Here's why you should skip the Galaxy S24 Ultra and get the Galaxy S24 Plus instead
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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and its comrades, the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24, are now available, and for all intents and purposes, they should be perceived as Samsung's best phones so far. Scratch that, they are easily some of the best-value high-ranking flagships out there right now.
After spending a little time with both devices, it's clear as day that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the more exciting device, as it's the proper flagship Samsung wants you to buy. However, having reviewed the Galaxy S24 Plus, I am convinced that it is the one that ultimately delivers the better value and is the phone you should get.
With the latest hardware, superb displays, equally fast charging, and the killer seven-year software support, the Galaxy S24 Plus and the Galaxy S24 Ultra share a lot of common features, not to mention the Galaxy AI that's just about the same on both devices.
There are a few good reasons why you'd want to consider the Galaxy S24 Plus instead of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Let's explore what those might be!
Smile for the camera! (Image Credit - PhoneArena)
1. The Galaxy S24 Plus is actually the better all-around phone
Save for the built-in S Pen and the different camera setup, one could argue that the Galaxy S24 Plus and the Galaxy S24 Ultra offer pretty much the same experience. Judging from our reviews and benchmarking tests, it's even true that the Galaxy S24 Plus beats the Ultra in some key aspects.
Both the Galaxy S24 Plus and Ultra come with the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip (at least in the US), meaning you can expect the same performance out of both phones. Most importantly, however, the Galaxy S24 Plus achieves slightly better battery life as measured in our tests despite the marginally smaller battery, which is quite an essential potential upgrade one might want to enjoy.
This is major, as the best battery life has always been historically reserved for the Galaxy S Ultra flagships, which boast the biggest battery capacity. The efficiency of today's high-end phone chipsets yet proves that either modern device can potentially last for days, and yet the Galaxy S24 Plus scores some better endurance.
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2. Much better value: Get most of the features at a much lower price
Most certainly due to the transition to titanium, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a sticker price of some $100 more in comparison with last year's Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung's latest device starts at $1299.99 for the base 256GB model, and while Samsung usually gives you many potential ways to save, we can't beat around the bush and ignore the obvious price hike.
The Galaxy S24 Plus, which is essentially the same device, starts at $999, just as much as is predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Plus, and the one before that, the Galaxy S22 Plus. This means that you can enjoy mostly the same experience at a much lower entry-level cost.
The Galaxy S24 Plus is one appealing phone (Image Credit - PhoneArena)
3. You don't care about having the best possible camera setup, but could settle for slightly less
Truth be told, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is easily the best camera phone available on the market right now, fixing the majority of nagging issues and catering to the squeaky wheels that marred the Galaxy S23 Ultra. A spectacular and versatile camera that delivers great photos is what you get with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
But guess what, even though the Galaxy S24 Plus lacks the extra 5X telephoto camera and has a main camera with fewer megapixels than the one gracing the Galaxy S24 Ultra, it's still a perfectly capable camera that also delivers great results. And viewed from a certain perspective, it has the most versatile camera setup.
Judging from our reviews of both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Plus, Samsung has tuned-up the algorithms in comparison with last year's Galaxy S23 series, achieving a much more natural and arguably better image processing, which puts it ahead.
I mean, there's a quantifiable difference as demonstrated in our camera benchmarks above, but do 4 points really matter that much? Spoiler alert: they don't.
The same is true of video as well.
4. You aren't concerned with the S Pen: The gimmick-y exclusive feature
The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with an S Pen, and that's mighty cool. It allows you to do a whole new array of extracurricular activities on your phone… but let's be real, it's also a bit gimmick-y. Surely, many users can't live without the accessory, but it's also true that the larger portion of the phone users wouldn't necessarily benefit from a stylus.
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