iPhone 16 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Plus: Another battle of the pluses
Intro
This is a battle of two plus-sized phones, both of which represent a strange concept in flagship smartphone books. Offering a large screen, while cutting a corner or two to save people some money.
It wasn't always like this. Samsung started with the S9+ as a more premium alternative to the regular flagship, but then the Ultra took on this role. Apple also had something similar in the early days, the iPhone 6 Plus started the trend only to be replaced by the Pro Max as the ultimate flagship.
Now these Plus models serve as a bridge between the vanilla flagship in the series and the top-tier offering. And today we're going to pit against each other the iPhone 16 Plus and the Galaxy S24+. Which one offers the best bang for your buck? Read on to find out!
It wasn't always like this. Samsung started with the S9+ as a more premium alternative to the regular flagship, but then the Ultra took on this role. Apple also had something similar in the early days, the iPhone 6 Plus started the trend only to be replaced by the Pro Max as the ultimate flagship.
iPhone 16 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Plus differences explained:
| iPhone 16 Plus | Galaxy S24 Plus |
|---|---|
| Similar size and weight | Similar size and weight |
| Same screen size, but only 60Hz refresh rate | Same 6.7-inch screen but with 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate |
| Dual camera, only wide and ultrawide | Triple camera, including a dedicated macro camera |
| Less memory in the base version (6GB) | More memory in the base version (12GB) |
| 128GB base storage, no microSD card slot | More base storage starting at 256GB |
| A smaller 4,006mAh battery (battery capacity to be confirmed) | Larger 4,900mAh battery that will potentially deliver better battery life |
| A18 chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy |
Table of Contents:
Also read:
- Apple iPhone 16 Plus Preview: Is the Plus model still needed?
- Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24: Tiny but mighty
Design and Display Quality
The status quo remains unchanged
Just like with the previous generation, the iPhone 16 Plus and the Galaxy S24 Plus are just larger versions of their respective base models. Both of these also follow the design language of their predecessors, with the iPhone 16 Plus tweaking the camera bump design a bit, going for vertically arranged wide and ultrawide cameras, and the Galaxy S24 Plus using the same separate cutout design for each camera on the back.
As far as materials, size, and weight are concerned, these two are pretty close. They both use glass and aluminum, they weigh almost the same, and the size of the screens on both phones is identical, leading to similar dimensions as well.
Samsung went for a boxier design with flatter sides and back with the S24 series, so now the Galaxy S24 Plus feels more similar in the hand to the iPhone 16 Plus than ever before. When it comes to colors, there are some differences, with the S24 Plus offering a tad more choice and more vibrancy as well.
Apple iPhone 16 Plus available colors:
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus available colors:
Finally, it's worth mentioning that the iPhone 16 Plus comes with a dedicated camera shutter button, which Apple calls the Capture Button. The Galaxy S24 Plus lacks such hardware, so if you like camera controls on a button, you might be leaning toward the iPhone 16 Plus already.
Moving to the displays of both phones, we find something very, very sad. Apple has once again refused to equip its vanilla and Plus models with high refresh rate displays, and we're stuck with 60Hz on the iPhone 16 Plus. And that's a big minus, if you ask us. The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with an OLED screen of the same 6.7-inch size, but it's a LTPO panel and can dynamically switch between 1 and 120Hz.
The iPhone 16 Plus is currently laying on our test bench, so we need to wait a bit for things like maximum display brightness, color accuracy, and color temperature. The Galaxy S24 Plus, on the other hand, is a known variable and performs solid with 1,273 nits of maximum typical brightness and 1 nit of minimum brightness. Stay tuned for lab tests shortly.
As far as materials, size, and weight are concerned, these two are pretty close. They both use glass and aluminum, they weigh almost the same, and the size of the screens on both phones is identical, leading to similar dimensions as well.
Samsung went for a boxier design with flatter sides and back with the S24 series, so now the Galaxy S24 Plus feels more similar in the hand to the iPhone 16 Plus than ever before. When it comes to colors, there are some differences, with the S24 Plus offering a tad more choice and more vibrancy as well.
- Ultramarine
- Teal
- Pink
- White
- Black
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus available colors:
- Amber Yellow
- Marble Gray
- Onyx Black
- Cobalt Violet
- Jade Green (exclusive)
- Sapphire Blue (exclusive)
- Sandstone Orange (exclusive)
Finally, it's worth mentioning that the iPhone 16 Plus comes with a dedicated camera shutter button, which Apple calls the Capture Button. The Galaxy S24 Plus lacks such hardware, so if you like camera controls on a button, you might be leaning toward the iPhone 16 Plus already.
Moving to the displays of both phones, we find something very, very sad. Apple has once again refused to equip its vanilla and Plus models with high refresh rate displays, and we're stuck with 60Hz on the iPhone 16 Plus. And that's a big minus, if you ask us. The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with an OLED screen of the same 6.7-inch size, but it's a LTPO panel and can dynamically switch between 1 and 120Hz.
The iPhone 16 Plus is currently laying on our test bench, so we need to wait a bit for things like maximum display brightness, color accuracy, and color temperature. The Galaxy S24 Plus, on the other hand, is a known variable and performs solid with 1,273 nits of maximum typical brightness and 1 nit of minimum brightness. Stay tuned for lab tests shortly.
Performance and Software
Can the Gen 3 for Galaxy take on the A18?
The iPhone 16 Plus comes equipped with the new Apple A18 chip, which is a big unknown at the moment, as we haven't run the tests yet. It's a 3 nm chip, and we expect Apple to maintain the lead, at least in synthetic benchmarks, although the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is not far behind.
Furthermore, the Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a slightly overclocked version of this chipset, dubbed "for Galaxy," and offers slightly better performance, compared to other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 equipped phones.
The RAM situation is in favor of the Galaxy S24 Plus, as it comes with 12GB of RAM, but the difference in architecture, ecosystem, and how iOS and Android treat apps make such comparison irrelevant. Some hard numbers will occupy this spot as soon as we test the iPhone 16 Plus.
Now, when it comes to software, things are even more complicated. The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with Galaxy AI onboard, and as we already know, AI is the big thing in smartphone tech nowadays. We still don't know much about Apple Intelligence and how good or useful it will actually be, but this is shaping out as a fierce battle. The thing is, most of the features that Apple is boasting are either in beta or coming later this year, or even next year. We're currently testing what's available at the moment and will get back to you with some impressions soon.
Furthermore, the Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a slightly overclocked version of this chipset, dubbed "for Galaxy," and offers slightly better performance, compared to other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 equipped phones.
Now, when it comes to software, things are even more complicated. The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with Galaxy AI onboard, and as we already know, AI is the big thing in smartphone tech nowadays. We still don't know much about Apple Intelligence and how good or useful it will actually be, but this is shaping out as a fierce battle. The thing is, most of the features that Apple is boasting are either in beta or coming later this year, or even next year. We're currently testing what's available at the moment and will get back to you with some impressions soon.
The Galaxy S24 Plus also comes with seven years of major OS updates, while the iPhone 16 Plus offers only five, so even though there's a good gap between these two phones in favor of the iPhone 16 Plus, which is more than 6 months newer, in the end, the Galaxy S24 Plus wins on the longevity front.
Camera
Three is still more than two
The iPhone 16 retains the same dual camera setup as its predecessor. Apple upgraded the main camera sensor of the last generation non-Pro iPhones with a 48MP main camera, capable of taking high resolution 24MP images, and this comes to the iPhone 16 Plus as well.
The ultrawide camera is the same 12MP snapper, although with a faster f/2.2 aperture and 13mm focal length equivalent (on the last model we had f/2.4), so we don't expect huge differences in image quality.
The Galaxy S24 Plus, on the other hand, comes with a triple camera setup on its back, Samsung is sticking to this setup despite rumors that the company might switch to a dual main camera system on its non-Ultra phones.
The main camera is a 50MP sensor under a lens with f/1.8 and a 24mm focal length equivalent. The ultrawide camera is very similar to what the iPhone 16 Plus has. It's a 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture, and a pixel size of 1.4 μm. The field of view should be very similar, as this camera has a 13mm focal length as well.
The Galaxy S24 Plus has an ace up its sleeve in the form of a telephoto camera. It's 10MP and capable of doing 3x optical zoom. The iPhone 16 Plus relies on sensor crops to get 2x optical-like zoom, so there is a clear advantage in flexibility and zoom level for the Galaxy S24 Plus.
But samples speak louder than specs, so stay tuned for side-by-side image comparison soon.
The ultrawide camera is the same 12MP snapper, although with a faster f/2.2 aperture and 13mm focal length equivalent (on the last model we had f/2.4), so we don't expect huge differences in image quality.
The main camera is a 50MP sensor under a lens with f/1.8 and a 24mm focal length equivalent. The ultrawide camera is very similar to what the iPhone 16 Plus has. It's a 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture, and a pixel size of 1.4 μm. The field of view should be very similar, as this camera has a 13mm focal length as well.
The Galaxy S24 Plus has an ace up its sleeve in the form of a telephoto camera. It's 10MP and capable of doing 3x optical zoom. The iPhone 16 Plus relies on sensor crops to get 2x optical-like zoom, so there is a clear advantage in flexibility and zoom level for the Galaxy S24 Plus.
But samples speak louder than specs, so stay tuned for side-by-side image comparison soon.
Battery Life and Charging
Should be pretty close
Now, even though the Galaxy S24 Plus has a bigger battery on paper, this doesn't mean that battery life would be better. We've seen this time and again with other iPhone models, the Pro Max being a good example.
The aforementioned Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a 4,900mAh battery, and even though the iPhone 16 Plus battery capacity wasn't disclosed during the “It’s Glowtime” event, we're pretty sure that it will be less than what the Galaxy has onboard.
We have to wait until our battery tests are done and dusted to give you some benchmark results and a final verdict on this, but bear in mind that all iPhone Plus models in the past couple of years were very strong in the battery life department.
When it comes to charging, the iPhone 16 Plus does nothing to the wired charging speeds, the phone still charges with around 25W and Apple still cites 50% in 35 minutes. The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with 45W wired charging support and gets from 0 to 100% in a little over an hour.
The aforementioned Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a 4,900mAh battery, and even though the iPhone 16 Plus battery capacity wasn't disclosed during the “It’s Glowtime” event, we're pretty sure that it will be less than what the Galaxy has onboard.
When it comes to charging, the iPhone 16 Plus does nothing to the wired charging speeds, the phone still charges with around 25W and Apple still cites 50% in 35 minutes. The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with 45W wired charging support and gets from 0 to 100% in a little over an hour.
Specs Comparison
Here's a specs comparison between the Apple iPhone 16 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus. For a deep dive, head to our full comparison on PhoneArena.
| iPhone 16 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm, 199g | 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7 mm, 197g |
| Screen | 6.7" OLED 60Hz | 6.7" Super AMOLED 1-120Hz |
| Processor | A18 3nm | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy 4nm |
| RAM, Storage | 8/128GB 8/256GB 8/512GB LPDDR5 | 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras | 48MP main 12MP ultra 12MP front | 50MP main 12MP ultra 20MP telephoto 12MP front |
| Battery | 4,006 mAh (battery capacity to be confirmed) | 4,900 mAh |
| Charging | USB-C 25W wired MagSafe | USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
Which one should you buy?
That's a difficult question, especially at this early stage. The iPhone 16 Plus is currently as subject to all the tests, benchmarks, and we also have to snap some samples in order to properly evaluate it. The Galaxy S24 Plus, on the other hand, is a very good competitor, and for many people it was the better choice at $999 (compared to the S24 Ultra).
The iPhone 16 Plus is a little cheaper starting at $899, but also lacks a few features compared to the Galaxy. The things that make the S24 Plus stand out are the extra telephoto camera, the Galaxy AI suite, and the potentially better battery life and charging. Oh, and the screen does 1-120Hz as well.
We will update our comparison and give you a final verdict once our iPhone 16 Plus review is out!
The iPhone 16 Plus is a little cheaper starting at $899, but also lacks a few features compared to the Galaxy. The things that make the S24 Plus stand out are the extra telephoto camera, the Galaxy AI suite, and the potentially better battery life and charging. Oh, and the screen does 1-120Hz as well.
We will update our comparison and give you a final verdict once our iPhone 16 Plus review is out!
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