The 8 best things about the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series

Samsung’s hotly awaited S24 series was unveiled on January 17th at the Galaxy Unpacked Event. If you can’t wait to get your hands on one, we share our fave features of the new models which are available for pre-order and will be hitting shelves from January 31st.

1. It really embraces the power of AI

It was no secret that AI was going to be an important feature of the S24 series and the big reveal did not disappoint. From a super impressive translation feature that live translates phone calls in 13 different languages and is built into the keyboard so it can translate as you type, to tools that help tidy up your note taking, there’s plenty to play with. One particularly interesting advancement is the AI-powered Chat Assist. It can read your message and change-up your writing style and tone to suit the occasion, whether you want to sound super polite in an exchange with colleagues or generate catchy social media captions. It can even have you sounding like Shakespeare…

2. New ways to search

If you’re always flicking between social media and Google to find out where a certain item is from, Samsung’s new Circle to Search feature will be a real winner. Created in collaboration with the search giant, it allows you to simply highlight text from your messages or circle or scribble over an image and instantly see search results without having to leave the app you’re using. Magic.

3. Photo editing, taken to the next level

AI has also been put to work enhancing the photo editing capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S24. Edit Suggestion uses Galaxy AI to offer ideas on how to enhance your snaps; Generative Edit can fill in the background of an image and Instant Slow-mo adds extra frames to slow down videos.

4. Sharper screens

There have been some improvements to the screens across the series. Standard S24 and S24 Plus have grown 0.1 inches compared with the S23 versions. The S24 boasts a 6.2-inch display while the S24 Plus screen measures in at 6.7-inches.

In terms of sharpness, the S24 Plus comes with Quad HD resolution rather than Full HD Plus which gives it almost as good resolution as the S24 Ultra. The standard S24 still has Full HD Plus.

Handily, the phones will be more usable outside on bright days (if we have any this summer!). All models have increased their maximum brightness to 2,600 nits, the standard unit for measuring screen brightness, up from the 1,750 nits offered by the S23 series.

5. Feature-packed cameras

Cameras have always been a strong area for the Galaxy series and the S24 doesn’t disappoint. Samsung promises “gone are shaky, pixelated images taken from far away” thanks to the Ultra’s Quad Tele System, with new 5x optical zoom lens. Adaptive Pixel Sensor allows optical-quality performance even when zooming in. It’s worth noting that the S23 Ultra had a 10x optical zoom, but you should still be able to get great shots thanks to a much larger 50MP sensor.

There’s also a bunch of other features including upgraded Nightography. But the really exciting development is that Samsung’s native camera can now be used in third-party apps like Instagram and Snapchat, so you can easily share great-quality snaps.

6. Great for gaming

Hardware and software improvements combine to make Galaxy gaming ‘more powerful than ever’. Every S24 Ultra is kitted out with Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, while performance efficiency is improved across all three Galaxy S24 models by 1-120 Hz adaptive refresh rates. Faster and more responsive gaming for the win.

7. Super durable handsets

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is tougher and more durable than ever thanks to its titanium frame. Surprisingly though, it isn’t any lighter than its predecessors. The S24 is also the first phone to get Corning’s new Gorilla Glass Armor which is supposed to be 4x more scratch resistant. But for these options you’ll have to splash out on the pricier Ultra. Both the standard model and the Plus use aluminium and older versions of the armor.

8. Seven years of upgrades

In good news for people who like to hang on to their handset, Samsung promises that the full S24 lineup will come with seven years of security updates and seven generations of OS upgrades. A big jump from five years offered with last year’s S23 series that puts Samsung on par with Google’s offering for the Pixel 8.

Wrapping up

There’s loads to unpack about the latest in Samsung’s Galaxy line-up, including some great features we just haven’t had time to get to know yet! But it’s clear it’s a truly impressive handset with some genuinely exciting features. If you’re keen to get your hands on one, register your interest today.

If you’ve got questions, comments or general feelings to share about the Samsung Galaxy S24 and how it compares to its rivals, feel free to join the chat in the giffgaff community forums.