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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
You can purchase a fully unlocked Galaxy S24 Ultra via the official Samsung store. The almighty AI genius arrives for up to $750 off with an eligible phone trade-in. This is the 256GB model.
12/256GB OnePlus 12: $150 off and free OnePlus Buds Pro 3
The base OnePlus 12 model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage is now available at $150 off via the OnePlus Store. On top of that, you get a free pair of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 ($179.99 value) with your smartphone purchase.
You can also grab your fancy OnePlus 12 phone straight at Amazon. The base storage model featuring 12GB RAM and 256GB storage is now available for 19% off its MSRP.
Design-wise, the OnePlus 12 isn't that different from the OnePlus 11—in fact, there aren't that 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 was previously 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 upgrade.
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 features a 3080 x 1440 pixel panel with a respectable 500ppi sharpness and Gorilla Glass Armor, which is both more scratch-resistant and less reflective. This improves the legibility under bright daylight conditions. In real-life conditions and also based on our tests, its brightness is comparable to the OnePlus 12.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
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 and picture-based face unlock.
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.
OnePlus takes the safer route, while Samsung shakes up the Galaxy camera setup
Image Credit - PhoneArena
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.
A shorter focal length is much more practical in everyday situations, especially when compared to the previous 10X optical zoom. Thankfully, 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.
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.
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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
The OnePlus 12 arrives with a massive 5,400mAh battery, a welcome depart from the standard battery size of 5,000mAh. Paired with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the phone delivers very decent battery backup, achieving excellent battery life in our custom battery benchmark tests, which simulate real-life use cases and are conducted with the screen set at 200 nits.
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.
Our web browsing test shows that Samsung's latest pride and glory is the better device. In 3D gaming, the OnePlus 12 also pulls ahead, which is an important distinction.
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 boasts 45W charging for yet another year in a row. Wireless charging is also another area in which the OnePlus 12 is victorious: 50W versus 15W on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Both devices support reverse wireless charging, allowing you to top up accessories or even other smartphones in need.
And here's how the OnePlus 12 and the Galaxy S24 Ultra compare: the Samsung flagship takes around 70 minutes for a full charge, whereas the OnePlus 12 takes half as long.
The OnePlus 12 and the Galaxy S24 Ultra are both quite the exciting new chapters for either OnePlus and Samsung. Samsung's flagship is once again doesn't change too much, 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.
Consider the pricing, and the OnePlus 12 immediately becomes a more appealing offering than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which has scored a significant price hike of its own. Thus, you will definitely want to go with the OnePlus 12 if you want to squeeze out the best bang for your buck, as OnePlus' phones continue to offer significantly better value than Galaxy flagships for yet another year in a row.
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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Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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