Samsung is the biggest producer of Android phones in the world so speculation around its next projects is always ongoing. With the iPhone 15 now out and laying down an impressive gauntlet, it's time to see what Samsung has to offer.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the best Android phones out there so it's with a great sense of excitement that we look forward to the S24 range. We've had the release of the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip (and its mighty hinge) earlier this year, but it is the non-folding phones that we expect to hear from next.
Release date & price
Much as September belongs to Apple, February belongs to Samsung. We would be very surprised, nay, stunned if we don't see the high-end Galaxy S24 Ultra and the standard S24 model revealed in February. There are however some rumours that Samsung could go even earlier and launch in January.
As for how much the S24 will cost you, the S23 Ultra launched at £1,249/$/1,199/AU$1,949 for the 256GB edition while the base model cost £849/$799/AU$1,349. Hopefully that will at least stay the same for the S24 but right now prices for everything are only heading in one direction, up. The iPhone however managed to admirably avoid a price hike (while the Pixel 8 did not) so there will be pressure on Samsung to do the same.
Samsung did offer a nice upgrade with the S23 where if you purchased it early enough you could double your storage for free so hopefully we could see the return of that offer.
Design
We're still a ways away from February 2024 so information on the design of the S24 is limited but we have had a few interesting rumours.
One that sounds particularly exciting if true is that the S24 Ultra may use a titanium frame, mirroring the Pro models of the iPhone 15. Titanium is incredibly tough but also light (and expensive), which would be both a great durability upgrade and an easier fit in the pockets. There's been no word on if the S24 Plus or standard S24 would also have such a facelift.
That brings me to another topic. The S24 Plus. This bumper-sized phone had been rumoured to be disappearing but it seems like that is no longer the case with it set to offer a middle ground between the S24 and S24 Ultra. Pockets everywhere should watch out.
As for colours, the S23 range came with four options Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender (if you don't count the 'secret' colours available direct from Samsung). Rumoured colours for the S24 collection sound like a refreshing break from the drab greys and muted hues of most phones with yellow and violet among the options.
Specs
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a flagship phone that comes with flagship specs, so we expect the same for its successor. The S23 Ultra uses a mighty custom-tuned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor while the other models utilise a standard 8 Gen 2. There has however been a rather strange development in the potential specs of the S24.
We now know that the S24 series will be powered by a combination of chips. Some regions will be treated to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 setup while others will get Exyonos 2400-powered phones. There is a perception among many that Samsung's processors are a poor relation but those after a flagship will be reassured that the Ultra model will exclusively come with Snapdragon processors.
Other spec differences suggest an improved battery capacity for the Ultra and Plus models as well as a bumped-up 144Hz refresh rate on the S24 Ultra. Renowned leaked Ice Universe however was the bearer of bad news claiming that there would be no improvements on the S23 Ultra's (admittedly excellent) 200MP camera setup. Perhaps though this doesn't rule out the base model getting an upgrade to come closer to the more expensive editions.
Of course, with release so far away, there are conflicting rumours, with another tipster believing that we might actually see the telephoto lens jump from 12MP to 50MP albeit with just a 120HZ refresh rate display.
Ice has also spread good news however, claiming that the phone's display will be receiving a boost with it now reaching up to 2000 nits peak brightness. Speaking of the display, it seems like it will be the same across all three different models, more good news.
In other news, we expect to see a new S-Pen and much like the Google Pixel 8, we are anticipating a heavy focus on AI features. Samsung has also shown off a few very cool camera tricks that look like they're near certain to arrive on the S24 Ultra.
