Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Evaluation: Samsung, Thank You for Prioritizing Battery Life

What impresses me essentially the most concerning the Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus is not the brand new Galaxy AI options, brighter screens or stable cameras. It is the battery life. I have been reviewing telephones for seven years, and I’ve discovered that if an organization desires individuals to be keen about shopping for a brand new telephone, both make the battery last more or decrease the value. That is it.

After every week of testing, I can say the bigger batteries within the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus haven’t any bother plowing by way of an extended day of use on a single cost. The S24 Plus specifically made it two days.

9.0

Samsung Galaxy S24

Like

• 
  Longer battery life
• 
  Longer software program assist
• 
  Brighter display
• 
  Circle To Search

Do not like

• 
  Telephoto photos are simply OK
• 
  AI options are hit-or-miss

9.0

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus

Like

• 
  Bigger, brighter, larger decision display
• 
  Longer battery life
• 
  Longer software program assist
• 
  Unbelievable efficiency

Do not like

• 
  Digicam efficiency does not match worth
• 
  AI options really feel experimental
• 
  The Pixel 8 Professional exists

Whereas Samsung did not decrease the S24 and S24 Plus’ costs, it did elevate the barrier of entry for the Galaxy S24 Extremely to $1,300. That makes the $1,000 Galaxy S24 Plus, which has nearly the whole lot the Extremely does, shine brighter. The S24 Plus is not a substitute for the S24 Extremely, however it’s a much better worth for the value. Neither is the Plus only a greater model of the $800 Galaxy S24, giving it an ungainly aura that any center little one can relate to.

Throughout my time with the S24 and S24 Plus, I had a bunch chat in three totally different languages (English, French and Spanish), took pictures to Monty Python-levels of ridiculous with new modifying instruments, performed video video games and took part in a Zoom video name for work. (Hey, it isn’t all glamorous reviewing a telephone.) Most of those experiences weren’t distinctive or new, however the emphasis Samsung positioned on the brand new AI options is definitely important, even when the true payoff is years down the road.

Learn extra: Greatest Android Cellphone of 2024

The S24 and S24 Plus are fantastic, well-built telephones which might be wonderful proper out of the field simply because the almost similar S22 and S23 had been earlier than it. This similarity to the S22 and S23 will be considered as both a energy, as a result of the design displays three years of refinements, or a weak spot, as a result of options just like the digital camera {hardware} are primarily similar to what got here out in 2022. However all of that is overshadowed by the nice battery life. You will by no means hear anybody complain about getting an excessive amount of battery life.

Should you’re fascinated with snagging both telephone, Samsung has quite a few Galaxy S24 collection trade-in offers that may drop the bottom worth to $250 for the S24 and $450 for the S24 Plus.

Galaxy S24 collection pricing

Design the place it issues

Each telephones stored the squared-off aluminum design with rounded corners from final 12 months’s S23 and S23 Plus. The S24 and S24 Plus are taller, however you’d need to be Ant-Man or Rick Moranis to note. The miniscule top addition accommodates new barely bigger shows (0.1 inches greater): 6.2-inch display on the S24 and 6.7-inch one on the S24 Plus. Examine that to the 6.8-inch display on the S24 Extremely.

Just like the S24 Extremely, each screens attain a peak brightness of two,600 nits. I discovered the shows had been straightforward to view whether or not taking a photograph outdoor underneath direct daylight or in a bar with buddies checking the rating of the Warriors/Lakers recreation with growing disappointment. I have never used the OnePlus 12 or its 4,500-nit show, however the screens on these telephones are loads shiny.

The S24 Plus’ display has the next decision and might max out at QuadHD, the identical decision because the Extremely. In actual fact, because the S24 Plus has a smaller show than the Extremely, the Plus really has the next pixel density. You’ll be able to’t see the distinction, however it’s nonetheless some extent within the Plus’ favor.

Whether or not it was watching Barbie and Escape From New York (a pairing that makes extra sense than you assume) or simply touching up a photograph that I took of the San Francisco Chronicle constructing, the Plus’ new display makes the whole lot look sharp with nice readability and colour accuracy. I actually observed this whereas studying articles; textual content popped with distinction, even at dimmer brightness ranges.

A Galaxy AI future

I can not keep in mind two letters which have gotten extra hype lately than AI. Synthetic intelligence is nothing new, however it’s a generic time period. It’s kind of like asking somebody what they’re carrying just for them to answer, “garments.” AI covers a large number of implementations from easy algorithms and machine studying to the generative-AI which is behind companies like ChatGPT and Dall-E.

Likewise AI reveals up in quite a lot of methods on the S24 and S24 Plus. A few of it’s made by Samsung, others by Google. A number of the AI options require an web connection, whereas others are carried out solely on-device.

Out of each function I attempted, Circle To Search is essentially the most polished and compelling. It enables you to seek for something on the display simply by circling it together with your finger. For instance, I noticed a photograph of a good friend on Instagram and wished to know what boots that they had on. So I pressed the house button for a second, which triggered a clear glowing filter to overhaul the display. As soon as I circled the boots, a bunch of search outcomes for Crimson Wing Iron Ranger boots popped up.

Should you’ve used a telephone for a when you may keep in mind a time when pull-to-refresh wasn’t a factor. After which sooner or later it was in all places. I really feel the identical will probably be true about Circle to Search. It really works properly and is not solely on the S24 collection however on the Pixel 8 and eight Professional and can come to the S23 line as properly.

Like pull-to-refresh, I would not be stunned to see Circle To Search make it to each telephone, even the iPhone.

The interpretation instruments had been additionally spectacular, regardless that language translation itself is not new to telephones. However the implementation right here is compelling, and the “new” angle is that it is performed on machine. I had a telephone name translated in actual time between myself, an English speaker and a good friend talking Spanish. The act of pausing and ready for the interpretation to be delivered by an AI voice took getting used to. No, I do not work for the UN, however it definitely felt like I might with this. The interpretation labored properly sufficient, however there have been tells that it had been performed by AI. Grammatically, phrases would generally get flipped in a Yoda-like approach.

I discovered the textual content message translation extra helpful. The interface appears clear and is intuitively constructed into the keyboard. As I discussed within the intro, it had no drawback dealing with a number of languages in a single thread. The accuracy was higher, in line with my buddies (one who spoke Spanish and the opposite French), and my guess is that it is as a result of we’re staying within the realm of textual content.

Watch this: Samsung Reveals Its New S24 Collection Telephones and Their AI Chops

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On the entire, none of those new AI-powered instruments are the explanation to purchase this telephone (or actually any telephone). We’re nonetheless within the generative AI telephone germination part, which ought to naturally enhance over time as extra individuals use these instruments. However I feel a few of these options are helpful sufficient proper now to enchantment to on a regular basis customers and never simply tech lovers.

Not too long ago, Samsung generated its personal questions round the way forward for Galaxy AI. Fantastic print on the producer’s web site hints that after two years, Samsung may cost for the options. What’s shady to me is not that AI-powered instruments is perhaps the following frontier for subscription income, however that Samsung left it to journalists to find the likelihood in advantageous print. What are ya, Samsung? An advert for an ’80s used automotive dealership?

I spotlight extra AI-powered options under within the digital camera part, however for a deeper look learn CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco’s Galaxy AI breakdown story. 

Battery and efficiency are the place it is at

All three new Galaxy telephones have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which when mixed with 8GB of RAM on S24 and 12GB on the Plus yielded peppy efficiency. The underneath display fingerprint reader is blazing quick to unlock, the digital camera app opens like a spring that is been sprung.

Gaming is unbelievable, with each telephones dealing with the whole lot from Mario Kart to Diablo Immortal to Genshin Influence. The S24 did get heat to the contact sooner than than the Plus, however neither grew to become too scorching to carry. In benchmark testing, each telephones are proper up there with the Extremely, Asus ROG Cellphone 8 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional max, even besting a few of them. The common base S24 unexpectedly scored very excessive.

The S24 collection runs on Android 14, and maybe the sleeper function on these telephones is that Samsung guarantees seven years of main OS updates and software program assist. Meaning you possibly can maintain on to the Galaxy S24 till 2031 and nonetheless have an up-to-date model of Android on the telephone. Although I think about you’d doubtless want a battery substitute earlier than then.

The S24 and S24 Plus have secure software program proper out of the field. That hasn’t been the case with lots of the different telephones I’ve reviewed over the previous 12 months. The iPhone 15 collection skilled overheating due to iOS 17 which has since been remedied.

Just like the screens, the telephones’ batteries obtained greater. The S24 now has a 4,000-mAh battery (a 100-mAh enhance over the S23), whereas the S24 Plus has a 4,900-mAh battery that is 200-mAh bigger than S23 Plus’ battery. The Plus’ battery capability can also be simply 100-mAh shy of the S24 Extremely’s 5,000-mAh battery, in yet one more signal of the nearer overlap between the 2.

The bigger batteries deliver a small however noticeable enchancment, which is little doubt helped by the effectivity of that new Snapdragon chip. In on a regular basis life, this reveals up within the S24 beginning at 6 a.m. with a full battery and at 11 p.m. having 25% left. And that was a day of medium-to-heavy use over T-Cell’s 5G and with the display typically being set to max brightness for photograph and video shoots for the overview.

Within the week I had the S24 Plus, it lasted two days on a single cost, twice ending the second day at 11% and 9% as I highlighted in my early hands-on story. In CNET’s streaming check, the place every telephone’s battery is charged to 100% and we stream a video over Wi-Fi for 3 hours, checking on the outcomes each hour, each telephones outlasted S23 fashions and have been outdone this 12 months solely by the OnePlus 12.

It is price noting that CNET’s overview of the Galaxy S23 highlighted the improved battery life over the S22. And it is exceptional that Samsung steadily improved the common S mannequin to go from a poor battery life in 2022 to an excellent battery life in simply two years.

Each telephones have quick charging however do not include the mandatory energy brick. The S24 maxes out at 25 watts, and over half-hour the battery went from empty to 51%. The S24 Plus had comparable outcomes with a 45-watt charger (its most) and went from zero to 50% in the identical time.

I nonetheless have extra battery and charging exams to run, together with for the 15-watt wi-fi charging that each assist. However I’ve been completely impressed up to now.

Cameras: the identical

Each telephones have the identical cameras on the again because the S23 and S23 Plus: a trio of large, ultrawide and 3x telephoto lenses. The primary digital camera has a 50-megapixel sensor and might seize 50-megapixel or 12-megapixel pictures. The ultrawide and telephoto have a 12-megapixel and 10-megapixel sensor respectively and might seize 12-megapixel snaps, which makes me interested in the place the tele is getting these additional 2 megapixels.

In her S23 and S23 Plus final 12 months, CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco famous that the cameras had been largely the identical because the one on the S22 and S22 Plus. And that’s positively the case right here with the S24 and S24 Plus.

In good lighting, pictures look nice with a good dynamic vary (the distinction between the brightest and darkest components) and picture high quality. However in blended or dim lighting when evening mode is not triggered, particulars look smooth and processed. Have a look under.

In relation to digital camera high quality, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus can maintain tempo with the Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 however barely. Have a look under at pictures I took of an espresso bar at 4 Barrel Espresso in San Francisco with the Pixel 8, iPhone 15 and S24 Plus. It was dim sufficient to problem the cameras on all three telephones whereas not darkish sufficient to activate evening mode.

All three pictures look good. The Pixel 8 and S24 Plus uncovered their pictures equally and seemed the closest to actual life. The iPhone 15 brightened the whole lot up, which ends up in a nice-looking photograph but additionally throws off the colour temperature. When it comes to particulars (take a look at the espresso beans within the hopper), the S24 Plus’s photograph seemed a bit smooth, whereas the Pixel 8’s picture was a bit over sharpened, and the iPhone 15’s snap is someplace within the center.

These outcomes bode properly specifically for the common S24. However with a $1,000 price ticket, and competing towards the likes of the Pixel 8 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional, it is laborious to be enthusiastic about what the S24 Plus provides when it comes to pictures. It is positively succesful, however will not be the perfect, nor does it come near what’s thought-about to be the perfect cameras on telephones right this moment. And that may very well be why the Galaxy S24 Extremely exists with its newer and better decision 200-megapixel important digital camera.

Cameras: the new-ish

However wait, there’s extra. The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus have a mixture of on-board and cloud modifying instruments for pictures and movies. The AI-powered instruments enhance the picture high quality and assist repair facets of the pictures I take. And these instruments provide a glimpse at how AI might assist telephones take higher pictures as they grow old.

Within the Gallery app, I can faucet and maintain on any video whereas it is taking part in and switch it immediately into slow-mo (the AI generates and provides frames to the video). The expertise is enjoyable and just like the saying goes, the whole lot appears higher in gradual movement.

Then there’s the over-the-top Generative Edit (much like the Pixel 8’s Magic Editor and primarily based on the identical underlying Google expertise) that may delete objects and other people from a photograph and fill within the empty house. I’ve but to see a flawless outcome, as there’s at all times a visual remnant or halo indicating that one thing is off. I can use the identical instrument to maneuver objects and other people, even altering their dimension, which is simply enjoyable and ridiculous.

I discover that mundane fixes are essentially the most helpful. I can use the identical Generative Edit instrument to straighten pictures. I do not like Dutch Angles besides in Hitchcock movies, Terry Gilliam motion pictures and, after all, Energy Rangers. I take pleasure in leveling a photograph’s horizon, which on most telephones often means cropping in to get the specified outcome. On the S24 and S24 Plus Generative Edit can fill within the components of a photograph, past the body that weren’t even there eliminating the necessity to crop in. The outcomes are good; see under.

The Gallery app has one other trick. I can swipe as much as see a photograph’s metadata and little buttons/tags seem with suggestions to make things better. Practically each photograph appears to get a “remaster” tag, which in my testing means brightening components of the photograph.

The “erase reflections” repair works properly sufficient. Check out the 2 pictures under, the diminished mild glare is noticeable however on the outcomes can generally be hit-or-miss. The instrument ought to actually be known as “cut back reflections” as a substitute.

On the entire, the AI photograph and video options really feel extra experimental than reliable.

Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus remaining phrase

After days of testing the S24 and S24 Plus by taking part in video games, texting and calling in a number of languages, taking pictures, recording movies and attempting out all that Galaxy AI has to supply, I am pleased to say each these telephones are excellent. Samsung did not reinvent the telephone, however it did take two nice telephones and make them higher.

The problem for the S24 Plus is that Google’s Pixel 8 Professional has the identical worth and barely higher cameras. I do assume the S24 Plus is an general higher telephone in almost each different respect, even software program, which has been rock stable in my testing.

And the problem for the S24 is that you could get a OnePlus 12 for a similar worth or save $100 and get a Pixel 8. I’ve used each the Pixel 8 and S24 and it is laborious to say one is unquestionably higher than the opposite. The S24 has a extra mature design, a greater construct and extra secure software program on the time I am scripting this. The Pixel 8 is best at pictures and provides distinctive options like calling screening.

Should you’re on a Galaxy S21 or S21 Plus and are feeling inclined to improve, now could be the time. On the finish of the day, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus have nice battery life, spectacular efficiency, seven years of software program assist and a few of its Galaxy AI options present promise, however I anticipate extra from the S24 Plus’ digital camera given its $1,000 worth.

How we check telephones

Each telephone examined by CNET’s evaluations group is definitely utilized in the actual world. We check a telephone’s options, play video games and take pictures. We study the show to see if it is shiny, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water-resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes, utilizing standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark in addition to our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and taking part in graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.

All of the cameras are examined in quite a lot of circumstances, from shiny daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like evening mode and portrait mode and examine our findings towards equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life through the use of the telephone each day in addition to operating a collection of battery drain exams.

Editors’ notice: CNET is utilizing an AI engine to assist create some tales. For extra, see this publish.