Samsung Galaxy S24 vs S24 Plus vs S24 Ultra
Everything you need to know about Samsung's Galaxy S24 series handsets
The Samsung Galaxy S24 range is official, and you may be wondering what the differences are between the Galaxy S24, the S24 Plus, and the S24 Ultra. Luckily, we’re covering everything you need to know below, so don your spec spectacles, and let’s get this show on the road.
Price & release date
The Samsung Galaxy S24 series will be available to buy on 31 January, directly from Samsung US and Samsung UK. You can see their respective prices in dollars and pounds below. It’s worth noting that there’s currently an offer where you can grab a higher storage option model for the same price as the tier below. This offer expires on 30 January.
Samsung Galaxy S24 prices
Galaxy S24 Plus prices
| Storage/RAM | US Price | UK Price |
| 256GB/12GB | $1000 | £999 |
| 512GB/12GB | £799 |
Galaxy S24 Ultra prices
| Storage/RAM | US Price | UK Price |
| 256GB/12GB | N/A | £1249 |
| 512GB/12GB | £1249 | |
| 1TB/12GB | £1349 |
Design & display
The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus are practically identical in appearance. Both are rocking Samsung’s new ‘armor aluminium’ frame for reportedly increased durability, and they’re covered front and back in Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The rounded edges of their predecessors are gone, with all four sides now completely flat. And yes, this does make them look rather similar to the iPhone 15.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is easily distinguishable from its siblings, thanks to much sharped corners and gently curved sides. Forged from titanium and with the same Victus 2 glass, it’s very much still flaunting its Galaxy Note-like ancestry. Naturally, the inclusion of an S Pen stylus (housed in the bottom) is another tell-tale sign that it’s the top-ranking officer in the S24 lineup.
In terms of the screen sizes, the S24 has a 6.2in display, while the Plus bumps that up to 6.7in. The Ultra edges out ahead with a 6.8in offering. All screens are of the AMOLED variety, with a peak brightness of 2600 nits, and a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate. A small selfie cam cut-out is centred at the top of each display.
Performance, battery & software
In the US, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus are both powered by the mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor. For those of us in the UK and Europe, they’re instead rocking Samsung’s own Exynos 2400 for Galaxy chipset. We’ve yet to review them in full, so we’re going to remain tentatively optimistic that this time round, the Exynos alternative can match the power and efficiency of its Snapdragon rival. However, the fact that the S24 Ultra is available globally with Qualcomm’s processor, suggests it’s still the superior choice.
The S24 Ultra, by the way, is the only model which offers up to 1TB storage and 12GB RAM, with the S24 Plus topping out at 512GB/12GB (the 8GB Plus model is no more), and the regular S24 at 256GB/8GB RAM. In terms of battery, the S24 and S24 Plus have 4000mAh and 4900mAh cells, respectively. The regular S24 is also sadly stuck at 25W wired charging. The S24 Ultra has a slightly larger battery at 4900mAh, and has at least had a bit of a speed boost, with 45W now on offer (which the S24 Plus also now has as well).
As for software, Samsung’s Android 14 One UI 6.1 experience offers as many bells and whistles as you’d expect, including plenty of AI features such as circling objects to search for more information on them. Time will tell how useful these extras will be, but Samsung certainly can’t be accused of resting on its laurels in the Great Big AI Race.
Cameras
The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus both have a triple camera setup that remains unchanged from the Galaxy S22 range. That means a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom. If you’re disappointed by the lack of hardware updates, you might be soothed by the promise of improvements in algorithms, combined with AI smarts (such as the ability to remove and or/replace objects via the wonders of generative fill).
The Galaxy S24 Ultra also lands with a very familiar quad-cam setup, although there is one main change — it now has a 50MP periscope telescope camera with 5x optical magnification that, according to Samsung, is good enough for 10x lossless zoom, thanks to some combined software magic. As for the rest of the setup, the 200MP main sensor, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and 12MP ultrawide, remain the same as last year’s model.
Initial verdict
Until we’ve reviewed all three devices in full, we can’t categorically state which one is best for you. One of the most important driving factors is, of course, price, and you’ll know which budget best suits your needs. Our initial reaction, based on specs, is that the S24 Plus makes for a much more tempting proposition compared to its predecessor. This time round, it’s received a RAM upgrade, as well as faster charging speeds, which are improvements that are hard to ignore.
Naturally, the premium S24 Plus will appeal to power users, thanks to a combination of its S Pen skills, and upgraded zoom camera. We’ll be updating this comparison after we’ve reviewed all three handsets, so keep an eye out for more details soon.
Esat Dedezade
Contributor 
