Samsung has also announced its Galaxy S24 and S24+, the “mainstream” models of the flagship lineup, during its latest Samsung Unpacked event. Unlike the top-of-the-line Galaxy S24 Ultra with an S Pen, the changes may seem little but they are quite significant when you take a close look.
Thinner bezels, bigger screens
The Galaxy S24 and S24+ still retain their candybar smartphone design with rounded corners. It still features a flat aluminium frame for an industrial look and it does feel more premium than last year’s Galaxy S23 series. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as these models compete against the likes of the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus.
According to Samsung, they have made the symmetrical bezels even thinner and as a result, they have managed to increase the screen sizes slightly by 0.1”. The “smallest” Galaxy S24 now gets a 6.2” display while the S24+ is now a 6.7” device. While the base Galaxy S24 uses a Full HD+ display, the S24+ has grown up with a higher Quad HD+ resolution.
Similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, both the Galaxy S24 and S24+ feature adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz and a peak brightness of 2600 nits. However, the duo still retains the same Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 as the predecessor instead of the tougher Gorilla Glass Armor which made its debut on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Exynos 2400 inside
Last year, Samsung equipped the entire Galaxy S23 series with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. This year, however, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is only offered for the Galaxy S24 Ultra in Malaysia. The S24 and S24+ are running on Samsung’s own 4nm Exynos 2400 chip mated to 8GB of RAM for the S24 and 12GB of RAM for the Plus model. Both devices are offered in either 256GB or 512GB of storage. However, if you secure your Galaxy S24/S24+ during the pre-order period, Samsung Malaysia is currently offering a free double storage upgrade.
Another welcomed upgrade besides the slightly bigger display is the battery capacity. The Galaxy S24 now gets a 4,000mAh battery while the S24+ gets a bump to 4,900mAh.
Similar cameras enhanced by Galaxy AI trickery
In the camera department, Samsung hasn’t made any hardware changes at least from what we can see on paper. The rear still features a triple-camera setup with individual protruding lenses. Both the Galaxy S24 and S24+ come with a 50MP f/1.8 main camera, a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle shooter. Also unchanged is its 12MP selfie camera.
What’s new is Samsung’s host of Galaxy AI enhancements which include the insane object eraser feature that uses generative AI. You also get the same AI-assisted photo enhancement tool which helps to suggest fixes such as removing shadows and reflections from your images.
The two lower S24 models also get other nifty Galaxy AI features similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. This includes the useful real-time two-way translation for voice calls and text messages which are processed on the device. It is also worth noting that the Galaxy AI enhancements for photos are done via the cloud, so you’ll need to have a fast WiFi or 5G connection for the best experience.
Galaxy S24+ is close to an Ultra without an S Pen
With the latest updates, it does seem that the Galaxy S24+ is no longer just the middle child of the lineup. Considering the larger Quad HD+ display and bigger battery, this could be the closest thing yet to a Galaxy S Ultra without the S Pen. Yes, the battery is slightly smaller by 100mAh but it still supports 45W fast wired charging.
The only notable items that separate it from the Ultra are the use of an Exynos 2400 chip and a watered-down camera setup. For power users, the Exynos chip hasn’t gotten a good rep especially after Samsung skipped the Exynos 2300 entirely for the entire Galaxy S23 range. It would be interesting to see if there’s a significant performance and power efficiency gap between the two 4nm chips from Qualcomm and Exynos.
Also not forgetting is Samsung’s commitment to provide 7 generations of Android updates as well as 7 years of security patches starting with the S24 series. This means you can pick up a brand new Galaxy S24 today and rest assured that it will be continuously be updated with the latest Android version and security fixes beyond 2030.
Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+ Malaysian pricing and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S24 series including the S24 and S24+ are now available for pre-order in Malaysia. The Galaxy S24 is priced from RM4,099 while the S24+ is priced from RM4,899. As part of the pre-order promo, Samsung Malaysia is offering a free double storage upgrade, RM500 eVoucher, extra trade-in promo and PWP deals.
