Samsung Electronics unveiled its highly anticipated Galaxy S24 lineup of flagship smartphones at its Unpacked event on January 18th, 2024. The new phones feature substantial upgrades over last year’s S23 series, most notably in the camera, battery, and performance departments.
S24 brings improved 200MP camera and longer battery life
Headlining the upgrades on the Galaxy S24 is a new 200MP wide camera sensor and AI processing capabilities that Samsung says will result in much improved photography and videography. Early hands-on reviews have noted a significant bump up in image quality.
The S24 lineup also boasts much larger batteries than its S23 predecessors. For example, the S24 Ultra packs in a huge 5,000 mAh battery, a notable increase from the 4,855 mAh cell in the S23 Ultra version. Various battery optimizations and the newest Snapdragon processor contribute to the improved battery metrics on the S24 models.
| Spec | Galaxy S23 | Galaxy S24 |
|----------------|-----------------|------------------|
| Camera MP Wide | 50MP | 200MP |
| Battery Size | 3,900 / 4,855 mAh | 4,700 / 5,000 mAh |
Reviewers have praised the major upgrades in these two areas, which have traditionally been pain points for the Galaxy S series. It seems Samsung has listened to user feedback and tackled the most requested improvements head on with its newest generation.
The battery life bump in particular is a crucial upgrade, considering battery anxiety has increased exponentially ever since smartphone usage skyrocketed during the pandemic. Mercifully faster charging capabilities also accompany the S24’s new bigger batteries.
Latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform brings speed gains
In addition to the photography and battery gains, Samsung is touting considerable performance improvements with the S24 lineup thanks to the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform.
This cutting edge chip from Qualcomm brings CPU and GPU gains of up to 41% and 54% respectively compared to the prior generation Snapdragon. Real world use should feel much snappier as a result, especially for intensive gaming.
The S24 series is among the very first wave of flagship devices to adopt the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, giving it a nice performance edge over the Galaxy S23 models running last year’s processor. This should help encourage upgraded purchases from those finding their older devices increasingly sluggish.
Pre-order momentum and pricing incentives strong
Now just a day after launch, pre-order data already shows strong demand for Samsung’s latest series. This enthusiasm even with relatively incremental design changes points to buyers valuing the under-the-hood upgrades like the cameras, batteries and processors. Trade-in offers have also likely spurred additional upgrade interest.
In some markets like South Korea, on-the-ground reports cite consumers lining up to place pre-orders and take advantage of various promotions. For example, those pre-ordering an S24 model in Korea received both a storage bump and a discount equivalent to $180 USD off.
India pre-orders went live today with attractive finance offers advertised at 0% interest. Aggressive pricing deals are key in critical growth markets like this, where Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Vivo also compete heavily on affordability.
Even in saturated markets like the US, Samsung and its carrier retail partners dished out enhanced trade-in offers and other perks with S24 pre-orders placed ahead of general availability next month. Depending on the condition of their trade-in device, some customers could effectively purchase the S24 at 50% or more below full retail pricing. Deal sweeteners like these make the upgrade decision that much easier.
What reviewers and experts are saying
Early S24 reviews from technology outlets and YouTube creators have been mostly positive overall. In particular, camera quality and battery life are clear focal points of praise. Though a few lament the largely unchanged design aesthetic, admitting still nice refinements.
Popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee called battery life the “hero stat” of the Galaxy S24 series, while praising the much improved photography from the higher resolution sensor. Despite not reinventing the wheel, he believes it still pushes the Galaxy S series forward as you’d expect.
CNET highlighted the S24 Ultra model’s standout low light photos in their testing so far. They also called battery life gains “drastic” and welcomed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s speed boost for a more responsive experience in apps and games. Their verdict so far is the S24 Ultra brings the biggest year-on-year improvements since the S20 series.
Engadget said photography enthusiasts will find a lot to love with the S24 series cameras, noting new AI effects plus modes like astrophotography open creative possibilities. While some refinements felt subtle to them, Engadget sees the S24 lineup as “polished versions of already great phones.”
Outlook positive despite economic uncertainty
Even against the backdrop of a gloomy global economic environment in 2024, analysts remain confident in Samsung continuing its smartphone sales leadership. This steadfast demand comes from not only the still fast growing number of first time buyers in developing markets. But also continued appetite from longtime Galaxy users in western markets enticed into upgrading by the newest advanced features.
Early indications point to another hit Galaxy S launch for Samsung. Pre-order activity is running hotter than last year. And reviewers plus customers seem thrilled by the major leaps in camera and battery capabilities. Even if flashy foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip/Fold garner more buzz nowadays, the S series remains Samsung’s smartphone bread and butter.
Now over the coming weeks Samsung shifts focus to converting all those early S24 pre-orders into actual sales. They also must sustain the positive word of mouth as general availability opens up the devices to many more potential buyers come February. Deeper production ramp of over a million units per day will fulfill what Samsung hopes is sky high global demand for its latest smartphone showcase devices.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
