The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+ are more of the same — until you start using them

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 and S24+ seem pretty identical to last year’s phones at first glance, and in a lot of ways, they are. But once I picked up the company’s new flagships and performed a Google search by simply circling an object, or used AI to give my text messages a more casual tone, I quickly realized that the real story of Samsung’s 2024 phones is in the software.

With a host of potentially useful Galaxy AI features — and some much-welcomed improvements to the Galaxy S24+ model in particular — this year’s basic Galaxy phones are shaping up to be a subtle but significant step up for our best Android phone pick. Wondering if you should upgrade this year? Here’s what I think after some early hands-on time.

Same sleek designs with some subtle refinements

Save for a new suite of colors and a slightly tweaked camera flash, the Galaxy S24 and S24+ look nearly the same as their 2023 predecessors — and that’s not a bad thing. With sturdy aluminum designs and smooth, matte rear panels without a single camera bump in sight, Samsung’s “basic” Galaxy phones have come a long way from the smudge-prone, cheap-looking devices of years past. The Galaxy S23 really nailed it from a look and feel perspective, and I can’t blame Samsung for not messing with the formula.

That’s not to say there aren’t any notable changes to talk about both inside and out. This year’s color options — Marble Gray, Amber Yellow, Onyx Black and Cobalt Violet — are fairly subtle and familiar, but the Violet version is one of Samsung’s better-looking purple phones (and this is coming from someone who is very opinionated about purple phones). Despite being the same size as last year’s models, the Galaxy S24 and S24+ actually have slightly bigger screens thanks to less overall bezel, and pack in bigger batteries for hopefully longer endurance.

They also both promise better peak brightness, which should make their displays even easier to see in bright sunlight. And the entire Galaxy S24 lineup is powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, a Samsung-optimized processor that we’re eager to test against the already-speedy Gen 2 chip found in last year’s phones. You’re getting the same camera hardware as last year’s models, but Samsung says the new on-device processing should lead to better shots.

While we typically talk about the standard Galaxy S-series phone and its Plus counterpart in the same breath — they’re more or less the same phone at different sizes — Samsung made a big emphasis on the Galaxy S24+ being its own beast this year. That’s because it’s finally made the leap from 1080p to a richer quad HD screen, and starts with 12GB of RAM and a more generous 256GB of storage (by comparison, the Galaxy S24 starts with 8GB/256GB and still has a 1080p display). These upgrades should make it even better for movie binging and multitasking on the go, and could position the S24+ as a nice middle ground for folks who want a nice big-screen phone experience without having to shell out $1,300 for an S24 Ultra.

It’s all about Galaxy AI

While the Galaxy S24 and S24+ are pretty familiar on the outside, their new AI-powered software tricks allowed me to do things that I’d never done on a Samsung phone. This includes Google’s Circle to Search functionality, which is exactly what it sounds like. After a long press of the home button, you can simply circle any object in a photo or on a web page to instantly learn more about it via Google Image Search.

This feature worked quickly and accurately in my limited testing — I was able to circle a fancy red sports car to instantly learn that it’s a Buick Riviera, and did the same for a pointy-eared cat before Google correctly called it out as a tabby. While this isn’t something I see myself using a ton in the real world, I could see it being useful for, say, remembering the name of a bar or restaurant that I only have photos of.

Circle to Search isn’t a Galaxy exclusive — it’ll also be available on Google’s Pixel 8 series — but there are a handful of Galaxy AI features that are unique to Samsung’s new phones. One of these is Note Assist, which provides a handful of AI-powered tools for labeling, summarizing and translating your notes. The Galaxy S24 turned long press releases into digestible bullet points and translated notes to entire other languages in a manner of seconds, and while these features are similar to what Google’s been offering for a while, they still seem like handy tools to have. You can also use Note Assist to label and categorize your notes, turning them from indistinct white boxes to colorful virtual journals that make it easy to tell your grocery list apart from your work tasks. I’m not sure why this kind of labeling requires generative AI, but it’s a nice organizational tool nonetheless.

There’s also Chat Assist, which can suggest alternate ways to send a text message if you’re looking to sound extra-professional to your boss or more casual to a friend. While I was amused by Galaxy AI’s suggestions — including turning “what’s the move tonight?” into a more professional “what are the recommended actions for this evening?” — I can’t see myself using a feature like this, and it seems like it needs more time in the oven to better mimic the way people actually send text messages.

Perhaps the Galaxy S24’s most notable AI tools are found in the Photos app, where you can tweak your shots in both fun and practical ways. Once I opened up a shot of a skateboarder catching some air, Galaxy AI allowed me to select, resize and move him with a few easy taps to make the photo look a lot more dramatic. It’s almost identical to the Magic Editor feature Google offers on its Pixel 8 phones, and worked similarly quickly in my testing. While the proliferation of AI-edited images definitely raises some concerns, I’m not sure anyone would pass off my exaggerated skateboarder image as the real thing — and any images you have edited with Galaxy AI are at least watermarked to let you know they’ve been messed with. There are also some more subtle, practical uses for Galaxy AI in photos, such as the ability to remove reflections from windows and unsightly shadows from your face. These both worked impressively quickly on the sample photos Samsung showed off, and I’m eager to see how they hold up in the real world.

Samsung Galaxy S24 specs vs. the competition

The takeaway

In terms of sheer hardware, the Galaxy S24 and S24+ are just about as standard of an annual upgrade as you can get. They’ll be a bit faster, will take slightly better photos and promise to last a little longer. You’ll likely see the biggest improvements if you’re coming from a Galaxy S22 or older; most other folks can probably hold out for now. If budget isn’t a concern and you want Samsung’s absolute best, the $1,300 Galaxy S24 Ultra — complete with its new titanium design, upgraded camera and included S Pen — will be a bigger leap for you.

That said, there are a few reasons to consider this year’s basic Galaxy devices. The $1,000 Galaxy S24+ in particular is shaping up to be Samsung’s best Plus phone yet, with a rich quad HD screen and improved internals that give you some Ultra-esque features for less. And as divisive as AI is right now, the Galaxy AI features found across the whole line are worth keeping in mind for folks who want lots of tools for organizing, communicating and editing. We’ll have much more to say about the entire Galaxy S24 lineup in our full reviews, so stay tuned.