, Reverse Wireless Charging is very much present in this year’s S24 series, and very much absent from the iPhone 15 series. Although I’m usually a fan of consistency, I’d love it if Apple breaks the cycle, brining RWC to the iPhone 16, which would allow me to charge my AirPods on the back of my iPhone (whenever I don’t have access to a cable/charger, and my AirPods are dead)
Next-gen Galaxy S24 Ultra glass/display, potentially game-changing AI features, and attention to detail challenge iPhone 15 and iPhone 16: Will Apple respond accordingly?
Despite looking almost identical, the new Galaxy S24 Ultra is a relatively big upgrade compared to the S23 Ultra, which means Apple is challenged to deliver an impressive iPhone 16 Pro.
Finally, I’d like to wrap this up with a slightly more different perspective on the most impressive new features in the Galaxy S24 series.
It’s up to you to decide how much credit to give Samsung about the most impressive new features on the Galaxy S24 series, but I must point out that the Gorilla Glass Armor, which makes the S24 Ultra’s display so much easier to view is indeed courtesy of Corning, and will likely show up in many Android flagships to come out in 2024 (and beyond).
However, Corning’s decision to debut this special glass with the S24 Ultra clearly shows that the company favors the most influential Android phone-maker, and that’s… fair enough.
Moving on, many of the AI features on the Galaxy S24 series are powered by the same algorithms found in the Pixel 8 Pro, thanks to the strong partnership between Samsung and Google. Again, the Galaxy S24 phones have exclusive access to these features, meaning no other Android phone(other than the Pixel 8) is getting them - at least for now.
Sure, Samsung is backed by many of its powerful friends in pursuit of making the best Android flagship phones on the market, but this doesn’t take away from the credit I will give the South Korean company. In the end, business is business but what matters most to the end user is how good of a product they are getting.
One thing is for sure - as an iPhone user, I’m impressed and jealous of the above-mentioned Galaxy features, and I’d love to see them on the iPhone 16. In fact, I feel like this might be the first time in years when a new Samsung flagship has left me with a positive initial impression.
But don’t be fooled! The Galaxy S24 series is far from perfect, and we’ll talk about some of the bizarre drawbacks of Samsung’s new flagships in a future story.
Galaxy S24 Ultra with 512GB is now $321 off on Amazon
The S24 Ultra is at discounted prices on Amazon. You can now save $321 on the model with 512GB of storage. Not all colors arrive at the same discount.
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.
You can purchase a fully unlocked Galaxy S24 Ultra via the official Samsung store. The almighty AI genius arrives for up to $750 off with an eligible phone trade-in. This is the 256GB model.
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.
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.
Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.
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