Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: What's New?

The new Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphones have officially arrived with Galaxy AI at the forefront. The Galaxy S24, S24 Plus and S24 Ultra feature upgrades across the board, but Galaxy AI features take the spotlight this year as Samsung claims these are the first AI smartphones. While all three phones in the Galaxy S24 series are packed with flagship-grade hardware and software, not everyone wants or has the means to go for the top-end model. Does that mean the Galaxy S24 and the S24 Plus compromise on the flagship experience? We'll find out in this comparison, pitting the S24 models against each other to check out what is new under the hood.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Price & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S24 price in India starts at ₹79,999 for the 8GB+256GB variant and you’ll pay ₹89,999 for 512GB of storage. The Galaxy S24 Plus is priced at ₹99,999 for the 12GB+256GB variant and ₹1,09,999 for 512GB. The Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at ₹1,29,999 for the 12GB+256GB option, while the 512GB variant costs ₹1,39,999 and 1TB of storage is priced at ₹1,59,999.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy S24 lineup are live in India and the devices will be available to buy from January 31 onwards.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design

In terms of design, all three phones feature flat displays, with the S24 and S24 Plus having aluminium frames and the S24 Ultra going the Apple way with a titanium chassis. Notably, the S24 and S24 Plus have rounded-off edges while the S24 Ultra has a boxy shape with sharper corners.

The standard Galaxy S24 comes in the smallest form factor at 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm, and the S24 Plus steps up to 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm with its larger screen and battery. The Ultra is the biggest of the trio at 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm and also incorporates the new Gorilla Glass Armor on its front and rear glass. It is also the only model with an integrated S Pen stylus, which will appeal to fans of the discontinued Galaxy Note series.

The vanilla S24 is the lightest of the lot at 168 grams, followed by the S24 Plus at 197 grams and the S24 Ultra at 233 grams. All three phones are IP68 rated, making them resistant to dust and water ingress.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Display

Moving to the displays, all three Galaxy S24 models feature Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays with 120Hz peak refresh rates. The S24 comes in at 6.2 inches, while the S24 Plus has a larger 6.7-inch screen. The largest display in the lineup is on the Ultra at a massive 6.8 inches. 

The Galaxy S24's display offers Full HD+ resolution, while the S24 Plus and S24 Ultra provide a QHD+ resolution screen. Previously, the "Plus" variants in the S-lineup stuck to Full HD+ resolution but this year, the middle sibling gets an update.

Samsung has upgraded the screen resolution, which is excellent. Additionally, the display on all three phones is claimed to reach a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits with HDR10+ support across the board.

The S24 and S24 Plus have a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra gets Gorilla Glass Armor, which is said to be more durable and can reduce reflections by up to 75%.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Cameras

The S24 and S24 Plus have a triple rear camera system consisting of a 50-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide, and 10-megapixel telephoto camera. The Galaxy S24 Ultra takes it up a notch with a quad camera setup that includes a 200-megapixel primary sensor and dual 10-megapixel + 50-megapixel telephoto cameras, allowing for up to 5x optical zoom. Video recording resolution tops out at 8K30fps across all models, including HDR10+ and stereo sound. A 12MP front camera handles selfie duties on each model.

In terms of output, Samsung says its “ProVisual AI Engine” optimises pictures to offer a natural-looking colour tone and improved performance in low-light situations. Part of the Galaxy AI suite, features such as Generative Edit let you remove objects from a photo or add elements via the generative fill tool. 

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Performance

Under the hood, Samsung has used the cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. 

Samsung's own Exynos 2400 silicon powers the S24 and S24 Plus. Like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Exynos 2400 is also fabricated on a 4nm process.

Both chip options promise significant gains over the ones used in last year’s Galaxy S23 phones, but the bigger news is that Samsung has confirmed that it will offer up to seven years of OS and security updates starting with the Galaxy S24 series. 

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Batteries and Charging

Rounding off the specs, the S24 and S24 Plus batteries are rated at 4000mAh and 4,900mAh respectively. The S24 Ultra comes equipped with a 5,000mAh battery.

The S24 Ultra and S24 Plus support 45W fast charging, while the standard S24 tops out at 25W. Wireless charging remains included as well for all three, and works at 15W.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S24 Plus vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Which should you buy?

In summary, the Galaxy S24 series is primed to take smartphone experiences to new heights across the board, from design and display to camera and performance. While we will soon test all three phones in detail, if you had to go by the specs on paper, there's a Galaxy S24 phone for everyone.

The S24 Ultra leads the pack with cutting-edge specs and camera capabilities at the highest price point, followed by the Galaxy S24 Plus, which is finally worthy of its name with an upgraded screen resolution and battery size. If you are looking for a simple, relatively compact flagship phone that can support your daily activities, then the Galaxy S24 is the one to go for.