The Samsung Galaxy S24 series offers some of the best Android smartphones on the market today. If you want a small and compact flagship, there’s the Galaxy S24; if you want a big-screen flagship at a reasonable price, there’s the Galaxy S24+; and if you want the best of the best, there’s the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, no smartphone (or, in this case, the smartphone series) is perfect, and the Galaxy S24 is no exception. If you’re on the fence about the Galaxy S24, here are four reasons why you may want to reconsider.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S24, or wait for the Galaxy S25?
The Galaxy S24 series already offers everything we could ask for, and the Galaxy S25 series is still a ways away
1 Snapdragon vs. Exynos: Different chipsets in different regions
One step forward, two steps back
With the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung made a major change to its flagship lineup by offering the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 variant of the smartphones worldwide. This was unlike previous Samsung Galaxy S-series launches, wherein Samsung reserved Snapdragon variants for markets like North America and Korea, while regions like India, Europe, and Australia received the Exynos-powered flagships.
However, with the Galaxy S24 series launch, Samsung reverted to its old approach as the Qualcomm-powered S24 series made its way to the North American and Korean markets, while other regions got the Exynos 2400-powered S24 smartphones. Now, there isn’t a major issue since both variants have the same features, but, historically, the Snapdragon-powered versions are known to perform much better than the Exynos variants.
For example, our sister-site XDA-Developers found the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S22 Ultra to be “way better” than the Exynos variant. Similar issues are now appearing in the S24 series (via NanoReview), with the Exynos 2400 falling behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in peak performance, connectivity, and battery life. This results in an inconsistent user experience for people looking to buy this device, and it’s time Samsung either sticks with Exynos or Snapdragon for all global regions.
2 Marginal upgrades from the last generation
Improvements over the S23 series are not significant enough
You don’t really need the Galaxy S24 series smartphone, especially if you already own an S23-series device. The Galaxy S24 offers only marginal upgrades from the previous generation, making it skippable if you’re not eager to upgrade. The S24 series features the same design, battery capacity, charging speeds, and camera setup on the base and Plus variants, with the Ultra getting only a minor upgrade from a 10MP 10x lens to a 50MP 5x lens.
The overall experience is similar between the two series. If you already own an S23 series phone, there’s no need to get the new version — plus, there’s one more major reason mentioned below. On the other hand, if you don’t mind buying a year-old device, I’d suggest going for the Galaxy S23 series, which is still available for a lower price.
3 Galaxy AI features have made their way to the S23 series
Even more reasons not to buy the Galaxy S24
When Samsung introduced the Galaxy S24 series, it took a lot of talking (and marketing) about its new “Galaxy AI” features. These new AI features include a revamped AI-based photo editor, a live translator that works during calls, Circle to Search, and more. However, nearly a month after the Galaxy S24 series launched, Samsung brought most of these features to all its 2023 devices, including the S23 series, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and more. This makes the Galaxy S24 even less appealing, as there aren’t many exclusive features left. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, you can get a similar experience by buying an older-generation device.
4 Less value for money
The dollar-to-spec ratio for S24 isn’t as competitive compared to other brands
If you want the best value for your money, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series is probably worth skipping. Flagship smartphones from other brands, like the OnePlus 12, offer better value — especially with a $200 discount. You still get a big AMOLED display, the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, faster charging with a similar battery, and only a minor downgrade to the camera setup. If you want the best bang for your buck, you should probably consider skipping the Samsung flagship.
Samsung Galaxy S24 is still worth considering
Despite the criticism, the Galaxy S24 still offers features that make it worth buying. For example, you get some of the brightest display panels in the industry across the S24 series. Moreover, Samsung is providing the longest software support on the latest flagship series and with its capable hardware, it could very well last the full seven years of support.
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Samsung Galaxy S24
$725 $800 Save $75The Samsung Galaxy S24 is one of the best compact flagships of 2024. It features a bright AMOLED display, a powerful processor, a versatile camera setup, and a design that’s easy to use with one hand. The small battery is a minor drawback, but it still offers all-day battery life.
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Samsung Galaxy S24+
The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is a top flagship of 2024 for those who want a reliable smartphone with a big display. It has similar internals to the base variant but offers a larger battery, faster charging, and more storage.
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers the ultimate experience with a quad-camera setup featuring 5x and 10x optical zoom lenses, a big battery with fast charging, Galaxy AI features, and an S Pen for those who want to draw, annotate, and draw on the go.
