Galaxy S24: Review of Samsung’s Most Impressive Flagship Yet

The New Samsung Galaxy S24: A Powerful Yet Pocketable Android Phone

Samsung has done it again with their latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S24. As a long-time Android user and mobile tech blogger, I was eager to get my hands on the new S24 to see how it stacks up against the competition. After testing it extensively, I can confidently say the Galaxy S24 delivers exceptional performance and battery life in a compact and durable design. It’s a superb choice for Android fans who want a powerful yet pocketable phone.

Design – Sleek Yet Sturdy

The Galaxy S24 sports a sleek, minimalist design with an aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass back. The smooth, rounded edges and corners make it comfortable to hold. Despite the 6.1” display, the phone doesn’t feel too large or unwieldy thanks to its thin profile and lightweight construction.

At just 7.6mm thick and 168g, the S24 is easy to slip into a pocket or purse. The smooth back glass looks elegant, especially in the new Violet colour I tested, yet it still provides a decent grip. While not as shatter-resistant as the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2, the Gorilla Glass Victus on the S24 has held up well so far despite a few accidental drops.

One minor complaint is the rear camera bump, which sticks out noticeably from the back. But this allows the three cameras and flash to be flush with each other, maintaining a cleaner look.

The IP68 water and dust resistance rating gives peace of mind that the S24 can withstand the elements. Overall, Samsung nailed the design – the Galaxy S24 looks and feels like a premium flagship phone that’s built to last.

Display – Vivid Visuals

The S24 sports a sharp 6.1” FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The colours really pop thanks to the excellent contrast ratio and vibrant colors this AMOLED panel delivers.

With a peak brightness over 1,200 nits, outdoor visibility is excellent. I had no issues seeing the screen in direct sunlight. The refresh rate automatically adjusts between 48Hz to 120Hz to balance smooth scrolling and battery savings.

Everything from videos to games to photos looks fantastic on the S24’s display. The bezels are slim and symmetrical, with a centred hole-punch front camera.

My only complaint is the pixel density of 425ppi is lower than competitors like the iPhone 14 Pro (460ppi) and Pixel 7 Pro (512ppi). Small text lacks the same sharpness at the default scaling.

But overall the S24’s screen is extremely impressive, especially considering the price point. It’s one of the best displays you’ll find on any smartphone today.

Cameras – Versatile Shooting

The Galaxy S24 houses a triple lens rear camera system:

– Main: 50MP, f/1.8 aperture, OIS
– Ultrawide: 12MP, f/2.2 aperture
– Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, 3x optical zoom

This versatile setup handles everything from wide landscape shots to detailed close-ups. The main sensor captures crisp, vivid photos with excellent dynamic range. The ultrawide lens helps fit more scenery into the frame.

But the 3x telephoto zoom is what really sets the S24’s camera apart from the competition. This optical zoom allows you to get much closer to your subject without any drop in quality. It’s a key advantage the S24 has over the similarly priced iPhone 14 and Pixel 7, both of which lack optical zoom lenses.

The 10MP front camera also impresses, with good detail and natural skin tones in selfies. Portrait mode adds a convincing background blur effect.

New to the S24 is a suite of AI-powered editing tools accessible right from the gallery app. These allow you to erase and replace objects or backgrounds in photos, stack multiple long-exposure style shots, and more. It’s like having Photoshop built into your camera!

While the S24 doesn’t quite measure up to the S22 Ultra’s pro-level camera system, overall image quality, zoom capabilities and creative editing features are extremely competitive at this price point. The Galaxy S24 offers one of the most versatile camera packages you’ll find in a sub-£800 phone today.

Performance – Flagship Speed

Samsung equipped the S24 with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, at least for the UK model I tested. This ensures blazing fast performance whether gaming, multitasking, or editing media files.

Everything from launching apps to juggling multiple tasks at once feels effortless and smooth. Even graphically demanding games like Call of Duty run at max settings without a hitch.

The S24 also supports Samsung DeX, allowing you to connect the phone to an external monitor and use it as a desktop PC. This is an underrated feature that makes the S24 so much more versatile for productivity.

While the S24 has “only” 8GB of RAM compared to the S22 Ultra’s 12GB, I didn’t notice any difference in real world use. You can run as many apps and browser tabs as you need without slowdowns.

Between the cutting-edge processor and ample RAM, the Galaxy S24 delivers the excellent responsiveness and multitasking capabilities you expect from a flagship phone. Performance is on par with far more expensive rivals.

Battery Life – All Day Endurance

The Galaxy S24 packs a 3,590 mAh battery, a modest bump up from the S23’s 3,500 mAh capacity. But thanks to efficient hardware and software optimization, battery life has seen a significant boost.

During my testing, I consistently got 1.5-2 days of use per charge, even with heavy use. More casual users can likely push to 2.5-3 days without charging.

The S24’s battery life is noticeably better than the iPhone 14, Pixel 7, and other competitors in this price range. You shouldn’t have any problem getting through a full day of use with juice to spare.

When it does come time to charge, the 25W wired and 15W wireless charging deliver decent replenishment times. With the included 25W charger, I could recharge from 0% to 65% in just 30 minutes. Not the fastest charging speeds, but solid.

Software – Packed With Features

The Galaxy S24 ships with the latest Android 13 OS and Samsung’s own One UI 5.1 software skin. As you’d expect from Samsung, there are tons of customization options and value-added features baked in.

Some highlights include excellent multitasking capabilities, an Edge panel for quick access to apps and tools, deep S Pen integration on S22 Ultra models, and a robust suite of Pro camera controls.

Samsung’s partnerships with Google and Microsoft also means you get unique experiences like tighter integration with Google services and access to exclusive Office and Outlook features.

Of course, Samsung’s heavy skin has downsides too. There is some duplicate app bloat, and menus can feel cluttered at times. Those coming from pure Android or iOS devices may find the learning curve steep at first.

But One UI has matured into one of the most powerful and customizable Android skins out there. And you can always simplify the UI and remove duplicate apps if desired. With Android 13, Samsung offers one of the most feature-packed software experiences you can get.

Verdict – The Best All-Round Android Flagship

Starting at £799, the Galaxy S24 isn’t the cheapest flagship option. But it delivers a premium experience and future-proof features that justify the cost. With class-leading battery life, versatile cameras, and pro-level performance, the S24 tops rivals like the Pixel 7 and iPhone 14 in several key areas.

The more compact size also gives the S24 an edge over bulkier flagships if portability is a priority. Add in Samsung’s robust ecosystem of products and software goodies, and the S24 shapes up as 2023’s best all-round Android phone.

Sure, smartphone enthusiasts may still want to splurge on the S24 Ultra for its mammoth screen, 1000x zoom camera, and S Pen. But for most buyers, the S24 provides the smarter mix of price, performance and practicality.

If you want a reliable flagship phone that can handle whatever you throw at it for years to come, look no further than the Galaxy S24. Samsung hits almost every mark with this impressive package.