Samsung Galaxy S24+

You could pay more for Samsung's $1,299 Galaxy S24 Ultra, but the Galaxy S24 Plus offers the same exceptional AI features, powerful processing performance, and extra long battery life for $300 less.

Samsung's new AI tools, combined with subtle design tweaks, help the Galaxy S24 and S24+ make a more compelling case for upgrading from any phone older than the S23.

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is a powerful Android phone for the masses thanks to its high-quality hardware, outstanding software, and top-tier performance.

As far as big Android phones go, you really can’t do better than the Galaxy S24 Plus right now in terms of performance and value. Sure, you can go Ultra and get the absolute most phone, with a big, fantastic screen, better zoom, and a built-in S Pen. But I think the Ultra demographic is a little more self-selecting, and the S24 Plus strikes me as the ultimate crowd-pleaser for someone who just wants a great Android phone.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung 's top-tier flagship phone for 2024 and a hot contender for the title of best camera phone. It may look a lot like its predecessor, but there are tweaks and improvements made to every aspect of this device, so there's...

In a nutshell, the Galaxy S24 series marries the best hardware in Android with Google's smarts. However, I find Google's Pixel phones to have more helpful day-to-day software features, so there's still some work to do for Samsung to catch up. If you still prefer the exceptional Samsung hardware though, you'll still have to deal with the price.

Samsung is leaning hard into AI to sell its new phones, but more importantly, the Galaxy S24+ nails the fundamentals. With unflappable performance, strong battery life, and great hardware quality, the S24+ is a proper flagship phone — even if it's not Ultra.

While I've only scratched the surface of what the latest Samsung Galaxy phones are capable of (read: I'll be testing both devices and updating this review over time), I'm compelled to recommend the S24 Plus to most shoppers this year, professional users included. The new QHD+ display, Galaxy AI features, and base memory of 12GB RAM/256GB storage for $300 less than the Ultra make it the better phone deal.