Samsung Galaxy S24

GSMTechTok analysis

Who it's for

The Galaxy S24 is, at this point in its life, best understood as a genuinely smart discounted-flagship purchase rather than a current-generation buy — Crack The Cable's 2026 buying guide is direct that it remains one of the most interesting compact Android flagships to consider, specifically because it gives a premium Samsung experience in a much easier one-handed size than the larger Ultra models. It suits buyers who specifically prioritize a smaller form factor over maximum zoom or S Pen functionality, since Crack The Cable's own recommendation is that anyone who wants the biggest screen, S Pen, and maximum zoom should look at the Galaxy S25 Ultra instead. It's a strong fit for US buyers specifically chasing a discount, since Ad-Hoc-News' 2026 coverage found substantial trade-in credits and carrier bill credits now regularly drop the effective price well below the original flagship positioning. It's a weaker fit for anyone specifically comparing it against current mid-range alternatives on pure spec sheet, since SlashGear's 2026 analysis found newer budget phones like the Google Pixel 10a now match or exceed the base S24's camera resolution and battery capacity at a lower price.

Standout features

Software longevity remains the single biggest reason this phone still makes sense years after launch — Back Market's 2026 review confirms the full 7-year OS and security update commitment holds regardless of purchase date, a genuinely industry-leading policy matched by very few rivals even now. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, still widely regarded as one of the best Android processors of 2024, per Yahoo Tech's 2026 coverage, continues to deliver admirable real-world performance for everyday use, and remains capable of demanding 3D games like Genshin Impact according to SlashGear's testing, with limitations only showing up in the most complex video-editing or benchmark-chasing workloads. Ad-Hoc-News' 2026 review found the bright 120Hz display and on-device Galaxy AI features genuinely still hold up well against many newer mid-range phones, not just older flagships, and the compact form factor remains a real, still-relevant differentiator given how few genuinely small flagships any brand still makes.

Trade-offs

The base S24 specifically, as distinct from the Plus and Ultra tiers, has a real, disclosed gap that's grown since launch — SlashGear's 2026 comparison found the Google Pixel 10a, a genuinely budget-tier phone, now offers a larger 5,100mAh battery against the S24's 4,000mAh cell and a comparable-or-better main camera resolution, at a meaningfully lower price than the S24 typically commands even discounted. BGR's 2026 analysis is specific about a real internal-spec gap too: the base S24 ships with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard, while Samsung's current S26 lineup starts at 12GB and 256GB — a real difference for long-term multitasking and on-device AI headroom that a buyer should weigh against the price savings. Yahoo Tech's own comparison notes the S24 Ultra specifically has aged better than the base and Plus models within its own generation, since it retains the last Bluetooth-enabled S Pen before Samsung removed that capability from later Ultra models — meaning within the S24 family itself, the base model is the weakest long-term hold. And as with any two-plus-year-old flagship, buyers purchasing new rather than certified refurbished should specifically verify remaining warranty coverage and battery health before paying full remaining retail price.