The Galaxy S23 Plus left some big shoes to fill, but Samsung’s introduced a handful of notable upgrades to the S24 Plus that are worth knowing about.
Just like clockwork, Samsung is one of the first companies out the gate this year to introduced its new line-up of products for 2024, debuting the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Ultra and the focus of this particular article, the Galaxy S24 Plus.
Samsung’s ‘Plus’ phones, much like Apple’s iPhone models with the same moniker, are designed to offer a big screen experience for Galaxy fans who don’t have the cash to fork out for the more premium ‘Ultra’ handset. In this regard, Samsung’s done a fine job in the past as the Galaxy 23 Plus, while not a massive leap over its own predecessor, is still a respectable handset that ticks plenty of boxes with ease.
This time around however, Samsung’s introduced a handful of tweaks in the Galaxy S24 Plus that could steal the spotlight away from the S23 Plus completely, even if the latter can be found at a reduced price. Here’s what you need to know.
There’s a bevy of new AI features
AI is the talk of the tech world right now and Samsung’s wasted no time in hopping on the bandwagon. Galaxy AI is now baked into a bunch of apps and services across the Galaxy S24 range, made possible on the S24 Plus by the new Exynos 2400 for Galaxy chipset.
The most eye-catching use of AI on the S24 Plus is its integration in photo editing, which now lets you move subjects around (or erase them completely), after which AI will fill in the gaps with what it deems to be appropriate.
Beyond photo editing, AI also comes into play with Live Translate which allows users speaking different languages to converse over the phone. Galaxy AI will analyse what’s been said by the other person and repeat it in your native tongue almost instantly. Only time will tell as to how well these features perform in everyday use, but if you’re already a fan of AI then the S24 Plus will probably take your fancy.
The S24 Plus has an even bigger display
The allure of Samsung’s ‘Plus’ range has already been found in its larger display. After all, these Plus handsets are almost identical to the standard Galaxy phones they’re paired up with, with the larger screen being the key selling point for those who like to game and watch film and TV on the go.
It might surprise you then that the S23 Plus’ biggest asset is getting even bigger on the S24 Plus, as the display size is set to increase from 6.6-inches to 6.7-inches. That’s not a massive bump on paper, but given that the display is at the heart of the Plus line, it’s an easy win for the newer handset.
It’s also worth mentioning that on top of the size increase, the display itself has also jumped to feature a QHD+ panel with an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate and smaller bezels to boot. All of this combined could make the S24 Plus a solid entertainment machine.
Battery capacity has seen an increase
The screen size isn’t the only thing about the S24 Plus that’s been treated to an increase – the battery cell has also been given a boost. Instead of having a 4700mAh battery under the hood (as was the case with the S23 Plus), the S24 Plus now has a higher 4900mAh battery capacity.
Again, these aren’t mindblowing leaps but the larger cell, in conjunction with the more power efficient adaptive refresh rate, could lead to a significant uptick in the amount of use you can get from the S24 Plus on a single charge.
S24 Plus gets seven years of OS updates
For those of you who want to feel as though you’re getting a futureproof investment whenever you upgrade to a new phone, this final point could be the thing that sways you. No doubt inspired by Google’s recent pledge of a longer support cycle for its mainline phones going forward, the Galaxy S24 Plus will be subject to a lengthy seven years of software and security updates.
That’s a massive boon for consumers, and a big leap when you consider that the Galaxy S23 Plus only had four and five years of software and security updates respectively. On a pure value for money basis, the S24 Plus is the obvious pick to go for, particularly if you dont plan on upgrading again until much further into the future.
Early verdict
While we won’t know for sure just how well these upgrades stack up until we get the new handset in for testing, the Galaxy S24 Plus seems to be ticking all of the right boxes, and that’s before mentioning the slight price decrease that makes the phone cheaper than its predecessor at launch. If the S24 Plus lives up to its promises, then it could be one of the go-to large phones for 2024.
