Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Apple iPhone 15: Which flagship phone is best?

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup is packed with impressive hardware and AI features, but it’s not the only line of flagship phones worth talking about. Those who aren’t keen on Android are probably considering the formidable iPhone 15 series, which recently helped Apple overtake Samsung in global smartphone shipments in 2023.

So far, we have reviewed the Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra. The latter is slightly better thanks to a sleek design, more power, a built-in stylus, useful AI tools, and seven years of promised updates. But if you’re torn between Samsung’s latest flagship and Apple’s iPhone 15, we can break down the specs to show you how they stack up on paper.

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Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15: Price

Samsung sells three Galaxy S24 devices, while Apple offers four iPhone 15 models. All are traded at high prices.

Galaxy S24 starts at $799.99, S24+ retails for $999.99, and S24 Ultra starts at $1,299.99. These base prices increase as you add storage, but there are often deals available that lower the price.

Apple’s iPhone 15 starts at $799, iPhone 15 Plus at $899, iPhone 15 Pro at $999, and iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,199. As with the S24 family, storage upgrades are costly, but U.S. carriers often offer discounts.

The base models cost the same, but Apple has an advantage in several ways. For example, the iPhone 15 Plus costs $ 100 more than his S24 + with the same size screen. Similarly, Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max costs $100 less than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

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Galaxy S24 vs. iPhone 15: Design

The Galaxy S24 and S24+ are similar to each other (and to some extent to the iPhone 15). All are rounded rectangular slabs with flat screens and sides. The S24 Ultra, on the other hand, has a more angular look and features a slot for the included S-Pen stylus. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have slightly different customizable action buttons.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Apple embeds its rear camera in a raised rectangular area on the back of each phone, while Samsung simply has the lens protrude directly from the back panel for a more minimalist look. If you don’t like the bumpy look of the camera, you won’t like the design of any iPhone 15 model. All phones opt for a front camera that is part of the display.

iPhone 15 Pro (Credit: Eric Zeman)

In terms of dimensions, the Galaxy S24 measures 5.79 x 2.78 x 0.30 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.93 ounces. It’s smaller and lighter in every way than the iPhone 15 (5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches, 6.02 ounces). The S24 is thinner and lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro (5.77 x 2.78 x 0.32 inches, 6.60 ounces), but it’s a little taller.

Samsung’s Galaxy S24+ measures 6.2 x 3.0 x 0.30 inches and weighs 6.95 oz. ).

Finally, the S24 Ultra measures 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 inches and 8.22 ounces. It’s significantly larger and heavier than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and its sharp edges make it less comfortable to put in your pocket.

Left to right: Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro Max (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all have titanium frames, while the remaining models use aluminum. The S24 Ultra has Corning Armor glass on the front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass on the back, while the S24 and S24+ use Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back, and all Apple phones have a proprietary I use Ceramic Shield panels. All phones have obtained his IP68 rating and are completely dustproof and waterproof.

Additionally, all phones now have a USB-C port now that Apple has discontinued the Lightning connector. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus adopt the slower USB 2.0 type, while the Pro model and all three of his S24 phones adopt the USB-C 3 Gen 2 specification for faster data transfer. . There’s no headphone jack or microSD card slot on any of the phones.

Samsung models are also available in a similar matte finish. Options for the S24 and S24+ are Amber Yellow, Cobalt Violet, Marble Gray, or Onyx Black. For the S24 Ultra, you can choose between Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, or Titanium Yellow. iPhone 15 Pro models come in black titanium, blue titanium, natural titanium, or white titanium, while Apple sells regular iPhone 15 variants in light blue, green, pink, or yellow. Suffice it to say, there’s no shortage of options.

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Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15: Display

Screen sizes across the device lineup range from 6.1 inches to 6.8 inches. Samsung and Apple both make compact devices for fans of small phones, but their larger options offer plenty of space for multimedia.

Left to right: Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro Max (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The S24 has a 6.2-inch display with FHD+ resolution (2,340 x 1,080 pixels), while the 6.7-inch S24+ and 6.8-inch S24 Ultra phones both have QHD+ (3,120 x 1,440 pixels) displays. All models support variable refresh rates up to 120Hz, peak brightness of 2,600 nits, and offer an always-on option.

The Apple panels for the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 (2,556 x 1,179 pixels) and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus (2,796 x 1,290 pixels) stick to a 60Hz refresh rate and no always-on feature. However, the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro (2,556 x 1,179 pixels) and 6.7-inch Pro Max (2,796 x 1,290 pixels) screens have an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz. do Supports always-on display option. All iPhone 15 models have a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

These devices have no issues with screen visibility, regardless of lighting conditions. If you’re looking for the smoothest animations or always-on display, you should rule out the non-Pro iPhone 15 versions.

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Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15: Performance

For years, Apple’s own chips have outperformed Qualcomm’s chips. Now, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 closes the gap.

Galaxy S24 models in the US use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy system-on-chip (SoC). This is his standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with unique performance tweaks to the CPU, GPU, and NPU. Apple’s iPhone 15 and 15 Plus use the company’s A16 Bionic SoC, while the Pro model is equipped with the more powerful A17 Pro SoC.

Galaxy S24 (Credit: Eric Zeman)

Some benchmark results show that the 8th Gen 3-based S24 series is closer to the iPhone 15 than ever before. In Geekbench 6, a series of tests that quantify raw computing power, the S24 Ultra scored 2,273 points in the single-core test and 7,056 points in the multi-core test. For the iPhone 15, we saw scores of 2,607 and 6,231 in the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. The iPhone 15 Pro received 2,936 and 7,399 results.

As for RAM, the S24 has 8GB and the S24+ and S24 Ultra have 12GB. Both the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have 6GB of RAM. Apple hasn’t announced how much memory its Pro devices offer, but it’s likely to be 8GB.

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Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15: Connectivity

All handsets in the S24 and iPhone 15 lineup support 5G (C-band, sub-6GHz, mmWave), NFC, and Bluetooth 5.3. That said, Samsung’s phone has a slight advantage as it uses his Snapdragon X75 modem while the iPhone uses the older X70 modem.

When it comes to Wi-Fi, things start to diverge. Galaxy S24 and S24+ support Wi-Fi 6E, along with iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. iPhone 15 and 15 Plus outperform the older Wi-Fi 6 standard. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, runs on the latest Wi-Fi 7 specifications. Keep in mind that Wi-Fi speed is ultimately determined by your internet service provider and router. Make sure your router can communicate with your phone and vice versa.

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Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 15: Camera

Both the S24 and S24+ feature a 50MP f/1.8 main lens with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a 10MP f/2.4 with 3x optics. Equipped with a telephoto camera. zoom. The S24 Ultra has the same 12MP ultra-wide camera and 10MP telephoto camera, but features a 200MP f/1.7 main camera with OIS and an additional 50MP f/3.4 telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have the same camera placement: two on the back and one on the front. The main rear camera is equipped with a 48MP f/1.6 sensor and OIS, while a dedicated his 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle camera provides a 120-degree field of view.

Left to right: Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro Max (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Pro model has three rear cameras. A 48MP f/1.78 main lens with OIS, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a telephoto option. The 15 Pro comes with a 12MP f/2.8 lens with 3x optical zoom, while the 15 Pro Max has a 12MP f/2.8 tetraprism lens with 5x optical zoom and OIS.

You should generally be able to get great photos from all of these devices. However, each offers something unique. Samsung, for example, includes his AI tools in its camera and editing apps (including an object eraser feature), which aren’t available on the iPhone. On Apple’s side, his only two phones are capable of recording spatial video for Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset: his iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

For video, iPhone 15 Pro models can capture video in ProRes when using an SSD connected via USB-C. This is useful if you want to get the video without much compression. That said, Samsung’s S24 series can shoot videos at up to 8K resolution and 30fps, while the latest iPhone tops out at 4K and 60fps. You should be able to play high quality videos on any mobile phone.

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Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15: Battery

The S24 has a 4,000mAh battery, the S24+ has a 4,900mAh battery, and the S24 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery. The S24 charges at up to 25W, while the other two support faster rates up to 45W (assuming you provide a compatible charger). For wireless charging, all up to 15W. For reference, the S24+ and S24 Ultra lasted over 14 hours in our rundown test, while the S24 came close to 13 hours.

Galaxy S24 Ultra (Credit: Eric Zeman)

The iPhone 15 has a 3,349mAh battery that lasted 16 hours in our battery test. The numbers go up from there. It lasted over 19 hours on the iPhone 15 Plus (4,383mAh), 16 hours and 45 minutes on the iPhone 15 Pro (3,274mAh), and over 20 hours and 15 minutes on the iPhone 15 Pro Max (4,400mAh). All iPhone 15 models officially support 20W wired charging (iPhone 15 Pro Max measures at 27W) and 15W wireless charging using a MagSafe charger.

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Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15: Software

Samsung supports S24 devices with seven years of OS and security updates. This is a great initiative to cover mobile phones until 2031. Apple doesn’t officially say how long its devices will be supported, but most iPhones will receive software and security upgrades for about five years.

Of course, you also need to consider Samsung and Apple’s respective app and device ecosystems. If you’re already using an iPhone, switching to Android can be difficult. And vice versa. Additionally, Apple Watch and AirTag only work with iPhone, while Galaxy Watch and SmartTag 2 perform best on Samsung phones. Both companies’ truly wireless earbuds also work most seamlessly with first-party hardware.

More broadly, you’ll also have to choose between Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6.1 interface and Apple’s iOS 17. Each has its advantages, as explained in our detailed comparison of the two operating systems.

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Ready to choose?

The S24 series easily met our high expectations in testing, with the S24 Ultra earning 4.5 stars and our Editors’ Choice for Premier Android Phone. Of course, we already highly recommend all models in the iPhone 15 line, so choosing Samsung or Apple, as well as Android or iOS, will come down to preference.