OnePlus 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Google Pixel 8

Stuck pondering whether to buy the OnePlus 12, Samsung Galaxy S24, or Google Pixel 8? We don’t envy you. It’s a tough decision to make, with each handset serving up some of the best specs, design, and features around. But we’re here to help.

We’ve rounded up all the differences between them below, to help you make your final decision. And if you’re still not convinced by any of them, you’re more than welcome to check out our list of the best smartphones you can currently buy. Happy browsing.

• Read more: OnePlus 12 review

Price & release date

The Samsung Galaxy S24 release date was 31 January 2020, and the 128GB Galaxy S24 can be bought for £799 in the UK. At the time of writing, you can buy the 256GB version on offer for the same price (normally £849). In the US, you can buy the 128GB model for $800, and you can also make use of an early bird offer by buying the 256GB version of the Galaxy S24 for $800 too (normally $860). 

The Google Pixel 8 can be found on Amazon for as little as £520 for the Rose version (or $549 directly from Google). Depending on where you shop, different colours may cost a little more. The 256GB Pixel 8 model is £759 on Amazon, but can be found on offer as well, while you can pick it up for $609 directly from Google.

As for the OnePlus 12, it starts at $799.99 in the US for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage model, with price cap of $899.99 for the higher-end 16GB RAM/512GB version. In the UK, those prices are £849 and £999, respectively. You can order it directly from OnePlus US, and OnePlus UK.

Design & display

From the front, all three smartphones look fairly similar, which should come as no surprise. The era of the triangular-shaped smartphone may never arrive, so for now, they’re all more or less rectangular in shape, with rounded corners and cut-out selfie cams.

The Galaxy S24 sticks out a little more than its two rivals, thanks to its iPhone-like flat edges, while the OnePlus 12 and Pixel 8 opt for more organic curves. It’s their rears, though, that really set them apart.

Samsung’s handset has the cleanest, most minimalistic design of the three, with a neat vertical row of circular camera lenses and, well, little else. The Pixel 8 offers dual horizontal cameras, embedded in a bar that spans across its entire width. We rather like it, but it’s understandably not everyone’s cup of tea.

The OnePlus 12, on the other hand, really stands out from the pack, thanks to an enormous circular camera housing that’s impossible to miss. Again, we rather like it, but it won’t suit everyone, and it very much screams “I’m serious about smartphone photography” (which, again, is no bad thing). The OnePlus 12, in its Emerald Flow finish, is probably one of the best-looking smartphones we’ve seen, period, thanks to its beautiful marbling. Ultimately though, you won’t be ashamed to leave any of them out on a table.

Performance, battery, software

Normally in our Android flagship comparison, each handset tends to have the same processor in the form of Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon silicon. In this case however, each handset is bringing something different to the table. Sort of.

US Samsung Galaxy S24 models are packing the power of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor which, while tweaked specifically for Samsung, is still the same as the Snapdragon Gen 3 processor found in the OnePlus 12. Outside of the US however, the Galaxy S24 is rocking Samsung’s own Exynos 2400 processor. 

Historically, Exynos processors have lagged behind their Qualcomm rivals in the power and efficiency department, and the gap hasn’t entirely closed this time around. Google’s Pixel 8 stands out with its own Tensor 3 processor — a third-generation nine-core processor that’s more than capable of handling the latest games, multitasking, and AI tricks.

On the battery front, the Pixel 8 has a substantially larger 4574mAh battery compared to the S24’s 4000mAh battery, while the OnePlus 12 trounces them both with a gargantuan 5400mAh battery. As for charging speeds, it’s not even close. The OnePlus 12 is miles ahead with 100W wired charging, and 50W wireless charging. The Galaxy S24 is far slower with 25W wired and 15W wireless, while Google is slightly ahead with 27W and 18W wired and wireless, respectively.

In terms of software, Android purists will absolutely prefer the purer experience of Android 14 on the Pixel 8, while Samsung and OnePlus overlay their Android 14 experiences with One UI 6.1 and OxygenOS 14, respectively woven throughout. Samsung and Google also bring some clever AI tricks to the table, such as visual search and on-device camera editing (more on that below). Pixel 8 users can also take customisation to the next level with built-in AI-generated wallpapers and themes, which is a rather nice touch.

Cameras

The OnePlus 12 has a 50MP main snapper, 64MP periscope telephoto lens (with 3x optical zoom), and a 48MP ultrawide camera. 

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 is also rocking a triple camera setup, with a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom. Both the S24 and OnePlus 12 beat the Pixel 8’s double setup of a 50MP main shooter and 12MP ultrawide, on paper at least.

In real-world use, there’s no doubt that all three handsets will offer superb shots in well-lit conditions, and at night. Between their camera hardware and processing tricks, night shots too, will not disappoint. Along with the OnePlus 12, the Galaxy S24 will be the superior choice for those who value optical zoom — the one main area in which the Pixel 8’s camera falls short.

If you value AI tricks like object removal, then Samsung and Google’s options are the better choice, as they allow tricks like generative fill and even object replacement, all with a few finger taps.

Verdict

All three handsets in our round-up are excellent, and we have no hesitation recommending any of them. The Pixel 8 stands out with its lower price, and will probably be the best choice for those not fussed about its lack of a periscope telephoto lens.

The Galaxy S24 and OnePlus 12 are closer in specs, and you can’t go wrong with either one. We’d probably go for the OnePlus 12 in most cases, as its substantially larger battery and much faster charging are too tempting to ignore, but if you want the extra AI bells and whistles that come with the Galaxy S24 (or simply prefer its design), then that’s a totally fair decision too.

• Read more: These are the best smartphones you can buy