For a few years now, Samsung hasn't shown absolutely anything in the smartphone world that would immediately blow me away. Even if a thoughtful "wow" escaped my lips, it was more a reaction to the price of some models, rather than their amazing features. The flagship Galaxies are uninspiring, but very repetitive. But do you know why? Because they can!
Samsung Galaxy S24 - Phone of the Year?
Last year's Galaxy S23, which I dismissed with a mighty yawn on its release day, later earned the title of phone of the year from me. Just like its predecessor, the S22, twelve months earlier. And perhaps, just like the S24, this coming December. No, I'm not a prophet, but I see a pattern here. Samsung's top-tier phones are simply close to perfection, and the less they lack from this ideal, the less one notices further improvements, and the easier it is to mess something up on the way to that ideal.
So, the Koreans are moving forward cautiously, and since their hardware continues to sell great, this approach clearly suits both them and their customers. I, admittedly, cry, because at least 25 new smartphone models pass through my hands every year (you know: I plunder, I pillage, a Viking's normal life), so I'm always looking mainly for curiosities and innovations, but normal people buy a smartphone for a few years and want it to simply be good and age gracefully. And the Galaxy S is exactly that.
This year, I took on the Galaxy S24+. Just to have a little excitement (I don't need much) – before, I always avoided these plus variants because they straddled the gap between the cheapest, small, neat regular version, which was loved for being the cheapest, smallest, and neatest, and the fully-loaded Ultra variant. Big as a drakkar, heavy as Thor's hammer, yet still decidedly worse than the Ultra – I saw no target audience for them. This time, however, that has changed!
Samsung Galaxy S24+ Technical Specifications
The S24+ now has a slightly larger screen than its predecessor, with the same resolution as the more expensive Ultra and an LTPO solution – just like the more expensive Ultra. QHD resolution on a small display is more art for art's sake, but at this price, phones are probably bought for such "artistry." LTPO, on the other hand, genuinely saves battery by adjusting the refresh rate to the content on the screen. Thanks to it, we also have a new, beautiful always-on display that even shows the wallpaper on a theoretically off screen – like on iPhone Pro models.
Speaking of which! The battery is also bigger now, and the S24+ lasted me a day and a half of fairly intensive use, which, in the category of smartphones, not "clumsy power banks weighing 10 kilograms with a phone attached for disguise," is a sensational result! The 45W charging power isn't mind-blowing, as it will charge even a Viking on skates to full in an hour and fifteen minutes, but it's not bad either.
This year we got (or rather, bought ourselves) 12 GB of RAM, not 8 GB as before, and I think at these values, the change is still very positively felt. Of course, the "S" works perfectly smoothly, has a nice and practical Android overlay, which, combined with the excellent display, good speakers, and everything else, makes it a truly versatile phone. Samsung promises long software update support. When connected to an external monitor, the S24+ turns into a computer ideal for working with documents or "browsing the big internet."
Camera on the Samsung Galaxy S24+
The photos and videos are similar to last year, meaning not the best on the market, but really good and, most importantly, reliable. When you press the shutter button, you know what to expect and can be sure that the S24+ won't suddenly take a bad photo. That is, technically speaking, because, of course, if I take a selfie with myself and friends, they always make me repeat it fifty times because I did it wrong, or they look bad.
The S24+ offers such peace of mind. It's like a 5-star hotel among mobile devices. And in terms of price too. The bed in such a hotel won't be the most comfortable in the world, but it will certainly be comfortable. The sauna and gym won't stand up to comparison with the best facilities in the country, but they will certainly be nice, functional, and well-maintained. The restaurant might not boast a Michelin star, but you'll definitely enjoy the food. That is, that's how I imagine it, not that I'm an expert on 5-star hotels. In any case: for those who value peace of mind and convenience above all else, the S24+ is an excellent choice. It has approached the Ultra in its most important features, but still costs significantly less. And, in my opinion at least, it looks better.
Design of the New Samsung and Galaxy AI
Ah, the design! My mother always taught me to look at the inside, so I forgot. The chief of my Viking tribe also said the same thing when he showed me how to disembowel opponents. In my opinion, the S24+ is a display of classic elegance that may not knock anyone's socks off, but it will appeal to almost everyone. It fits well in the hand, and the matte, smudge-free back is a huge plus. It's just a shame that with this back, as well as the chamfered sides, it resembles the new iPhones so much. Because such a design isn't the only valid solution on the market – why copy? A giant like Samsung shouldn't be looking at the competition.
There's one last thing – Galaxy AI, which is the artificial intelligence features the Koreans are advertising their new series with. Is it really such a breakthrough? You can probably guess. Of course not! I believe that AI will change the world of smartphones, and that from now on, they can develop more on the software side, rather than just hardware. Samsung has marketed it perfectly – they've introduced a few cool little things that will also come to older S23s through software updates, and they're presenting them as an amazing feature of the S24 and something that distinguishes these smartphones from their predecessors.
But let's not get carried away. All flagships will soon have similar options. Among them, my favorite is summarizing online articles and voice notes into practical and short summaries. This means that if you have 25-page articles, or if today is a retail Sunday, you can ask your phone with one click to read the text for you and tell you directly.
The note-taking voice recorder is also great, live call translation is a bit slow but works, and photo editing is, for now, too unpredictable. For example, if I want to remove a watch from a photo of my hand, the AI replaces it with a second watch, because, of course, there should be a watch on the wrist! Cool toys – I also spent about an hour generating wallpapers with AI. But don't buy a smartphone just for these features. Even without them, the S24+ would perform excellently. Samsung has once again made a phone that is only slightly better than the older one. They've released it again in January. And again, competing with models from March, August, or November, it will still be a strong contender for smartphone of the year.
