Samsung’s supersonic jump into the world of AI with its latest Galaxy S24 series has been impressive and showcases the future of smartphones — more software muscle to offer a meaningful experience. We have already reviewed the most powerful member in the series, Galaxy S24 Ultra, so it makes sense to look at the youngest number — Galaxy S24.

The Galaxy S24 is best suited for anyone who loves smaller phones, as these are easy to use one-handed. But size doesn’t compromise what you can do with the device, which makes it the best flagship for most people to buy.

Practical design

This is the smallest phone in the lineup but that doesn’t necessarily make it a small phone. The 6.2-inch display is, in fact, 0.1 inch larger than last year’s display and it’s not as small as an iPhone Mini. Compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra (6.8-inch display) and Galaxy S24+ (6.7-inch display) this is small. It’s far more manageable for anybody who has small hands or wears jeans or trousers that don’t have a big pocket. You can also choose this phone because it weighs less than the S24 Ultra.

One of the AI features is being tested out on the Galaxy S24

There’s a lot to like about the design of the phone, especially the flat display. Further, the Galaxy S24 doesn’t look like a cheap version of the Ultra or the S24+. Equally important is the flat edge that offers a nice grip.

If it’s so good then why is it cheaper than the Galaxy S24 Ultra? First, there’s no S Pen here, something many users may not want on their phones. Second, the display you get on this is FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X compared to QHD+ on the bigger phones in the series.

For most people, FHD+ display works well, especially when one considers the size of the display. You’re still getting 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate and you’re still getting an AMOLED 2X display. Overall, this is a high-quality, vibrant panel.

Moving to the back of the phone, the design is simple and functional. There are three cameras on the back — 12MP ultra-wide, 50MP primary and 10MP 3x telephoto lens. Most improvements in the camera department have to do with image processing, thanks to the new chip.

Smart AI processing power

What makes Galaxy S24 a better choice over other Android phones? Software. There are plenty of AI features.

First, Circle to Search. If you’re using the camera or a picture from your gallery, you can circle whatever you want to search for and voila. It’s particularly helpful if you are, say, identifying plants and fruits. Maybe you’re at a market and you don’t know what a specific fruit is; you can take a picture, circle it and identify the fruit. Or if somebody’s wearing a pair of cool sneakers, you can take a picture of it, circle them and the phone will identify the object. Not enough? You come across a cute cat (all cats are cute!) and want to identify the breed, go ahead and circle the meow-meow in the picture. It’s a lot like Google Lens but the feature is friendlier on the Galaxy S24 series.

Photographs taken on the Galaxy S24 offer colours that are not over the top and there is good white balance as well as details, especially those hiding within shadows

The second AI feature involves messaging. The Writing Assist feature is becoming a habit. Usually, I keep my messages friendly but there are times when one has to sound formal. I can tap on the little AI button that you’ll see throughout the interface and it gives you a few options, like translate, check spelling and grammar, and messaging tone and style. You can easily turn your regular message into something more formal or friendly. In the few weeks of usage, it has mostly been good but not flawless. Samsung can keep pushing software updates to take care of the chinks in the AI armour.

The next feature involves translation and you can translate between languages and and voice recordings. For example, in the Voice Recorder app you can automatically transcribe everything. The recording will automatically get marked “speaker one”, “speaker two” and so on. You can even translate the language. The only catch is that you have to record the conversation on a Samsung Galaxy device.

The feature has a place even in Samsung Notes. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap on the AI button to get all the options. In Notes, I found the summerise feature helpful. When you have a long note and need to send your team a summary of the report/note, AI can help. The same goes for summarising a long transcription of a voice chat.

More AI chops mean less on the hardware side? Not at all. There is fluid performance, aided by Exynos 2400 for Galaxy (deca-core) and it matches the performance of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Every task feels snappy and playing a complicated game like Genshin Impact at max graphical settings for an extended period of time went well. Sure, the phone becomes slightly warm to the touch after extended play but it’s nothing unnatural. You get improved ray tracing for games and a powerful NPU for advanced AI-based tasks. In benchmarks, graphics tests get flagship-grade performance.

(Left to right) Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra on display in San Jose, California, in January

Battery life too is quite good. I am easily getting more than a day on the device, even with heavy usage involving video recording. If The 5,000-mAh cell in the S24 Ultra left me with 36 per cent after six hours of screen-on time, the S24 (with 4,000 mAh battery) had 19 per cent remaining. It all depends on how you use the phone.

Tied to performance is the camera setup. The S24 Ultra has an extra 5X optical zoom camera but I can definitely manage with the 3X zoom on the Galaxy S24.

The 3x zoom appears to be sharper on the S24 series over its predecessors and it has one of the best selfie cameras on a smartphone.

The main camera offers better processing than on the Galaxy S23. You get vibrant colours that are not over the top and there is a wide dynamic range. The S24 supports night mode and it’s more balanced and less extreme than what we’ve seen on some other Android phones.

The ultra-wide camera offers improvements compared to the S23. The shots are generally sharper with improved noise performance, also the skies are more natural looking now at night.

Videos too come out excellent. You can shoot UHD@60fps on the selfie camera while 8K is possible on the rear. All this comes with top-notch video stabilization.

Everything ultimately circles back to AI and generative AI edits is an important part of the software offering.

Should you buy it?

You can shoot UHD@60fps on the selfie camera while 8K is possible on the rear

There is no doubt that AI will have a big role to play in the future of smartphones. Samsung has taken a calculated leap and is offering seven years of OS upgrades, which is a big promise and it also means you can hold on to your phone longer, like the iPhone. What remains to be seen is how far can the chipset support a long-term OS plan. Samsung has made a smart move by marrying the best hardware in Android to AI smarts. Galaxy S24 offers a taste of the future

At a glance

Device: Samsung Galaxy S24

Price: Upwards of Rs 79,999

High notes

Seven years of OS upgrades

Excellent bunch of AI chops

Flat screen

Good processing power

Longer battery life

Circle To Search

Muffled notes

Access to some AI features can be made easier

Ultra-wide camera has room for improvement