Samsung has officially released its Samsung Galaxy S24 phones, which include a standard-sized Galaxy S24, a bigger Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus, and an ultra-premium Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, replacing the company’s superb Samsung Galaxy S23 series.
As usual for Samsung, these are expected to be among the best Samsung phones ever built, if not the best phones, and the regular Galaxy S24 shares many features with Apple’s latest standard model, the iPhone 15. In this article, we’ll compare all we know about the iPhone 15 to what we know about the Samsung Galaxy S 24.
For additional information on the S24 series, see our entire Samsung Galaxy S24 review, hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review, and comprehensive Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
GALAXY S24 AND IPHONE 15: SPECS COMPARISON
A Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. iPhone 15 comparison pits the two top smartphones to see which is the greatest phone for the majority of consumers. And with two evenly matched phones going head to head, this should be a very close contest.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is the new kid on the block, but at first appearance, it appears that little has changed since the Galaxy S23. While there aren’t any huge hardware modifications — albeit the ones Samsung did make are quite substantial — the S24 does provide some new capabilities in the form of Galaxy AI features. These software programs use artificial intelligence to speed up and simplify some rather regular smartphone chores.
The iPhone 15 has been anticipating the S24’s release since last fall, and it boasts an impressive system-on-chip, some major camera enhancements, and a very bright display. Apple may be focusing more on its Pro models these days, but the iPhone 15 still a good smartphone, particularly if you want a powerful gadget that doesn’t cost four figures.
CAMERA
The Samsung Galaxy S24 has three cameras, while the iPhone 15 has only two. The biggest difference is the telephoto camera on the Samsung cellphone, although this does not necessarily make it the better photography phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 comes with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The phone can also record in 8K/30p or 4K/60p, and it has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera that supports 4K/60p video.
We discovered that the 50-megapixel sensor produced the greatest results in a variety of lighting circumstances, providing attractive photos with brilliant, vibrant colors ideal for social networking. Detail can feel oversharpened at times, but this is Samsung’s approach and is up to personal preference. The iPhone 15 features a 48-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. The iPhone can record 4K/60p video and, like the Galaxy S24, has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera that supports 4K/60p video for selfies and video calls.
We discovered that the iPhone 15 can take clear and bright photos that can be zoomed in on without losing too much detail. When shooting up close, the camera produces a lot of natural bokeh, resulting in a softly blurred background behind your subject. While the Galaxy S24 wins in terms of zoom, we discovered that the iPhone 15 took considerably higher quality photographs and movies than the S24.
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
The iPhone 15’s design is similar to Apple’s most recent iPhones, with the exception of slightly curved edges and a color-infused rear glass panel. It is 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm, weighs 171g, and is available in black, blue, green, yellow, or pink. The iPhone 15 also has an IP68 rating, indicating that it is dust and water resistant, and it is the first Apple smartphone to launch with a USB-C port rather than the company’s proprietary Lightning port.
The iPhone 15 sports an amazing 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display (1179 x 2556 pixel resolution), but the refresh rate is limited to a static 60Hz. The phone does, however, feature Apple’s Dynamic Island, which was initially featured on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, giving the display a more premium feel while also improving functionality.
Compared to its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S24 sports reduced bezels and flatter edges. It has a glass back, a metal frame, and a small punch-hole camera in the screen, but the rear cameras are arranged differently than on the iPhone, with no major covering surrounding them.
It also has an IP68 rating, comparable to the iPhone 15, and measures 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm and weighs 167g, making it around the same size. The Samsung Galaxy S24, like most Android phones, offers a USB-C port. The colors available are Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, and Sapphire Blue.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 sports a 6.2-inch AMOLED display (1080 x 2340 pixels) with a refresh rate that ranges from 1Hz to 120Hz. That outperforms the iPhone 15’s static 60Hz refresh rate, while the Samsung Galaxy S24’s screen is brighter, reaching up to 2,600 nits versus 2,000 nits for the iPhone 15.
HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?
Previously, performance comparisons between Samsung and Apple phones were not particularly competitive. Apple’s A series CPUs easily outperformed whatever Samsung threw at the iPhone, and we declared Apple’s phone to be the clear winner in terms of processing power.
This has changed as a result of Apple’s decision to employ separate chipsets in the regular and Pro models. The iPhone 15 is powered by an A16 Bionic system-on-chip, which is undoubtedly competent, but it is a year old. In contrast, the Galaxy S24 has a new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, which has led to some significant benchmark wins.
While the iPhone 15 has a higher single-core score in the Geekbench general performance test, the Galaxy S24 outperformed Apple’s phone in multicore performance. Similarly, in graphics testing with 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited, the Galaxy S24 outperforms the iPhone 15 by 67%. Only on the video transcoding test does the iPhone continue to dominate, with the iPhone 15 taking little less than 25 seconds to finish a transcoding operation in Adobe Premiere Rush, while the Galaxy S24 takes 41 seconds.
There is one caveat to the Galaxy S24’s impressive performance: it may not be available on all S24 models. Phones shipped outside of North America have the Exynos 2400 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. We won’t know how the Exynos-powered S24 models stack up against the iPhone 15 until we get our hands on one. However, the Galaxy S24, which runs on the latest Snapdragon chip, exceeds the iPhone 15’s capabilities.
GET THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S24 FOR:
- Android OS
- The larger display features a smaller cutaway.
- The body is lighter and more cleanly designed.
- Longer call times.
- Faster charging and reverse wireless charging.
- Fingerprint unlocking under the display.
- A more powerful graphics chip.
- The Galaxy AI has several features.
- 8K@30 video recording and high-bitrate video options.
- The lesser price.
GET THE IPHONE 15 FOR:
- iOS is an Apple product.
- Titanium frame and Ceramic Glass panels are Apple’s most premium materials.
- Dolby Vision is a high-resolution, brighter display.
- Higher-rated ingress protection.
- Face ID uses biometric authentication.
- Improved battery life for on-screen tasks.
- The best speakers.
- The more powerful processor.
- The more sustained performance under load.
- The higher-resolution 24MP images and autofocus on the ultrawide.
- 4K60 Dolby Vision and Pro Res Log video.
- The superior cinematic video mode.
