Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus

We’re here to compare two of the latest ‘Plus’ smartphones from the two largest smartphone manufacturers in the world. We’ll compare the Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus. The Galaxy S24+ is technically one of three flagship smartphones Samsung announced last month. The iPhone 15 Plus is a part of Apple’s latest series of smartphones, but it’s not exactly a flagship.

Despite that, however, their price tags are not all that different. Both of these phones are fairly large, by the way. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. Let’s see how these two devices stack up, shall we?

Specs

Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus, respectively

– Screen size:
6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (flat, 120Hz, 2,600 nits max brightness)
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display (60Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
3120 x 1440
2796 x 1290
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy / Samsung Exynos 2400
Apple A16 Bionic
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5X)
6GB
– Storage:
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
128GB/256GB/512GB
– Rear cameras:
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF), 12MP (ultrawide, 120-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 1.4um pixel size), 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, PDAF, 3x optical zoom)
48MP (f/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.4 aperture)
– Front cameras:
12MP (wide, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, 22mm lens)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
– Battery:
4,900mAh
4,383mAh
– Charging:
45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included)
20W wired, 15W wireless (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm
160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm
– Weight:
196/197 grams
201 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner
Advanced facial scanning
– OS:
Android 14 with One UI 6.1
iOS 17
– Price:
$999.99+
$899+
– Buy:
Galaxy S24 series (Samsung)
Apple

Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus: Design

From the design standpoint, they’re both similar and different. Both phones are made out of aluminum and glass, and they’re both also quite flat. They not only include flat displays, but flat backplates, and flat frames all around. Frames on both phones are slightly rounded towards the edges, for comfort’s sake. The in-hand feel is not all that different between them, even though the iPhone 15 Plus is slightly wider. The weight is similar, and so are the shapes overall.

Both of these devices are very slippery, so keep that in mind, as chances are you’ll want to get a case for them. The Galaxy S24+ includes a centered display camera hole on the front. Its bezels are very thin all around, while they’re also uniform. The iPhone 15 Plus, on the other hand, has a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display, and also rather thin bezels, which are uniform. The bezels on the Galaxy S24+ are thinner, though.

You’ll find three cameras on the back of the Galaxy S24+. Those cameras are vertically aligned, and they sit in the top-left corner. The iPhone 15 Plus, on the flip side, has two cameras in the top-left corner, and they have a diagonal layout. Both smartphones do offer an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. They also have a similar curve on their edges, which is another similarity in terms of the general shape. They both do feel nice in the hand, though these are large phones, so do take note of that.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus: Display

The Galaxy S24+ features a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display. That panel is flat, and it has a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This panel supports HDR10+ content, and the brightness goes up to 2,600 nits maximum. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the display itself is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 by Corning. The screen-to-body ratio here is around 91.6%.

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus, on the flip side, has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. This panel is also flat, and it has a resolution of 2796 x 1290. This display can show HDR10 content and also has Dolby Vision support. The refresh rate is 60Hz. The maximum brightness is 2,000 nits, and the display aspect ratio here is 19.5:9. The iPhone 15 Plus’ display is protected by the Ceramic Shield glass.

Both of these panels are quite bright, while they’re also vivid and have good viewing angles. The blacks are also quite deep, and the touch response is good on both of them. The thing is, the Galaxy S24+ has a 120Hz display, and it’s also an LTPO panel. The iPhone 15 Plus is stuck at 60Hz, which is something you’ll notice if you’ve used 120Hz panels, that’s for sure. If you don’t care about the refresh rate, however, both of these displays will serve you really well.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus: Performance

The Galaxy S24+ is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC or Samsung Exynos 2400 chip, depending on the market. These are the most powerful chips from their respective manufacturers. The phone has 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and utilizes UFS 4.0 flash storage. The iPhone 15 Plus, on the flip side, is fueled by the Apple A16 Bionic processor. That was Apple’s most powerful chip, but it’s not anymore. The phone has 6GB of RAM and utilizes NVMe flash storage.

They have fairly different performance-related hardware, but both smartphones do offer great performance. They’re on the same level when it comes to regular, everyday tasks. They both open apps really fast, and the multitasking is also on par between them. That goes for basically anything you can think of… and it even goes for gaming.

Both of these processors are really good in the gaming department. They can run the most demanding games without a problem. Both phones do heat up when you run something like Genshin Impact on them, but neither gets too hot. Also, you won’t really notice any impact on their performance even after a more intense gaming session, which is always good to hear. You really shouldn’t worry about the performance aspect here. Just note that we’ve used the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S24+, not the Exynos model.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus: Battery

Samsung’s handset packs in a 4,900mAh battery on the inside. The iPhone 15 Plus has a 4,383mAh unit. Apple’s iPhones usually have smaller battery packs than their Android counterparts, so take note of that. In regards to battery life, both of these smartphones are outstanding in that area. The iPhone 15 Plus probably has the best battery life out of all the new iPhone models, while the Galaxy S24+ is not far behind that level.

We’ve managed to get over 8 hours of screen-on-time from the Galaxy S24+. The iPhone 15 Plus is capable of upping that to over 9 hours of screen-on-time. Do note that gaming will lower those numbers, and your mileage may also vary, of course. Still, we do use our phones rather intensively during the day, so these two phones can really take some serious usage. Another thing you should note is that both were connected to Wi-Fi most of the time. 5G was used periodically.

Samsung’s handset supports 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 15 Plus, on the flip side, has support for 20W wired, 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging, and also 4.5W reverse wired charging. Neither of these two phones happens to ship with a charger, however, so you’ll have to get your own.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ vs Apple iPhone 15 Plus: Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ has one more camera on the back than the iPhone 15 Plus. It includes a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto unit (3x optical zoom). The iPhone 15 Plus comes with a 48-megapixel main camera, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV).

Having said that, both of these smartphones do offer good performance, but they’re below their more powerful siblings. The images from both smartphones are very detailed during the day, with pleasant colors, and dynamic range. Samsung toned down on the saturation aspect with the Galaxy S24+, compared to its predecessors. The Galaxy S24+ also tends to handle heavy HDR situations better than the iPhone 15 Plus, well, at least in most cases. The iPhone 15 Plus tends to blow out the highlights in some cases.

Both phones have very capable ultrawide cameras which do a good job of keeping the color profiles of the main cameras. The telephoto shots are an easy win for the Galaxy S24+, as the iPhone 15 Plus doesn’t have a telephoto camera at all. In low light, both phones do a good job, though the images tend to look noticeably different. The Galaxy S24+ does tend to brighten up the scene a bit more.

Audio

Yes, both phones do include a set of stereo speakers. Those speakers are good on both sides, though the ones on the Galaxy S24+ are louder. The difference is not huge, but it’s noticeable when you crank up the volume. The distortion is almost non-existent on both devices, though.

Neither phone has an audio jack, but they do offer Type-C ports. You can use those ports to connect your headphones via a wire. If you prefer wireless audio, they both feature Bluetooth 5.3 support.