I've had an iPhone for as long as I can remember, with the iPhone 3GS serving as my first smartphone. That device came out in 2009, and I've remained a loyal iPhone customer ever since.
However, with the imminent release of the Galaxy S24 — Samsung is holding a Galaxy Unpacked event in a little less than two weeks — I've started wondering if it's time for a change, especially as I sort through all the last-minute Galaxy S24 rumors.
Changing phones used to be as simple as putting a SIM card into a different phone. Nowadays, it's gotten far more complex due to the all the ways my iPhone is tied into the services I use and even the other hardware I own. So why does Samsung have me considering a change, and what is holding me back?
Galaxy S24 design — does it draw me in?
The first thing that I notice about a phone is the general design — it is the most obvious aspect, after all. For the most part, the renders we have seen of the Galaxy S24 mark it as a nice-looking phone, even if I’m not a huge fan of most of the rumored color options. Still, the images of the screen detailing a punch-hole camera are tempting and the minuscule bezel does make for a much larger-looking screen. I also like the Samsung buttons as they tend to feel better when you press them.
The Galaxy S24 figures to have a 6.2-inch screen, a little bit bigger than the 6.1-inch panel that the Galaxy S23 featured. We'll chalk that up to the thinner bezel and assume the S24 is more or less the same size as its predecessor, and that's a win since the Galaxy S23 has proven to be a compact phone that fits easily into a pocket. The Galaxy S24 Plus is supposed to be around 6.7 inches, again a little bit larger than its predecessor.
The cornered edges of the Galaxy S24 Ultra do not appeal to me as I tend to find that design choice less comfortable to hold. I do appreciate the curved screen giving way to a flatter panel. The Galaxy S24 Ultra could be made of titanium, too, which should make that phone easier to carry around than past Ultra models.
Galaxy S24 display — where all the magic happens
For the most part, I care about displays when it comes to watching videos from YouTube or other social media sites. While having an 8K screen is certainly impressive, I don’t know how much it would affect my day-to-day viewing. It's more important to me that a display is bright and that I won't drain the battery if the screen is set to an adaptive refresh rate.
The rumored use of LTPO screens across the Galaxy S24 lineup may tackle that latter requirement. An LTPO screen allows for dynamically changing display rates, letting screens scale down the refresh rate when appropriate to save battery life. The Galaxy S23 could drop down to 48Hz when its display was static, but supposedly, the Galaxy S24 will be able to scale down even further. Add to that the rumor that all S24 models will have displays with a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits, and it sounds like my ideal screen.
There is one final point regarding the display, and that is the lack of clutter on the display in general. If you happen to own an iPhone then you know about the characteristic notch on the top of older phones. This was primarily a stylistic choice and it is one that Apple appears to be aiming to remove, though probably not until 2025 at the earliest. Samsung is certainly ahead of Apple in this regard, with the punchhole camera on its phones taking up very little display space. It's not a massive concern, but it is certainly something that would affect my buying decision.
Galaxy S24 cameras and AI — a match made in heaven
A big focus with the Galaxy S24 lineup figures to be AI, with Samsung teasing a generative AI called Samsung Gauss. Leak of the phones' One UI 6.1 interface also hint at improved AI capabilities. I'm particularly intrigued by what AI can do for accessibility, and it would certainly be enough to push me toward buying the phone. However, there's one other part of the AI picture, and it relates to the S24's camera setup.
Based on rumors, the Galaxy S24 does not seem to be getting a major camera upgrade. If anything, rumors surrounding the Galaxy S24 Ultra suggest that it's losing one of the more popular features by trading in a 10x zoom lens for a 5x one (although the new lens supposedly uses a 50MP sensor instead of 10MP). That's where AI can come in.
AI can help with photo and video editing while also improving image quality. Since I take a lot of photos, it can be a struggle to make evey image appear eye-catching. AI can help in this regard, helping me make my Warhammer models look as pretty as I think they are. And it could beef up those zoom capabilities as well so that the switch from 10x to 5x on one telephoto lens isn't as keenly felt.
Galaxy S24 — Performance and battery life
Outside of the AI, although tenuously connected, are the actual specifications for Samsung's upcoming phones. As good as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 proved to be in last year's Galaxy S23 lineup — and that silicon powered some of the fastest phones of 2023 — it still couldn't top the A17 Pro that powers the iPhone 15 Pro. As an iPhone user, that's an issue for me. That said, what we've heard about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 does sound promising, even if not every Galaxy S24 model is expected to get it.
I'm also interested in seeing how the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (or the Exynos 2400 that's likely to power some models) handles power management. Generally, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was pretty solid in this regard, even if iPhones running on the A16 Bionic and A17 Pro finished higher among our longest-lasting phones of 2023. Even the more compact iPhone 15 models that feature smaller batteries out performed the Galaxy S23 on our battery test. So the Galaxy S24 will have some catching up to do.
Galaxy S24 outlook
As I said in the beginning, changing smartphones is far more complex than it used to be. We require smartphones for so many parts of our lives that any disruption caused by a switch between mobile platforms is not to be taken lightly. That said, what I've heard about the Galaxy S24 sound pretty promising at this point, even though I can still spot some potential downsides.
I'm going to need to see what kind of AI features are present on the Galaxy S24 and how they aid the camera performance. Battery life will be critical, too. Once Samsung hosts its Galaxy Unpacked event on January 17 and we get a chance to test the new phones, I should have the answer on whether it's time to switch.
