The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the ultimate flatscreen smartphone at a very high price.
samsung galaxy
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We’re only considering the Galaxy S and Z models here. Because if you include less premium phones, Samsung has more phones than Apple and Google combined. The S24 is smaller, more powerful, and less expensive than the Pixel 9 Pro in most respects. The S24+ is similar, but larger and has a much larger battery. The more recent S24 FE, on the other hand, is similar to the 24+, but lets you save a few bucks by replacing cheaper parts like the display and camera.
On the Z side, this has been a year of iterations for Samsung with both the Fold and Flip feeling very familiar. Both are great foldable smartphones, but the company no longer dominates either form factor, and in 2024 there wasn’t much of a wow factor to differentiate them.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, is essentially the epitome of the wow factor. Everything about it is so over-the-top and extravagant that it’s hard to recommend it to anyone at a starting price of $2,200, but if you’re looking for top specs, the extra tech actually makes for the ultimate smartphone experience.
The huge 6.8-inch screen has an extremely high resolution, delivering category-beating clarity at over 500 pixels per inch. Also, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside is very good when it comes to graphics and multitasking. The four-lens rear camera setup allows for high-quality zoom from 1x to 10x, and the battery lasts longer and charges faster than other phones from leading manufacturers. Additionally, the Ultra comes with a unique S Pen stylus. It is useful for taking notes and as a remote camera shutter.
The iPhone 16 Plus can do almost everything the Pro can do, and looks like it can do it better.
apple iphone
As usual, Apple has actually only released two iPhones this year, each available in a medium or large size, but the big change is that this year there are technically four different sizes to consider. That’s true. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus maintain the standard iPhone sizes of 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, while the Pro models are now 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches. Personally, the ideal size for a phone would be somewhere between these two Pro models. Regular iPhones feel small, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max reaches into too-large territory.
Size aside, this year’s Standard and Pro models are pretty similar, with the main differences being an additional camera lens and slightly more processing power on the Pro, and arguably the Standard’s better paint job. It’s about being there. All are very powerful and come with both useful action buttons and perhaps less useful camera control zones. The standard model is still denied fast screen updates and always-on displays, which is a bit embarrassing considering these are still priced as high-end phones, but from new photo styles to the upcoming Apple Intelligence, the standard More or less possible. It does everything a professional model can do.
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That’s why I have to name the iPhone 16 Plus as the overall best choice for this year’s lineup. It looks incredibly beautiful in pink or teal and takes great photos if you can live without an optical zoom. It’s more or less the ideal size for a smartphone, and at $1,600 it beats out many other devices in its price range thanks to the latest A18. Chip.
The iPhone 16 Plus’s battery life is better than other 2024 Apple smartphones, which helps push the envelope considering the 16 Pro isn’t much smaller and only costs $200 more. Apple’s new primary camera this year also takes very decent 2x zoom photos, but you won’t get the crisp 5x you get with the Pro.
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