We hope that comparing the Galaxy S24 to the Galaxy S23 will give users who are considering upgrading to a top-notch Samsung phone a good idea of whether they should buy a phone now or hold off on spending a fortune.

Key features of the Samsung Galaxy S24, including an AI-focused feature set and display upgrades, have already been thoroughly leaked, and we think we've got a good idea of what the new phone's strengths will be. However, these strengths probably won't be the selling point of the new phone, and the noted lack of upgrades in other areas won't appeal to you.

In that case, the Galaxy S23 is a good phone, with strong pictures, battery, and display, and is an easy purchase at this very moment. When the Galaxy S24 arrives, the S23 will likely share some of the new phone's features, but the price is obviously lower, so it may still be the right choice for some users.

Below we pool what we know about the Galaxy S23 with what we have heard about the Galaxy S24 to see what similarities and contrasts we can find. We will update this page with any new findings. Of course, check back soon, as we will be doing a major revamp of the S24 series once we are done reviewing it.

Rumor has it that the Galaxy S24 may make an appearance at an event in California in January 2024, possibly on the 17th. If that rumor turns out to be bogus, as we have in the past, we expect to see the new Galaxy by at least February; the appearance of the S24's regulatory listing is certainly an indication that the phone is almost ready to ship.

Back to the present, the Galaxy S23 has been on sale since February 2023, starting at $799. While we hope Samsung does not make the Galaxy S24 more expensive, the S23 series has seen price increases outside the U.S., and the chances of avoiding a price increase for another year seem limited. Price may ultimately be the deciding factor, especially considering that there are deals where the Galaxy S23 can be had for practically free.

The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S23 appear to have the same basic design, with a flat display, rounded sides, and three cameras embedded separately on the back. Good for brand consistency, but not so good for distinguishing these phones at a distance.

However, some changes are rumored: the side rails on the S24 series may be changed from aluminum to titanium, but this may only apply to the Ultra model, not the Basic or Plus models. Speaking of which, the Galaxy S24 Plus model may be slightly larger than the S23 Plus at 6.65 inches instead of 6.6 inches.

At the very least, the available colors will help separate the Galaxy S24 from the Galaxy S23; the S24 is said to have four color options: black, gray, violet, and yellow; the S23's basic colors are green, black, cream, and lavender.

We expect the Galaxy S24 to have significant changes to its display, making it even better than the S23. One of the improvements will be an LTPO display, similar to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which will dynamically lower the screen refresh rate to improve power efficiency while still maintaining a smooth 120 Hz when needed.

Brightness is another area where Samsung apparently plans to upgrade. One source claims that the Galaxy S24 Plus could have a 2,500-nit display, a big leap from the S23, which was rated at 1,750 nits by Samsung (though it peaked at 1,448 nits in independent testing).

Additionally, the Galaxy S24 has narrower bezels around the screen, which may provide users with a more usable display, even if it remains the same size as the S23.

We are told that the S24 will have the same 50MP main camera as the Galaxy S23 and the same 12MP selfie camera, so upgrading photography was not a priority for Samsung when making the Galaxy S24. There may be an upgrade to the 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera and the 10MP 3x telephoto camera, but I have a feeling that Samsung will not include these sensors and that any interesting changes will be reserved for the Ultra.

Not that there are no camera differences between the two models. Samsung may bring some camera processing changes to the S24 series, which would give it an advantage over the S23, even if it has almost or exactly the same hardware as the S23.

Despite the lack of hardware upgrades to the camera, it is very possible that Samsung is leaning on artificial intelligence to enhance the camera experience in the Galaxy S24. The company has already teased a generative AI model called Samsung Gauss that could take the Galaxy S24's photo and editing capabilities to the next level.

The heart of the Galaxy S24 series should be a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, or Exynos 2400 depending on the region. All models may also have a generous 256GB of default storage, rather than 128GB on the basic model and 256GB on the Plus and Ultra, as seen in the S23 series.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip in the Galaxy S23 is focused on power, thanks to Samsung obtaining custom versions of the regular Gen 2 silicon with higher clock speed and power for S23 units worldwide. The rumored return to the split between Snapdragon and Exynos chips could mean differences in CPU, GPU or NPU power between regions, making the S24 purchase decision more tricky for users seeking the best performance.

The S24 may be tuned for AI-related applications rather than raw computing power, and Samsung's new Gaussian-generated AI model will likely be a feature to watch. It will be interesting to see how Samsung makes use of this, but it could also reference Google and the Pixel 8 series for inspiration, as one would expect Samsung to have done.

Recent leaks related to the upcoming One UI 6.1 have provided some details about possible AI features for the Galaxy S24. These include fully AI-generated wallpaper based on a few selected phrases, seamless photo editing and border expansion, in-call translation, and the ability to organize notes into bullet points.

Both the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus had smaller-than-average battery capacity, but still showed surprising performance in our custom battery tests, beating out Apple and Google competitors. The Galaxy S24 series is said to use a stacked battery design, meaning more milliamp hours in the same space, and we expect it to offer even higher performance.

Annoyingly, the Galaxy S24 may only offer 25W wired charging in the basic model. It would be nice if Samsung would introduce the 45W standard already used in the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra into the basic S24 model for the sake of simplicity and convenience.

It is still a little too early to draw meaningful conclusions, but the major advantages of the Galaxy S24 over the S23 seem to be display quality, battery life, and possible performance and AI capabilities. All of which could be good reasons to hold out for a new model launch instead of buying a phone today.

With no obvious changes to the camera or design, the S24 may not be worth trading in the S23 for. But even if you're coming from an older phone, there may be no better reason to go for the older S23 than the new S24, unless you find a particularly attractive price for Samsung's outgoing flagship phone.