Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review – the best smartphone in the S24 lineup

• Samsung recently launched its Galaxy S24 series, which includes the Galaxy S24 Plus in India.
• The Galaxy S24 Plus is priced at ₹99,999 and is available in two variants.
• Here’s my review of the Galaxy S24 Plus that will help you decide whether to buy the device or not.

Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S24 series smartphones in India in January, ahead of its usual schedule. The devices include the top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra, the vanilla Galaxy S24, and the middle child, the Galaxy S24 Plus which often gets ignored.

Samsung usually reserves its best features and hardware for the Ultra variant, which results in the Plus variant often getting ignored. This year, however, the Galaxy S24 Plus has been able to make a place for itself as it offers a good balance between performance and price.

I have been using the Galaxy S24 Plus for a few weeks now, and here is my detailed review of the latest flagship offering from the Korean smartphone maker.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus price and availability

The Galaxy S24 Plus is priced at ₹99,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant and ₹1,09,999 for the 8GB RAM and 512GB storage variant.

The Galaxy S24 Plus is available from Amazon India, Flipkart, Samsung online stores, Samsung retail stores, and Samsung authorised retailers across the country in Cobalt Violet and Onyx Black colour options.

In the box

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus
• USB Type-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Documentation

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus specifications

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus pros and cons

Pros

• Premium design and a vibrant display
• Seven years of software updates and security updates

Cons

• Slow wired and wireless charging speeds
• Galaxy AI needs to improve

Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a revamped design, moving from a curved design to a flat body design, just like the iPhone 15 series. The device retains the same armour aluminium frame and a glass back.

In line with the premium aspect of the device, it comes with an IP68 rating making the device dust and water-resistant.

The device comes with a glass back with three camera cutouts and an LED flash. It comes with Samsung branding at the bottom. Due to the device’s camera design, it wobbles a bit when placed on a flat surface. So, you will have to use the device with a case.

The glass back comes with a shiny finish and does not attract fingerprint smudges or dust, so you don’t have to worry about that. The back comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

The Galaxy S24 Plus weighs just a little under 200 grams, and I found it easy to use even with one hand. People with smaller hands may struggle a bit with one-handed usage.

Coming to the sides, the volume rockers and the power button have both been placed on the right side to make one-handed usage easier. The buttons are easy to press, and the power button also allows you to trigger Bixby.

The left side and the top are empty, with the top only featuring two microphones.

At the bottom, you have the SIM slot, the USB Type-C port, the speaker grille, and a microphone.

Coming to the display, the Galaxy S24 Plus features a 6.7-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Just like the back, the display also comes with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. Samsung has made significant upgrades to the display compared to the Galaxy S23 Plus.

The display is big and offers up to 2,600 nits brightness, allowing users to view it properly even in direct sunlight. The display has always been one of the strongest points of the Galaxy S series, which is also true for the S24 Plus.

Samsung finally offering a Quad HD+ display with the Plus variant is a welcome move as the S23 Plus was offered with a Full HD+ display. The display on the Galaxy S24 Plus is vibrant and offers good colour accuracy.

The high resolution and refresh rate ensure that you have a great visual experience, while gaming, watching movies or just browsing. The high brightness ensures that you don’t have to worry about visibility while using the smartphone outdoors.

Software and performance

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus runs on Android 14 out of the box with the company’s OneUI 6.1 on top. Samsung has promised to provide seven years of Android and security updates with the device, making it on par with the Pixel 8 series.

Keeping in line with the present times, Samsung heavily focused on AI for the Galaxy S24 series. There are plenty of features that Galaxy AI introduces to the S series smartphones.

This includes features such as circle to search, audio notes transcripts, live call translation, AI Voice Recording and more. Another important feature that you get is generative AI in the gallery, which makes editing images a breeze.

While the features are good on paper, their performance needs to improve a bit to make them usable daily. While the audio notes transcript feature has come in handy for me several times during interviews, the much-touted interview mode in the recorder app does not get transcription support.

It’s good that Samsung has jumped on the AI bandwagon as these features have now become quite important. With some improvements, these features may soon become one of the USPs for the series.

Coming to the processor, the Galaxy S24 Plus is equipped with the company’s Exynos 2400 chipset, unlike the Ultra variant which is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset. After offering a Qualcomm chipset with the S23 Plus, Samsung has again reverted to an Exynos chipset.

Unlike previous versions, the deca-core Exynos 2400 processor, which is based on a 4nm process is not very far off when compared to its Snapdragon counterpart. In comparison with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Plus variant was slightly more prone to heat build-up while extensive gaming. Other than this, the performance of the Galaxy S24 Plus was impressive.

It can easily handle whatever you throw at it without any issues. I played popular games such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9 on the smartphone with high-quality graphics enabled and I did not notice any stuttering or lag during my testing.

The Galaxy S24 Plus is powered by a 4,900mAh battery with 45W charging support. While the battery has received a small boost compared to the S23 Plus, the charging speed is still limited to 45W. One of its rivals, the OnePlus 12 is offered with 100W fast charging and can be fully charged in around 26 minutes despite a 5,400mAh battery. The S24 Plus on the other hand takes nearly an hour to fully charge.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus features the same triple camera setup as its predecessor. It comes with a 50MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and f/2.4 aperture. The device allows 4K recording at 60 FPS and 8K at 30 FPS.

The camera has always been one of the strongest points of the Galaxy S series and this is true for the S24 Plus as well. It performs well in daylight conditions, capturing images with good colour reproduction and accurate details. The images captured with the device come out great and even a regular person can use the device to capture good images without having to spend a lot of time.

The device works well when it comes to portrait images. The portrait images captured on the device come with good edge detection and subject details. The device captures images with good highlight retention and is able to focus on the subject very quickly.

Low-light photography is good on the S24 Plus, with the device capturing good images with decent sharpness and minimal noise. Sometimes, capturing images in low-light conditions took some time, and I had to tap on the subject once or twice before capturing them.

The Galaxy S24 Plus is equipped with a 12MP selfie camera that can capture good selfies in daylight conditions but struggled a bit with details in low-light environments.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus is a good smartphone that is easy to recommend if you are looking for a device in the flagship segment but do not wish to splurge for the Ultra variant. The improved display, bigger battery and longer support for software updates make it a good improvement over its predecessor.

At the same time, there are other options available in the market if you do not mind compromising a bit on the display or cameras. If you are on a tight budget and are looking for entry-level flagship smartphones, you can consider the OnePlus 12, the iQOO 12 and the Xiaomi 14.

Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a purchasing guide or recommendation. We advise readers to do additional research, including hands-on usage of the device at a retail outlet, before making a decision.

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