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Just a solid experience
The Galaxy S24 Plus is the perfect example of a phone that is stuck between a rock and a hard place. It shares many of the same specs as the more expensive S24 Ultra, but there are just enough key features missing that hold it back. Even still, with upgrades to the display and performance, the S24 Plus could be a sleeper hit for the next year.
For
- Infused with a slew of AI features
- Finally comes with 12GB of RAM
- Larger battery and display
- Faster charging
Against
- No major camera upgrades
- Only two storage options
- Design is largely unchanged
Compact flagship
In a world where phone makers think “bigger is better,” the iPhone 15 Pro tries to buck that trend. It falls a bit short in a few ways compared to larger devices, but has plenty of power and flexibility to be considered amongst the best.
For
- More comfortable to hold than predecessors
- Finally ditches Lightning for USB-C
- Titanium alloy build is more premium
- Can be configured with up to 1TB of storage
Against
- iOS is still too limiting
- Slower wired charging speeds
Samsung isn’t wasting any time as it moved up the announcement of the Galaxy S24 series compared to the S23 lineup. Recently, the company hosted its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year, debuting the Galaxy S24 lineup in the process. This trio of phones is not only expected to take on Apple’s iPhone 15 series but will likely also hold court even after the iPhone 16 debuts later this year.
That being said, if you’re trying to decide between the Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro, we’re here to help make that decision a bit easier.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Design
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Samsung reserved most of the hardware changes for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but that’s not to say that the S24 Plus wasn’t also tweaked. We wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t tell the difference between the S23 Plus and S24 Plus, as the overall design is pretty similar. You’ll still have a flat display with a slightly rounded frame, combined with a flat back.
The two “biggest” changes to the design come in the form of the rear cameras, which now protrude slightly less than before. On the front, the bezels have been slimmed down, giving us a 6.7-inch display to work with. Everything else about the design of the Galaxy S24 Plus is essentially the same as its predecessor.
As for the iPhone 15 Pro, this marked a bit of a shift for Apple, with the company moving to a Titanium chassis. This helps make the latest iPhones lighter than before, but considering the difference in size between the Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro, that’s not much of a fair comparison.
One of the biggest complaints about the iPhone in recent years, besides the heft, is that the 90-degree edges dug into the palm of your hand. This could be easily remedied with a case, but Apple also tweaked the frame design of the iPhone 15 series, making it slightly more rounded.
More excitingly, the iPhone 15 finally uses USB-C, as Apple ditched the vastly outdated Lightning connector. Of course, this was done to comply with EU regulations, but it’s a long-overdue change that iPhone owners have been asking for.
Lastly, Apple replaced the physical mute switch with the Action Button, which can be customized to perform a variety of actions. By default, it works as a mute switch, but you can supercharge the Action Button with the help of the native Shortcuts app.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Spec comparison
Both the Galaxy S24 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro are kind of the “red-headed step-child” of the phone world. The former features a 6.7-inch QHD+ display, and includes an LTPO display for the first time, bringing with it a variable refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz. It also maxes out with 2600 nits of peak brightness, matching up with the Galaxy S24 Ultra and even the smaller Galaxy S24.
Powering Samsung’s latest handset is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, paired with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. While slightly modified, we’ve already seen how well the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 performs on some of the best Android phones, such as the RedMagic 9 Pro and ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro.
| Category | Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus | Apple iPhone 15 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Flat 6.7-inch QHD+, AMOLED 2x, Vision booster | Flat 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR (2,000 nits) |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz refresh rate (1~120Hz) | 120Hz refresh rate (1~120Hz) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Apple A17 Pro |
| Memory | 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Camera 1 (Main) | 50MP (OIS), f/1.8 | 48MP, OIS, f/1.78 |
| Camera 2 (Ultrawide) | 12MP, f2.2 | 12MP, f/2.2, 120-degree FoV |
| Camera 3 (Telephoto) | 10MP (OIS), f/2.4, 3x optical | 12MP, OIS, f/2.8, 3x optical |
| Selfie Camera | 12 MP (2PD AF), f2.2 | 12MP, AF, f/1.9 |
| Battery | 4,900mAh | 4,700mAh |
| Charging | 45W, 15W (wireless) | 27W, 15W (MagSafe), 15W (Qi2), 7.5W (Qi) |
| Protection | IP68, Gorilla Glass Armor | IP68, Ceramic Shield |
| Connectivity | Sub-6/ mmWave 5G; Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3; UWB | Sub-6/ mmWave 5G; Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3; UWB |
| Dimensions | 5.79 x 2.78 x 0.30 in. | 5.77 x 2.78 x 0.32 in. |
| Weight | 6.95oz | 6.60oz |
| Colors | Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Marble Gray, Onyx Black | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium |
On the flip side, Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro sports a much smaller 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, offering a 2256 x 1179 resolution. Apple has also implemented its ProMotion functionality, providing the same variable refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro is no slouch in the brightness department either, capable of reaching up to 2000 nits of peak brightness.
Powering the iPhone 15 Pro is Apple’s in-house A17 Pro SoC, built on the 3nm process for even better performance and efficiency. The iPhone 15 Pro remains the only current smartphone to use such a chip, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is “still” on the older 4nm process. Qualcomm made this decision to ensure stable performance while continuing to improve on efficiency, as opposed to moving to a new platform.
Samsung made the right move with the S24 Plus, ditching the 128GB model, and going with either 256GB or 512GB. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t get the memo, as the iPhone 15 Pro still starts with 128GB. However, if you’re willing to pay, you can get a whopping 1TB of storage on the iPhone, something that’s only available with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
As for battery life, there’s a good chance that both the Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro will last for just as long as the other. While the S24 Plus has a much larger battery, it also has a larger display and Qualcomm’s chips are notorious for being more power-hungry than Apple’s.
On the bright side, owners of the Galaxy S24 Plus will enjoy faster charging speeds, as the phone supports up to 45W wired charging, compared to the ~27W from the iPhone. Both of these phones offer wireless Qi charging, but there are a few caveats in that regard.
The first of which is that the Galaxy S24 series does not support the latest Qi2 standard. This means that’ll still need to grab a MagSafe adapter if you want to use magnetic accessories. However, you’ll still enjoy 15W wireless charging speeds when using compatible wireless chargers.
Not only does the iPhone support the new Qi2 standard, offering 15W charging speeds, but it also has the added benefit of MagSafe, removing the need for any adapters. The biggest downside to wireless charging on the iPhone 15 Pro comes if you are using older Qi chargers, as the speeds are capped at just 7.5W.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Cameras
We aren’t going to spend too much time on the cameras, as they remain mostly unchanged when compared to the previous generation. Both of these devices utilize a triple rear camera setup, with the Galaxy S24 Plus providing a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens with a 120-degree Field of View, and a 10MP telephoto sensor with a 3x optical zoom.
The iPhone 15 Pro relies on a 48MP primary lens, also paired with a 12MP ultrawide camera sporting a 120-degree Field of View. There’s also a 12MP telephoto lens that offers the same 3x optical zoom as the S24 Plus, as Apple opted to integrate the upgraded 5x zoom lens with the 15 Pro Max.
In reality, you won’t be disappointed by the photos and videos that are captured by either of these devices. The biggest difference will be in the different color tuning profiles implemented by Samsung and Apple, respectively. Well, that, and what you can do after the picture is taken.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Software
In a move that should surprise no one, Samsung announced that the Galaxy S24 lineup will receive OS and security updates for seven years. This matches up with what Google announced with the Pixel 8 but is an improvement over the five years of support for previous Samsung Galaxy devices.
Out of the box, the Galaxy S24 Plus will launch with One UI 6.1, based on Android 14, which is more of an iterative update on the surface. However, what One UI 6.1 does is bring Galaxy AI to the masses, which includes a total of 11 new AI features. If you want to learn more about what Galaxy AI can do, be sure to check out our hands-on, but Samsung is implementing everything features to help you with everything from photo editing to improving productivity, and more.
Apple, on the other hand, hasn’t done much in the way of iterating on iOS besides adding widgets and making a few UI tweaks. Even with the potential of sideloading becoming a reality, that will only be in select markets, but won’t change the way that you actually use an iPhone.
At the end of the day, it’s still an iPhone running iOS, and while it’s arguably the best overall experience for those who want something that “just works,” it’s still just iOS. Outside of a few random bugs, the iOS 17 experience has been smooth, but we’re holding out hope for big changes to come when iOS 18 debuts at WWDC ’24.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Which should you buy?
No matter which of these phones you decide to use, you won’t be disappointed. They both offer flagship levels of performance, even though they are missing out on a few features offered by the larger models.
Pricing for both devices starts at $999, but the Galaxy S24 Plus gains an edge as that will give you 256GB of storage, compared to the 128GB of the iPhone 15 Pro. Besides that, choosing your next device comes down to whether you want an Android phone with a larger screen, or a smaller screen running iOS.
If we had to choose, we’d suggest going with the Galaxy S24 Plus, if only for the Galaxy AI features which seem to be pretty awesome. The iPhone doesn’t have any such features, and if Siri is any indication, we aren’t holding our breath for iOS 18 to bring any drastic changes.
Well-rounded
The Galaxy S24 Plus might not look flashy, but between the upgraded SoC, more RAM, and software features, it has everything to be the sleeper hit of the year.
What more can you say?
It’s difficult to quantify what the iPhone 15 Pro offers, besides including about 95% of the larger Pro Max but in a smaller form factor. Even still, if you want a “Pro” phone with a smaller screen, this might be the way to go.
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