Come January, smartphone enthusiasts gear up to check out the latest iteration of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy range. What’s even more special in 2024 is a new model with considerable changes. The Galaxy S24 marks the entry into Samsung’s premium range of flagship smartphones featuring a glamorous new look, beefy new processor and the power of AI baked into the phone’s core.
At the same time, last year’s Samsung Galaxy S23 will continue to serve as an affordable alternative to the masses who want to experience the flagship features without paying a hefty price. Selling both of them side-by-side spell trouble for prospective buyers and hence, a Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S23 comparison is the only way to clear all doubts.
Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy S24 differs in its core specifications across various markets. The US and Canadian markets get the variant with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset whereas the rest of the world will witness the new Exynos 2400 chipset in the standard and the Plus-sized variants. Exynos is not much favoured among Samsung’s fanbase but the newer chipset seems promising. Hence for our comparison, we are sticking with the Exynos variant of the Galaxy S24.
Without further ado, let’s figure out if it makes any sense to stick with the older Galaxy S23 or give in to Samsung’s marketing allure and invest in the newer Galaxy S24.
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S23: Comparing their specifications
Design and build
Being the newer model, it isn’t surprising to see the Galaxy S24 get all the blingy treatment. Despite sharing the same core design as the Galaxy S23, the glitzy chrome accents and the new colours make the Galaxy S24 visually appealing. The slimmer bezels around the display also add to the experience and Samsung is still using strengthened aluminium for the sides. Along with the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection and the IP68 water and dust ingress protection certification, the Galaxy S24 is one of the most durable premium smartphones, at least on paper.
That’s not to say the Galaxy S23 looks and feels inferior. For those who prefer an understated design and the same kind of durability as the Galaxy S24, the Galaxy S23 is a tempting choice.
Winner: Galaxy S24
Display
The base Galaxy S flagship has always seen compromised display specs but the Galaxy S24 is about to change it this year. With a 6.2-inch display size, the Galaxy S24 offers slightly bigger viewing space than the 6.1-inch Galaxy S23, courtesy of its slimmer bezels. The OLED panel on the Galaxy S24 now supports variable refresh rates of 1Hz to 120Hz, which is more efficient than the 48Hz-120Hz panel on the Galaxy S23.
Another area where the Galaxy S24 has an advantage is the peak brightness. The Galaxy S23’s display supports a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, which is incredibly bright by today’s standards. However, the Galaxy S24’s OLED panel can stretch the peak brightness up to 2,600 nits, thereby bumping up the sunlight legibility factor.
Winner: Galaxy S24
Performance
Being a year older, the Galaxy S23 is bound to have a major disadvantage here. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor made it one of the fastest smartphones we saw in 2023 and even today, it can handle all the latest video games and multiple tasks with ease.
However, the new Exynos 2400 on the Galaxy S24 has more firepower at its disposal. Offering almost the same levels of performance as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the Exynos 2400 with its AMD RDNA GPU will be able to give these graphically intensive games, social media apps and editing apps more room to play.
Winner: Galaxy S24
Software
While both phones will be running Samsung’s latest One UI 6 experience based on Android 14 with clever AI-based editing tools and a revamped UI, it is the Galaxy S24 that will offer Samsung’s Galaxy AI features. The Galaxy AI enables users to make the most out of generative AI like getting nicely composed text messages from the keyboard, assisting with the camera app and lots of clever photos as well as video editing tools.
Usually, Samsung trickles down the newest OS features from its latest flagships to older handsets. However, given that generative AI requires dedicated hardware designed for AI, we wonder whether Samsung will bring these AI advancements to the older Galaxy S23.
Winner: Galaxy S24
Cameras
The core camera specifications remain unchanged between these two generations of the Galaxy S models. Both the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 feature an identical setup consisting of a 50-megapixel primary camera sensor coupled with a 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter and a 10-megapixel telephoto unit with 3x optical zoom. Even the 12-megapixel selfie camera is shared between these two models. Technically, the imaging and videography performance from both of these should be identical in the real world.
However, rumours say that the beefed-up ISP chip on the Exynos 2400 along with the AI enhancements on the Galaxy S24 should theoretically improve various aspects like image clarity, low light performance and slight improvements to videography.
Hence, no prizes for guessing our winner here.
Winner: Galaxy S24
Battery
One of the key reasons to not recommend the Galaxy S23 has always been its sub-par battery life. The 3,900mAh cell could barely make it through a whole day and most users would need to tank it up mid-day. The Galaxy S24 could improve the situation with a lightly larger 4,000mAh capacity battery and the more power-efficient Exynos 2400 SoC.
Sadly, the slow 25W wired charging remains from the previous model and so does the 15W wireless charging solution.
Winner: Galaxy S24
Price
Despite being a year older, the Galaxy S23 continues to sell at a premium. You can get the base variant of the Galaxy S23 with 128GB storage for USD 799 (MYR 3,768 approx.) and if you extend the budget to USD 859 (MYR 4,051 approx.), you get 256GB storage.
As for the Galaxy S24, Samsung is yet to reveal the prices. However, early rumours suggest that Samsung may introduce the Galaxy S24 at a similar price as the launch price of the Galaxy S23 last year. Hence, you can expect the base variant of the device to cost USD 900 (MYR 4,244 approx.).
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Galaxy S23: Our verdict
Our winner: Galaxy S24
The Galaxy S23 was a brilliantly designed compact premium phone offering top-notch performance and a premium user experience. It was tricky for Samsung to top it but the South Korean giant did it. The Galaxy S24 may look a lot like its predecessor but the changes underneath make it a vastly superior product.
Most of you will be happy to see a brighter display, a faster processor that keeps up with all the advanced generative AI features, a pair of capable cameras and decent battery life, all packed in a trendy shell that should offer a tempting alternative to the Apple iPhone 15. Unless you seek a great bargain and can do without the latest advancements in AI, the Galaxy S24 is our recommended pick over the Galaxy S23.
This article first appeared on Augustman Malaysia
[Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Samsung (Representational Image)]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which phone has a better display: the Samsung Galaxy S24 or the Galaxy S23?
The Galaxy S24 has a superior display considering its brighter 2,600 nits OLED panel, a variable refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz and slimmer bezels.
– What are the new features of the Samsung Galaxy S24?
The Samsung Galaxy S24 features an Exynos 2400 chipset, a 6.2-inch FHD+ 1Hz-120Hz AMOLED display, a 50-megapixel main camera, a 4,000mAh battery with support for 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging and Galaxy AI features inbuilt.
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Amritanshu lives and breathes tech, cars, Formula 1, space stuff and everything that delivers an adrenaline rush. Since 2016, he converted his favorite hobby of going all gaga over iPhones and Lamborghinis into his profession; hence, you aren’t likely to be surprised upon checking his browser history. In his spare time, he loves to drive and explore food joints, but will somehow end up with a plate of Chicken Biryani and a big smile. He has previously written for Hindustan Times, India Today, BGR.in, and Deccan Chronicle.
