OnePlus 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Android's finest in 2024
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Intro
Now that the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12 are official, we are in for a rather heated brawl between two of the best Android phones that will be available throughout the first part of 2024. Indeed, you can easily assume that at least on the US market, the OnePlus 12 will try to chip away the major market share that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will potentially acquire.
Compared with their previous generations, the OnePlus 12 nor the Galaxy S24 Ultra are slightly different, but at the same time, they carry the same easily recognizable DNA on their sleeves. In fact, it would be fairly safe to say that each device is yet another incremental evolutionary update in the long line of former flagships.
So, bluntly said, we are once again getting more of the same, but… better than before. And slightly pricier, too.
OnePlus 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra expectations:
| OnePlus 12 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Slightly curved sides, similar to previous OnePlus devices | Refreshed titanium design with flat sides |
| Slightly larger 6.8-inch display with 2,600-nit peak brightness | Same-ish 6.8-inch 2,500-nit AMOLED display |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Up to 24GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB UFS4.0 storage | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 12GB RAM in all versions |
| Superfast 100W wired charging | Fast 45W wired changing |
| Very fast 50W wireless charging | Standard 15W fast charging |
| Triple camera, with a 3X telephoto | Quad camera, with 3X and 5X telephoto cameras |
| Ring switcher on the left side of the phone, volume rocker on the right | Built-in stylus |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Catwalk stars with a bright future ahead
Design-wise, the OnePlus 12 isn't that different from the OnePlus 11—in fact, there won't be many changes on the outside. OnePlus seems to have settled into a comfort zone that it is reluctant to leave. There is a well-pronounced design language shared between the OnePlus 11, OnePlus 10 Pro, and OnePlus 9 Pro, so the OnePlus 12 will fit right into that sequence.
The signature ring switch of previous OnePlus devices makes a return, but on the left side of the phone, the opposite of where it's usually situated.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra makes a move to titanium, just like the iPhone 15 Pro series did a few months ago. The latest Samsung flagship has also switched to a perfectly flat display, a major move that is unlike the top Samsung flagships of previous years, which all had slightly curved displays. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra display is now completely flat, the side frame isn't––there's a slight ergonomic curve that helps the phone feel more comfortable in the palm of your hand, a welcome mainstay.
Colors-wise, the OnePlus 12 arrives in just two colors: Emerald Green and Silky Black. Over in Samsung's yard, the Galaxy S24 Ultra colors include Titanium Yellow, Titanium Violet, Titanium Black, and Titanium Gray; Titanium Orange, Titanium Green, and Titanium Blue are exclusive to Samsung.com.
When it comes to the contents inside the box, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a slim box with no charger inside. However, OnePlus breaks away from current market trends and keeps with its tradition of including a fast charger in the box, greatly improving the overall value of the OnePlus 12.
Display Differences
Image Credit - PhoneArena
The OnePlus 12 comes with a large 6.82-inch display with sharp QHD+ resolution and the now standard LTPO 3.0 screen refresh technology, which allows the phone to dynamically switch the refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz for the ultra-smoothest experience. This will result in a much more rewarding scrolling experience throughout the interface and can also potentially save some battery juice in some scenarios.
Yet, the most intriguing screen property of the OnePlus 12 is its exceptionally high peak brightness. OnePlus boasted that the phone will be able to hit around 4,500 nits of brightness, but that's most certainly measured with just a single white pixel of the display being switched on and all the available power redirected to it. In real-life conditions, where you'd always have the full display in use, you can expect much lower peak display brightness.
Moving on to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, we will get the same 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display we've grown accustomed to from previous Galaxy Ultra flagships. This phone display has a 3080 x 1440 pixel panel with a respectable 500ppi sharpness and Gorilla Glass Armor, which is both more scratch-resistant and less reflective, boosting the legibility under bright daylight conditions. Its brightness is also rather comparable to the OnePlus 12 in real-life conditions and based on our tests.
Brightness seems to be an important part of the Galaxy S24 Ultra's arsenal as well. Seemingly, the next flagship will be much brighter than its predecessor and will reportedly be capable of reaching around 2,500 nits of brightness, which is mostly equal to what the OnePlus 12 would probably be able to achieve.
Both devices will get fingerprint scanners embedded into the display as well as picture-based face unlock. If you're obsess
Performance and Software
Snapdragon for all
Image Credit - PhoneArena
Samsung has opted to use the second gen 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on the Galaxy S24 Ultra everywhere, not just the US, contradicting previous rumors that the Exynos 2400 chip could be used in some markets. Samsung has once again scored a custom "For Galaxy" Snapdragon chip, not the garden-variety one that most Android phones out there would get.
The OnePlus 12 is one of those phones, and while it has the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it bests the Galaxy S24 Ultra according to our benchmarking tests. However, you might not be able to notice a significant difference between the two flagships, as they are both super-smooth and delivering exceptional performance on demand.
Performance Benchmarks:
Camera
OnePlus takes the safer route, while Samsung shakes up the Galaxy camera setup
Image Credit - PhoneArena
Onto the most important aspect of a modern smartphone - its camera setup!
The OnePlus 12 uses a triple-camera setup, much like most of its predecessors. OnePlus is keeping things on the safer side, without too much veering off the beaten and well-known path. We get a wide-angle, ultra-wide angle, and a 3X telephoto camera, all tuned by OnePlus partner Hasselblad.
However, OnePlus surely isn't foregoing innovation at all. The OnePlus 12 comes along with a very similar main camera sensor that graced the OnePlus Open foldable (which was one of the best foldables of 2023). The 50MP Sony LYT-808, also known as LYTIA, is making the rounds, and it's a very promising and intriguing sensor. Unlike conventional camera sensors, this one employs a dual-layer structure that lets it absorb much more light, therefore boosting its signal saturation even when the environmental lighting conditions aren't optimal.
Meanwhile, a rather important change came to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, one that entails a major paradigm shift. Gone is the 10X periscope camera that graced multiple previous Galaxy flagships and delivered up to 100X hybrid zoom; in its place, Samsung has opted to use a more sensible 5.0X telephoto camera instead. Such a shorter focal length would be much more usable in everyday situations, especially in comparison with the 10X optical zoom of before. Luckily, the phone is still capable of delivering the same 100X Space Zoom.
The rest of the camera setup is mostly the same from a hardware perspective, but there's lots of processing and algorithm improvements, as well as AI enhancements on deck. Samsung has seemingly toned down the excessive over-sharpening and too-vivid colors that plagued the Galaxy S23 Ultra with the goal of achieving a much more natural look for the photos.
| OnePlus 12 | Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50MP LYT-T808 1/1.43-inch | 200MP ISOCELL HP2SX 1/1.3-inch |
| Ultra-wide | 48MP Sony IMX581 f/2.2 | 12MP F2.2 1/2.55-inch |
| Telephoto | 64MP OmniVision OV64B 3.0X | 10MP F2.4 1/3.52-inch |
| Periscope | - | 50MP Sony IMX854 5.0X 1/2.52-inch, 0.7µm pixels |
What about the image quality?
Main Camera - Day
Zoom Quality
Portrait Mode
Ultra-wide Camera
Video Quality
Audio Quality and Haptics
With the OnePlus 12, the company has focused on improving the invisible features that rarely make any major headlines but always affect the user experience. With that said, we have high hopes for the audio capabilities and haptic feedback of the OnePlus 12, both of which have likely scored some improvements.
The same applies for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, though the latter already stems from a pretty solid foundation established by previous Galaxy flagships. Audio quality has been exemplar on those, as well as haptic feedback, certainly ranking among the best in the game.
Battery Life and Charging
It's a marathon, not a sprint
Image Credit - PhoneArena
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra sticks with the tried-and-tested 5,000mAh battery for yet another year. Not bad, but the writing's on the wall: we are steadily moving past the 5,000mAh battery capacity.
So, what's the verdict, and which phone fares better?
Well, our custom battery tests spill the beans. With the displays on both phones set at 200 nits (which is something we do with all devices we test), the OnePlus 12 beats the Galaxy S24 Ultra in the video streaming test, which loops a video playlist repeatedly. Yet, the result is reversed in our web browsing test, in which Samsung's latest pride and glory turns out to be the better device. In 3D gaming, the OnePlus 12 also pulls ahead, which is an important distinction.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
Charging-wise, it's difficult to swing this any other way rather than in complete and utter domination for the OnePlus representative here. If charging speed is crucial, then the winner is clear charging, the OnePlus 12 will run circles around the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is likely getting 45W charging for yet another year in a row. Wireless charging is also another area in which the OnePlus 12 will be victorious: 50W versus 15W on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
PhoneArena Charging Test Results:
Specs Comparison
Although unofficial, we already seem to know a large swath of the OnePlus 12 vs Galaxy S24 Ultra specs. Thus, we can freely compare.
| OnePlus 12 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 163.4 x 75.8 x 9.15mm, 220gr | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm, 233gr |
| Screen | 6.8" OLED LTPO 1-120Hz 2,600-nit brightness | 6.8" OLED LTPO 1-120Hz 2,500-nit brightness |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm |
| RAM, Storage | 12GB/16GB/24GB LPDDR5X RAM 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 storage | 12GB RAM 256GB/512GB/1TB storage |
| Cameras | Wide: 50MP LYT-T808 1/1.43-inch Ultra-wide: 50MP Sony IMX581 f/2.2 Telephoto: 64MP OmniVision OV64B 3.0X telephoto Front-facing: 32MP f/2.2 | Wide: 200MP ISOCELL HP2SX 1/1.3", 0.6µm pixels Ultra-wide: 12MP Telephoto: 3X Periscope: 5X 50MP Sony IMX854 5X 1/2.52" telephoto, 0.7µm pixels Front-facing: 12MP |
| Battery | 5,400mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Charging | USB-C 100W wired 50W wireless 10W reverse wireless charging | USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
Summary
Image Credit - PhoneArena
The OnePlus 12 and the Galaxy S24 Ultra are both shaping up to be quite the exciting new chapters for either OnePlus and Samsung. Samsung is seemingly keen on changing things a little with the new titanium design and the shake-up in the camera section, whereas the OnePlus 12 is surely a slow but steady evolutionary step over the previous OnePlus 11 flagship. Slow but steady wins the race, but be too slow, and you may drop out of the race entirely.
Throw in the pricing in the equation, and the OnePlus 12 immediately becomes a more appealing device than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which has scored a significant price hike.
You will likely want to go with the Galaxy S24 Ultra if you want to squeeze out the best bang for your buck, as OnePlus' handset continues to offer significantly better value than the Galaxy phone.
On the other hand, Samsung will likely appeal to Samsung fans with the over-the-top flagship that is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, a testament to the company's desire to offer the most unprecedented and superior experience on Android.
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