Samsung Galaxy S24: Is It Actually Worth the Upgrade?

Max McCaskill Sr. Staff Writer

Updated 13 February 2024

Contents

In this guide:

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S23
Why the Samsung Galaxy S24 is worth the upgrade
Why the Samsung Galaxy S24 is not worth the upgrade
Recap: Do you need a Samsung Galaxy S24?

Every year, Samsung releases a new smartphone series that redefines what an Android can do. This year is no different with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S24, which offers a powerful new Snapdragon processor and incredible AI features. The S24 is currently the top Android on the market, but it’s also expensive. It’s worth asking if the features it offers are actually worth paying for.

Despite the flashy marketing from Samsung, most of the Galaxy S24’s features and hardware are carried over from the Galaxy S23. If you have to have the newest AI features or need the most powerful processor ever put in an Android device, the Galaxy S24 might be worth it. That said, for most customers the Galaxy S23 will offer similar camera features and specs for a lower price.

Let’s dive into the new Samsung Galaxy S24 and figure out if upgrading is right for you.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S23

When you look at the specs of the new Galaxy S24 and the previous generation’s base-model Galaxy S23, the hardware itself is extremely similar.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S23

	Galaxy S24	Galaxy S23
Screen size	6.2 inches	6.1 inches
Cameras	50MP main 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto 12MP selfie	50MP main 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto 12MP selfie
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Galaxy AI features	Yes	No
Battery	4,000 mAh	3,900 mAh
Storage sizes	128GB 256GB	128GB 256GB
Colors	Cobalt Violet Amber Yellow Onyx Black Marble Gray	Lavender Cream Phantom Black Green
Water resistance	IP68	IP68
Starting price	$799	$699

The Galaxy S24 offers a slightly larger screen because Samsung made the bezels smaller, but the size of the device itself hasn’t changed. It also offers the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a larger battery, and Samsung’s new AI features. Otherwise, the rest of the S24’s hardware is a basically copy of the S23 series.

Why the Samsung Galaxy S24 is worth the upgrade

Some people will be served well by the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series, especially if you want AI features or need a powerful processor.

1. Samsung Galaxy AI

All of the Samsung Galaxy S24 models include Galaxy AI. There are new features to help with translating, note transcription, photo editing, and even supercharging your Google searches.

Photo of someone using Circle to Search, a new AI feature for the S24 series.

Using Circle to Search on the Galaxy S24 series. Image credit: Samsung

Some of the newest AI features include:

Live translate: Two-way, real-time voice and text translations of phone calls.
Interpreter: Split-screen text translation of live conversations.
Note assist: AI-generated summaries of notes.
Circle to Search: Circle, highlight, scribble on, or tap anything on the screen to search for it on Google.
ProVisual Engine: Comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools that sharpen images, enhance zooming, and improve color.
Edit Suggestion: AI-driven suggestions to improve images in post-processing.
Generative Edit: Uses generative AI to fill in image backgrounds and adjust subjects.
Instant Slo-mo: Generates additional frames to slow down videos.

If you’re interested in these kinds of AI features on your device, the Galaxy S24 series is your only option from Samsung. Most of these features will not be available on the Galaxy S23.

Get an AI-enabled smartphone for less with the Google Pixel 8

The Google Pixel 8 also offers features like AI-driven photo editing, live translation, and Circle to Search. While we do believe that the Galaxy S24 is the better phone overall–based on hardware specs–the Pixel 8 is a great budget option if you simply want some AI capabilities on your Android.

2. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor

Powering all of these new AI features is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. It’s specifically designed to bring generative AI and increased performance to the Galaxy lineup. Qualcomm claims it provides a 20% boost to the CPU and 26% faster graphics over the previous generation.

If you are a hardcore gamer or perform tasks that require a lot of processing power–like photo editing–the Galaxy S24 might be an excellent choice. It offers the most powerful processor available on an Android device and is promised to get years of updates.

Why the Samsung Galaxy S24 is not worth the upgrade

Let’s be clear–we think the Galaxy S24 is a great device and is currently the best Samsung phone on the market. That said, we don’t think it’s an upgrade that’s right for everyone, and some people might be better suited with the Galaxy S23.

1. Expensive prices

Why pay for more smartphone than you need? Let’s compare the price difference between each model of the Galaxy S24 series versus the Galaxy S23.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S23 pricing

Galaxy S24 MSRP	Galaxy S23 MSRP
S24—$799 S24+—$999 S24 Ultra—$1,299	S23—$699 S23+—$999 S23 Ultra—$1,199

The Galaxy S24 and S24+ retained the previous generation’s launch prices while the Galaxy S24 Ultra received a price increase. Other than the Galaxy AI features and new processor, many of the specs for the Galaxy S24 are similar to the previous generation (more on that below). If you’re not someone who needs AI or the newest processor, it makes more sense to stick with an earlier generation and save money.

The Galaxy S23 received a $100 discount with the release of the S24. The Galaxy S23 Ultra did not receive a discount with the new release, but it is still cheaper since the S24 Ultra got a price bump. Samsung also skipped giving the Galaxy S23+ a discount, but it isn’t widely available from most carriers anymore. Although it’s still full-price ordering directly from Samsung, you can still find cheaper or renewed Galaxy S23+ models from other retailers like Amazon.

2. Repetitive camera hardware

The Galaxy S24 series has excellent camera capabilities. Unfortunately, the hardware itself is only slightly better than the Galaxy S23 series.

Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S23 camera specs

	Galaxy S24	Galaxy S23
Camera specs	50MP main 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) 12MP selfie	50MP main 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) 12MP selfie

Samsung’s reveal of the Galaxy S24 camera specs was a bit disappointing. Instead of offering something new, the S24 has the same hardware as the Galaxy S23. Smartphone companies typically try to improve the cameras on their devices each year. Instead, Samsung opted to keep its old camera array and poured all of its upgrading efforts into the new AI photo editing features.

While these AI features may take better photos overall, there’s not going to be a marked difference unless you’re planning on using things like generative AI. Most of the camera upgrades are for things like more natural color and better low-light photos. Remember, the Galaxy S23 already had one of the best camera arrays ever put in a Samsung device. While the S24 might push those capabilities up a notch, most customers will be served just fine with a Galaxy S23.

What about the Galaxy S24 Ultra camera specs? Well, there’s not much improvement there either.

Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra camera specs

	Galaxy S24 Ultra	Galaxy S23 Ultra
Camera specs	200MP main 12MP ultra-wide 50MP telephoto (5x optical zoom) 10MP telephoto 12MP selfie	200MP main 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto (10x optical zoom) 10MP telephoto 12MP selfie

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra camera array. Image credit: Samsung

Once again, the Galaxy S24 Ultra retained many of the core camera specs from the previous generation. That said, the S24 Ultra did get one upgraded camera sensor. It sports a 50MP telephoto periscope lens compared to the S23 Ultra’s 10MP telephoto lens. However, in replacing the sensor, Samsung reduced its optical zoom capabilities. The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a 10x optical zoom while the S24 Ultra only offers a 5x optical zoom.

Technically, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s hardware is a downgrade, but Samsung says you shouldn’t notice. It claims that despite maintaining the previous year’s specs and cutting down the optical zoom capabilities, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is just as good–if not better than–the S23 Ultra. Using the power of AI, Samsung says that the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers a 10x “optical quality” zoom. Essentially it uses the 5x zoom to take images, then enhances and sharpens them with AI.

Both the Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra offer slightly better camera features than the previous generation thanks to Galaxy AI. However, we’d argue that unless you’re an expert smartphone photographer or need the new AI editing features, you’re probably not going to notice enough of a difference to justify spending an extra $100 for the newest phone.

3. Similar hardware specs to the Galaxy S23 series

Just like the camera specs, most of the Galaxy S24’s features are copied from the Galaxy S23 or only offer slight improvements. For example, the S24 offers a slightly larger battery. However, it also has a larger, more power-hungry Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, so it’s difficult to say it has better battery capacity overall.

The same problem exists with screen sizes, storage sizes, water resistance, and even a few similar colors. For most of the specs on the S24, there’s not enough of an improvement to justify going out and upgrading as soon as possible.

Recap: Do you need a Samsung Galaxy S24?

There are two things to know about the Samsung Galaxy S24:

It’s absolutely the best Samsung device on the market.
It’s probably not worth the upgrade for most customers.

For most of us, we can skip the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. While it is currently the best, it’s only slightly better than the Galaxy S23. For casual smartphone users, the upgrades are just too small to justify the pricing. If you already have a Galaxy S23 series model, we recommend waiting to see what the Galaxy S25 has in store instead of upgrading early.

If you have an older Galaxy S21 or Galaxy S22 that’s on its last legs, we recommend checking out the Galaxy S23 series instead of the S24. Yes, it’s an older device, but older doesn’t mean bad. Remember, in many ways, the S24 is simply an AI-enabled S23. Picking a Galaxy S23 model will get you a device with excellent specs and a few more years of updates at a cheaper price than the Galaxy S24.

Description	Samsung’s 2023 Galaxy series phone with the fastest processor available, upgraded cameras with improved Night Mode and flaw detection, and super-smooth 120Hz screen refresh
Screen Size	6.1"
Available On	99 Plans from 6 carriers
Available From
Priced From	$10 per month + $599 upfront
	View Full Details

If you want to upgrade to the Galaxy S24

Some people will want, or even need, to upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S24. If you want cutting-edge AI features on a Samsung device, there is no other option, as most of the new Galaxy AI tricks won’t be backported to earlier Samsung models. Additionally, if you need a lot of processing power on your phone, the Galaxy S24 series is also the best choice. Mobile gamers, photo editors, and people who work from their phones will love the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor that makes the S24 a powerhouse.

The Galaxy S24 is available from most carriers now. The best installment plans and trade-in deals are with big carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Their unlimited plans–while pricy–are typically the best way to get the S24 at a reasonable price.

You can see some of the top unlimited plan offers that include the Galaxy S24 from the Big Three below:

Unlimited Prepaid Phone Plan

Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data
Verizon 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices
5GB mobile hotspot data
Outright

$50.00/mo

$60 without AutoPay | AutoPay discount applies after 1st month

+ $859.99 Upfront

View Plan

$50.00/mo

$60 without AutoPay | AutoPay discount applies after 1st month

+ $859.99 Upfront

View Plan

Smaller carriers called MVNOs may not offer a free Galaxy S24, but many of them may have special discounts that at least make the device cheaper. These carriers offer discounted plans that work on the big carrier networks. You may even find it’s cheaper to pay full price for the Galaxy S24 and get a discounted plan than getting a free device but being locked into a three-year contract with a major carrier. You can also consider getting the Galaxy S24 from a third-party retailer and taking the unlocked phone to your carrier of choice.

#1	Astound Mobile	Astound Mobile Unlimited Data Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data Available on 1 Major 5G Nationwide network in select areas with compatible devices Unlimited mobile hotspot data Outright Deal: Get this Unlimited Plan for Free for one year of service with Internet required $0.00/mo + $713.99 Upfront View Plan	$0.00/mo + $713.99 Upfront	View Plan
#2	Ting	Ting Unlimited 25 Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data Available on 2 Major 5G Nationwide networks in select areas with compatible devices Unlimited mobile hotspot data Outright Deal: Get $15 off this plan with Ting internet required. $25.00/mo + $699 Upfront View Plan	$25.00/mo + $699 Upfront	View Plan
#3	Ultra Mobile	Ultra Mobile Unlimited 6-Month Plan Unlimited Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with no data cap T-Mobile 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices 10GB mobile hotspot data Outright $39.00/mo $234.00 advance payment for 6 months (equals to $39.00/month). + $699 Upfront View Plan	$39.00/mo $234.00 advance payment for 6 months (equals to $39.00/month). + $699 Upfront	View Plan
#4	Page Plus	Page Plus The $55 Plan Unlimited 4G LTE/5G data Available on 1 Major 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices No mobile hotspot data Outright $55.00/mo ($50 with Auto-Refill) + $699.99 Upfront View Plan	$55.00/mo ($50 with Auto-Refill) + $699.99 Upfront	View Plan

Max McCaskill

Sr. Staff Writer

Max is a Senior Staff Writer at WhistleOut, specializing in mobile plans, operating systems, and carrier news. He regularly tests and reviews dozens of phone plans firsthand, evaluating real-world data speeds, coverage reliability, and plan features. He's been featured in publications such as Yahoo Finance, AARP, AP News, and GoBankingRates.

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