Samsung's Plus-sized flagship phone is often easy to overlook. More expensive than the base model and not as fully featured as the Ultra, the Plus phone rarely stands out in Samsung's Galaxy S lineup. Yet, for people who want a big screen for less than $1,000, the Galaxy S Plus has fit the bill, which is why a Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus comparison is so important. It can give us a sense of how this particular model changes from year to year.
Last year's Galaxy S23 Plus certainly established itself as a good big-screen option for anyone who didn't want to pay Galaxy S23 Ultra prices. Like the other devices in Samsung's current lineup, the S23 Plus leverages a great chipset to deliver strong performance and long battery life. It also produces excellent photos using the same camera setup as the Galaxy S23.
Based on rumors about Samsung's upcoming phones, it sounds like the Galaxy S24 Plus will take most of its cues from the standard Galaxy S24. That said, the Plus model could have a few features in common with the Galaxy S24 Ultra as well. And as with any of the new phones, Samsung's focus on AI figures to be a big part of the story.
Given what we've heard about Samsung's upcoming phone release, here's what we know so far about a Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus match-up, with an eye toward on how the newer phone might differ from its predecessor.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus specs
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus price and availability
You can save on whatever Samsung announces at its January 17 Galaxy Unpacked event — whether it's the Galaxy S24 Plus or another device — by registering to preorder at the Samsung website or via the Shop Samsung app. You'll get a $50 credit to be used on the purchase of anything announced during Unpacked, with no obligation to buy. You do have to register by January 16, though.
Like the rest of the Galaxy S24 lineup, we're expecting to see the Galaxy S24 Plus at the Galaxy Unpacked event Samsung has scheduled for January 17. Assuming Samsung sticks to its normal rollout schedule, that means the new Galaxy phones will reach retail shelves before the end of the month.
Samsung occasionally keeps older models around after it introduces new phones, but typically it's been the base model that lingers. (The Galaxy S22 remained on sale after the Galaxy S23 launch at a reduced price, for example.) We expect that once the Galaxy S24 Plus arrives, that Galaxy S23 Plus will disappear from Samsung's lineup.
As for price, early indications are that the Galaxy S24 Plus might cost less than its predecessor, at least in some countries. A leak of potential Galaxy S24 prices in France showed the S24 Plus starting at €1,169, a €50 drop from the S23 Plus' starting price. That's consistent with leaked pricing from the Netherlands, too.
However, before you expect a similar drop in the U.S., remember that phone makers often adjust prices for specific regions. So it's unclear if there will be any change from the $999 starting price of the Galaxy S23 Plus when the S24 Plus arrives.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus design and display
Based on leaked renders of the Galaxy S24 Plus, don't expect too big a departure from the look of the Galaxy S23 Plus. Like the current phone, the new model appears to feature a flat screen on the front and a descending row of vertical camera lenses on the back.
The Galaxy S23 Plus comes in black, white, lavender and green. Rumored Galaxy S24 Plus colors point to black, gray, violet and yellow, with the possibility of Samsung offering exclusive colors when you order the S24 Plus directly from the phone maker.
The design changes Samsung is rumored to be making for this year's phones focus primarily on the display. Samsung is reportedly going with smaller bezels on its phone to free up more screen space without increasing the overall size of the device. For the Galaxy S24 Plus, this translates to a 6.7-inch display instead of the 6.6-inch screen that the S23 Plus featured.
The Galaxy S23 Plus display has a 120Hz refresh rate, which we'd expect the Galaxy S24 Plus to duplicate. However, one leaker expects Samsung to improve things on the S24 Plus by allowing it to scale down further when action on the screen is more static. The S23 Plus can scale down to 48Hz in such situations, while the S24 Plus will reportedly match the S23 Ultra's range with a 1Hz minimum refresh rate.
The Galaxy S23 Plus offers a maximum brightness of 1,750 nits, just like the rest of the S23 lineup. Samsung will reportedly make things even brighter with the S24 models, as all three should feature a screen that can get as bright as 2,600 nits.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus cameras
Samsung didn't make many changes to the Galaxy S23 Plus camera setup last year, and if rumors are to be believed, that trend is going to continue. On the one hand, with so many of the Galaxy S23 models ranking among the best camera phones, you could argue that Samsung is taking an "if it ain't broke, why fix it" approach. At the same time, other phone makers are looking to improve their camera setups, so you wonder if Samsung risks being left behind.
Nevertheless, rumors point to the Galaxy S24 Plus featuring a 50MP main camera, just like the S23 Plus. The ultrawide and telephoto lenses are supposedly unchanged too, with 12MP and 10MP sensors, respectively; the telephoto lens should once again offer a 3x optical zoom.
From the sound of things, it seems like Samsung is counting on its push into AI to provide most of the camera improvements. More on what that AI effort entails below, but basically, Samsung sounds like it's hoping that new photo processing features and editing tools will make up for the unchanged camera hardware.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus performance
For the Galaxy S23 lineup, Samsung used the same system-on-chip regardless of where its phones were released. That turned out to be a wise move, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 from Qualcomm proved to be a formidable performer, even topping some iPhones when it came to graphics testing. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's power management features also helped each Galaxy S23 model last longer than their equivalent S22 counterparts.
Alas, rumors indicate that Samsung is going back to its old way of doing things for the Galaxy S24, dividing up the silicon it uses in the standard and Plus models based on region. (The exception is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is tipped to get the same Snapdragon chipset no matter where it ships.) According to rumors, U.S. shoppers are supposed to get Galaxy S24 Plus models running on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset; outside of North America, Samsung is expected to turn to the Exynos 2400 silicon for the Galaxy S24 Plus.
In the past, Exynos chipsets have lagged behind the performance of their Snapdragon counterparts. And this year, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 boasts a number of AI-focused improvements, so we'll be interested in seeing how Exynos-powered Samsung phones keep up, if Samsung does indeed use split silicon approach to its new phones.
The Galaxy S23 Plus featured 256GB of storage in its base model, the biggest capacity of any Plus phone up until that point. It's widely expected that the Galaxy S24 Plus will follow suit.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus battery life and charging
Assuming the Galaxy S24 Plus features a display with an improved refresh rate while benefitting from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's better power management features, that could help the new phone outlast the Galaxy S23 Plus. Another option could be a bigger battery — a specs sheet leak shows the Galaxy S24 Plus with a 4,900 mAh power pack compared to 4,700 mAh for the Galaxy S23 Plus.
The Galaxy S23 Plus lasted just shy of 11.5 hours on our demanding battery test, which is a very impressive time. So if the Galaxy S24 Plus can improve on that result, it should wind up on our best phone battery life list.
Don't expect any change to the 45W wired charging speeds that the Galaxy S23 Plus offered. Regulatory filings in China that reportedly cover the Galaxy S24 Plus show the same 45W support.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus software
Software figures to be the biggest Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus difference, with Samsung making it pretty clear that AI will be a major part of this year's phone updates. Specifically, the phone maker may add generative AI known as Samsung Gauss that will have the ability to summarize documents, translate content in third-party apps and help you compose e-mails. Generative AI could also bolster the Galaxy's photo-editing capabilities. (Think something akin to the Magic Editor that debuted on the Google Pixel 8 phones last fall.)
The Galaxy S24 Plus will reportedly feature Samsung's One UI 6.1 interface built on top of Android 14, and a leaked version of that release included features such as AI generated wallpapers, automatic organization in Samsung notes and live AI translation during calls. Suffice it to say, those are capabilities far beyond what the Galaxy S23 Plus can do.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Plus outlook
Physical differences between the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S23 Plus sound like they'll be few and far between. While it sounds as if the display's getting significant changes, the overall look of the phone and the camera hardware sounds the same year over year. Performance and battery life could vary depending on which chipset winds up powering the Galaxy S24 Plus.
Instead, AI features will be where the Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S23 Plus diverge, with Samsung's newer phone likely to feature some significant new capabilities. Just how significant will determine how different these two phones truly are — and whether it's worth an upgrade from an earlier Samsung device.
