Which phone is the shining star of the Galaxy S series? Last week’s poll shows that it’s still the Ultra, but plus model is gaining ground – especially when it comes to people looking to upgrade from an older model.
Galaxy S24 • Galaxy S24+ • Galaxy S24 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a moderate upgrade over the S23 Ultra, itself not a huge improvement over the S22 Ultra. So, when it comes to the S24 Ultra (and the vanilla S24, which we will look at in a minute), around 15% are sticking with their current Galaxy S phone. Around as many are looking at other flagships instead.
Why? A big reason not to get the S24 Ultra is just how expensive it is – the base model costs more than the 2023 version in almost all markets and that one was pricey already.
Samsung got some things right, like the flat display. The new Gorilla Glass Armor is well received too. And sticking with Snapdragon only was probably a good idea, though the Exynos looks like it will impress this year.
The Samsung Galaxy S24+ went up in price in some regions too, so the cost is still a concern for many. Though the savings of going for plus instead of Ultra are quite notable. Other than the cameras and S Pen, this is closer to the Ultra than any S Plus model has been since the S20 generation. Some won’t be convinced until they see the reviews – that Exynos 2400 being of particular interest. That said, people with older S+ models see this as a great upgrade path.
Like we mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is not seen as a worthwhile upgrade from an older vanilla S phone. Seven years of support and an LTPO display sure are nice, but at this point you may as well stick it out and get the S25 or S26. The vanilla model went down in price in most places, but the 8/128GB base configuration really feels like Samsung is nickel-and-diming you – how are seven years of updates, apps and files supposed to fit in 128GB? And while the plus got an upgrade to 12GB of RAM, this one did not, which again hurts its longevity.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is already a hot commodity in South Korea and India (and probably other markets, but we will have to wait to see those stats). One Korean carrier confirmed that a whopping 60% of pre-orders are for the S24 Ultra, so the plus won’t usurp the throne just yet.