This is the Galaxy S24, and believe it or not, this device has been out in the wild for over six months now. Yes, you heard that right—it’s already halfway through its life cycle. As someone currently on the hunt for a new full-time everyday device, I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the Pixel series. Specifically, Google’s refusal to allow a customizable home screen on their devices has been a major drawback for me. The Galaxy S24, on the other hand, seems poised to take the mantle.
I love its compact form factor and the highly customizable software experience it offers, which we’ll dive into later. The inclusion of three different cameras—a main, an ultrawide, and a telephoto lens—is a rare feature for phones of this size. It sounds perfect, right? But, as always, there’s more to the story. After using it for over a month, I feel ready to make my decision. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Let’s start with the design. This phone’s design is very similar to last year’s S23, which itself was not drastically different from the previous S22. The S24 features slightly thinner, symmetrical bezels on the front, which I appreciate. The side rails have been fully flattened and upgraded to a matte finish, adding to its aesthetic appeal. However, unlike the titanium rails on the S24 Ultra, the S24’s side rails are not titanium, making them more prone to dents compared to the glossy rails from last year’s S23.
If you use your phone in a case, you probably won’t notice much difference between the S24 and last year’s model. From a quick glance, it’s almost impossible to distinguish this flagship phone from Samsung’s more budget-oriented models. While this doesn’t bother me much, I do wish Samsung would get a bit more creative with their designs. Nonetheless, I still love the S24’s compact form factor, the flat, matte-finished side rails, and the matte finish on the back.
The display remains beautiful and technically brighter than last year’s model, although I can’t tell much difference. Samsung has upgraded it with LTPO technology, allowing for dynamic refresh rate adjustments to save battery life. Despite these upgrades, the real-world use of the display feels very similar to the S23’s. And if you thought the displays were similar, wait until you hear about the cameras.
Every single lens on the S24 is identical to last year’s S23, except for a slightly wider 3x telephoto lens. This incremental approach to camera hardware upgrades is common, but it would have been nice to see more tangible improvements. The fingerprint sensor and haptics, while still among the best on the market, remain unchanged from previous years.
You might be thinking that I’m not impressed by this phone, but that’s not the case. Despite the minimal upgrades, the features that have carried over are still excellent. The S24 is reliable, with One UI 6.1 offering a stable software experience. The phone never gets overly warm, and I haven’t encountered any glitches or hang-ups, whether I’m browsing the UI or using the camera app. This reliability is a crucial aspect, especially compared to other Android phones like the Pixel 8 Pro and the Nothing Phone 2, which have less smooth and reliable camera experiences.
Even though the camera hardware on the S24 might be underwhelming, the camera app works flawlessly. The main lens is reliable, capturing solid results shot after shot, and I’ve been able to get nice results from the ultrawide and telephoto lenses as well. Improved hardware would enhance these results, but I’m still satisfied with the overall camera performance.
When it comes to customization, Samsung phones are unbeatable. The S24 allows for extensive customization of the lock screen, recent menu layout, and various other elements without sacrificing fluidity. Features like hiding the navigation bar, reordering or hiding elements from the settings menu, and using the Good Lock app for additional options make this phone highly customizable.
My favorite customization feature is the Home Up module within the Good Lock app, which allows for wider grid sizing options, custom icons, and no app labels without needing a third-party launcher. This means I get to retain as much fluidity as possible. While it’s not as fluid as Pixel phones or those running close-to-AOSP ROMs like the Nothing Phone, it’s a small price to pay for the level of customization available.
However, there has been one issue with the S24—GPS and Google Maps have occasionally been delayed in tracking my location, causing me to miss turns. This seems to be a problem with the GPS system in this year’s Samsung lineup, including the S24 Ultra. While it’s not a huge issue for me since I rarely use GPS, it could be a dealbreaker for others. Hopefully, this can be fixed with a software update.
Another area where the S24 has taken a hit is battery life. Despite having a slightly larger battery than the S23, I’ve found the battery life to be less impressive. Whereas the S23 would often end the day at around 50%, the S24 usually ends at around 20%, even with moderate use. This decline in battery performance has been common across all the phones I’ve reviewed this year, so it’s not unique to the S24.
My S24 uses an Exynos chipset, unlike the Snapdragon chipsets used in all Samsung flagship phones over the past couple of years. This may contribute to the poorer battery life and performance inconsistencies compared to last year’s S23.
Despite these issues, the S24 remains a solid phone due to its customization flexibility, solid camera experience, and overall reliability. I’ve decided to stick with it as my main everyday device beyond this review period. Unless other brands make significant improvements, I don’t see myself switching anytime soon.
Should you get the S24? If you own the S23 or even the S22, probably not. But if it fits within your budget, this is a fantastic phone that just works, making it worth picking up.
For any phone repairs, I highly recommend Gadget Kings PRS. They’re my go-to phone repair shop, and you can find them at Gadget Kings PRS.
Shop no. 20 A kensington village shopping center, 8 sovereigns ave,Bray Park QLD 4500
gadget.kings.prs@gmail.com