If you want a top phone in a small size, you should definitely consider the Samsung Galaxy S24. What is particularly striking is its generous update policy.

The market for compact, powerful smartphones is thin. There is the Google Pixel 8 (799 euros including VAT) and there is the Samsung Galaxy S24 (899 euros including VAT). The rest don’t participate. Not because there are too few good devices, but because there are hardly any. Many users want to have the largest.

If you don’t want to overcompensate for something, you know that the choice is limited. You can even consider the year-old Samsung Galaxy S23 (799 euros). In this test we look at who delivers the best device in this compact class. Will it be old, new or Google?

Small but brave

Samsung hasn’t tried too hard to renew the Samsung Galaxy S24. Apart from the new colors, you can’t see any difference from the predecessor on the outside. However, Samsung has managed to make the screen slightly larger (6.2 inches vs. 6.1 inches) without making the device larger. The height increases by 0.7 mm, the width decreases by 0.3 mm. The thickness remains the same at 7.6 mm, but you get a slightly larger battery (4,000 mAh vs. 3,900 mAh).

From our point of view, the same design does not have to be a disadvantage. The Samsung Galaxy S23 impressed last year with its high-quality and slim design, where the cameras barely protrude. The stereo speakers sound particularly good and loud. The design is IP68 certified, meaning the phone is water and dust resistant. The haptic feedback feels good, as do the buttons on the side.

The fingerprint sensor in the device uses ultrasonic technology. Every other top device with a fingerprint sensor behind the glass shines light upwards to visually detect your fingerprint. The Samsung Galaxy S24 doesn’t have to do this and therefore responds much faster (and more accurately).

Nice screen

The 6.2-inch OLED screen (1,080 x 2,340 pixels) is again stunning, just like the Galaxy S23, S22 or S21. The big difference this year is the peak brightness of sunlight. Every year Samsung increases these values. Last year the S23 achieved 1,750 nits, now the Galaxy S24 has 2,600 nits. The screen remains easy to read in almost any situation, even when the sun is shining directly on it.

If the compact screen isn’t big enough for you, you can connect the Galaxy S24 to an external monitor like its predecessors to activate Samsung DeX. After you pair a mouse and keyboard, the phone serves as a thin client or rudimentary desktop. The feature has been around for years and works well, but doesn’t seem to be really being expanded further.

No WiFi 7, but that doesn’t matter

While the high-end Galaxy S24 Ultra has a brand new WiFi 7 chip on board, the Samsung Galaxy S24 “only” has to make do with WiFi 6E. This no longer has to be a problem today, as there are very few WiFi 7 compatible routers and access points on the market. Plus, they still cost a lot since the technology is just becoming available.

However, if you want to keep your cell phone for seven years – you can expect Android updates during this time – you can also buy a WiFi 7 router. In our opinion, Wifi 6E offers sufficient performance for a smartphone. So don’t be fooled into thinking that you absolutely need WiFi 7.

Exynos instead of Snapdragon

This year, Samsung is once again using its own chips for the Galaxy S24 (and S24 Plus). Only the Galaxy S24 Ultra gets a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on board: the same as in the OnePlus 12. The Samsung Galaxy S24 gets an Exynos 2400 chip in exchange. In terms of CPU performance, it comes very close to the Qualcomm chip.

Do you feel this difference in daily use? No not really. Every phone in this segment, even the “slower” Google Pixel 8, feels lightning fast.

The difference becomes even greater when you look at the graphics performance. Qualcomm delivers a superior GPU compared to Samsung. What is striking is that last year’s Galaxy S23, which had a Qualcomm chip at the time, performed just as well as the new S24.

When we load the GPU to the maximum, we can clearly see that the new Qualcomm and Samsung chips get hot very quickly. After ten minutes of intense 3D gaming, the Galaxy S23 is faster than the S24 and can compete with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.

Camera performance

There are three cameras on the back of the device: 50 MP OIS f/1.8 main camera, 10 MP OIS f/2.4 3x zoom camera and 12 MP f/2.2 wide-angle camera. They are identical to those of the Galaxy S23. Be sure to read our review to see more photo examples.

This year, Samsung continues the path of realistic photos without too much saturation. During the day, the camera performs excellently and can compete with the best smartphones. We may see slightly greater contrast in the S24 photos than in the S23 photos, but since we can’t make a direct comparison, we remain unsure.

Even in the evening, the S24 continues to perform at its best. We personally like the Google Pixel 8’s photos better in these lighting conditions, but it really comes down to details (and taste).

The 3x telephoto lens is a nice addition to the arsenal and performs exceptionally well. Note that this has its limitations in lower light conditions.

The wide-angle camera serves its purpose. The results sometimes contain a bit too much noise for our taste. The lack of optical image stabilization is a shame, but we find the lack of fast autofocus much worse. That’s what you can expect in this price range.

AI features

AI is the code word for the entire Samsung S24 series. These are the main AI features you can use:

• Live Translation: Translate phone conversations in real time without the need for an additional app
• Interpreter: Translate live conversations in real time on a shared screen
• Chat Assistant: Select a text and ask to rework it into a specific style (casual, social, professional).
• Transcript Assistant: Transcripts, summaries and translations can be created from conversations
• Circle to Search: a brand new Google feature, exclusive to Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 devices, that lets you circle something in an app to search directly à la Google Lens
• AI editing tools in Samsung Gallery: Create slow-motion videos, move or delete an object, animal or person, and fill photos when you crop them

Are the above features a must? Some are nice, but everyone has to decide for themselves. It shouldn’t be a reason to buy this phone specifically, and the update will eventually come to the Galaxy S23 models as well.

Battery life and charging time

A small phone usually means worse battery life. The small screen saves battery power, but the compact size means there is less space for a large battery. It was a weak point of the Galaxy S23 last year and there is also room for improvement with the Samsung Galaxy S24. A full working day is not a problem as long as you don’t use too many intensive applications such as navigation or video calls.

Google shows that you can still achieve very good battery life with a small device. The Pixel 8 leaves the other compact devices behind. When we look at larger aircraft, they almost always win.

In addition, we find that Samsung’s own Exynos 2400 chip is not very economical when additional processing power is needed. Nowhere is the difference between light and intensive use greater than with the Galaxy S24.

The Galaxy S24 does not come with a charger included. The phone is Power Delivery compatible and supports charging up to 25 watts. In half an hour the phone will be half ready, count 45 minutes for 80 percent. That’s just about fast enough, but in this price range we prefer numbers half as fast to really talk about fast charging. Wireless charging is supported with up to 15 watts.

Diploma

The biggest upgrade of the Samsung Galaxy S24 (899 euros including VAT) is undoubtedly the update policy: seven years of security updates and seven years of Android OS updates. You can still welcome Android 21 on this device. This puts Samsung in line with the Google Pixel series, to which the same conditions apply.

It is suddenly the most important reason not to choose the Galaxy S23, which is on average 100 euros cheaper. The devices are almost identical, although the S23 has already “lost” a year of updates. At the time of writing, you’re only entitled to four years of security updates and three Android OS updates. Then choose the S24 with seven years of updates.

If we compare it with the Google Pixel 8, the choice becomes much more difficult. With seven years of updates, both are remarkably close, but the Pixel 8 is 100 euros cheaper and has a better battery. There are also only minor differences in the area of ​​AI functions. Only the 3x optical zoom is missing from Google.

If you regularly use a decent zoom, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is an excellent, compact, top-of-the-line device. Is the zoom less important? Then you can save 100 euros and the Google Pixel 8 is a better option.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is available in four colors: black, gray, purple and yellow. The basic version gets 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB of storage and costs 899 euros including VAT.

Android Update Policy: Samsung guarantees that the Galaxy S24 will receive at least seven years of security updates and seven years of Android OS updates. This period begins with the launch on January 31, 2024 with Android 14.