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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
Greatest Android telephones in 2024
Available in the market for a brand new cellphone? Get the very best Android expertise with these flagship telephones
Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.
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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
Greatest Android telephones in 2024
Available in the market for a brand new cellphone? Get the very best Android expertise with these flagship telephones
Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.
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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
Greatest Android telephones in 2024
Available in the market for a brand new cellphone? Get the very best Android expertise with these flagship telephones
Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.
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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
Greatest Android telephones in 2024
Available in the market for a brand new cellphone? Get the very best Android expertise with these flagship telephones
Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.
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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
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Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.
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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
Greatest Android telephones in 2024
Available in the market for a brand new cellphone? Get the very best Android expertise with these flagship telephones
Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.
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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
Greatest Android telephones in 2024
Available in the market for a brand new cellphone? Get the very best Android expertise with these flagship telephones
Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.
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OnePlus 12
No AI, no drawback
In a world the place the most well-liked manufacturers have normalized costs properly above $1,000, the OnePlus 12’s $800 sticker worth would possibly go away you considering it makes compromises. It doesn’t. The system boasts the identical unimaginable efficiency, show high quality, battery life, and digital camera skills we would anticipate from the very best available on the market.
Execs- Wonderful, vivid show
- Trade-leading battery and charging
- Nice Hasselblad-backed cameras
Cons- Minor fingerprint reader annoyance
- OxygenOS has a studying curve
- Not out there on provider offers
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Software program-focused flagship
$1150 $1300 Save $150
Samsung did not make enormous adjustments to the S24 Extremely during the last technology however refined a few of its finest options to face out much more. Its lastly flat show managed to get even higher, the good battery grew to become incredible, and the cameras just a little extra succesful. However for those who’re not into novel AI instruments, the price is difficult to swallow.
Execs- Extra crisp, colourful display screen than ever
- Prime-notch efficiency and effectivity
- The promise of evolving AI options
Cons- Unchanged, considerably bland design
- Cameras nonetheless have bother with movement
- Eye-wateringly excessive worth
The Samsung S24 Extremely, just like the S23 Extremely earlier than it, is without doubt one of the strongest, user-friendly, handsome telephones available on the market. However, in some ways, it is a bit an excessive amount of just like the S23 Extremely. It does sport some welcome enhancements, like flat display screen and edge designs, increased brightness, and by some means even higher battery life, but it surely’s removed from a revolutionary replace.
In distinction, the OnePlus 12 constructed on the good design of final yr’s OnePlus 11, however pumped up the depth of its {hardware}, show, and cameras, leapfrogging virtually each different cellphone available on the market. One of many few producers to not fall prey to the more and more overarching shadow of AI, OnePlus targeted its efforts on making a no-nonsense, industry-leading flagship, and in most methods, it succeeded.
Greatest Android telephones in 2024
Available in the market for a brand new cellphone? Get the very best Android expertise with these flagship telephones
Worth, specs, and availability
Samsung and OnePlus’s top-of-the-line smartphones each launched in early 2024. Each prime flagships added $100 to final yr’s sticker worth, however the results of that improve is way totally different. The OnePlus 12’s MSRP now begins at $800 (comparatively widespread for flagships), with an additional $100 doubling the storage and growing the RAM. And when shopping for from the OnePlus web site, you’ll be able to commerce in actually any cellphone in any situation to get a $100 recycling low cost.
Samsung, alternatively, fees a whopping $1,300 at minimal, and a further $120 and $360 for the second and third storage tiers. For a non-folding cellphone, that is not widespread. It does have a tendency to supply extra beneficiant trade-in bonuses although.
Neither firm has devoted shops within the US, however each are available on-line and at main brick-and-mortar shops like Greatest Purchase. Samsung does, nevertheless, work with the 4 largest US carriers, to allow them to work inside your present contract or signal you up for a brand new one to get a reduction or month-to-month cost plan. OnePlus has no such tie-ins, though it provides a trade-in program by means of the web site, and locations like Greatest Purchase additionally provide their very own.
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OnePlus 12 Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Show sort LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1-120Hz Show dimensions 6.82″, 19.8:9 6.8″, 19.3:9 Show decision 3168 x 1440 3088 × 1440 RAM 12GB or 16GB 12GB Storage 256GB or 512GB 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,400mAh 5,000mAh Cost velocity 80W wired (100W worldwide), 50W wi-fi 45W wired, 15W wi-fi Cost choices USB-C SuperVOOC wired, AirVOOC wi-fi, reverse charging Wired, wi-fi, reverse charging Ports USB-C USB-C Working System Android 14 with OxygenOS 14 Android 14 with One UI 6.1 Entrance digital camera 32MP, f/2.4 12MP, f/2.2 Rear digital camera 50MP, f/1.6, OIS primary; 48MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 64MP, f/2.6, OIS, 3x telephoto 200MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP 3x telephoto; 50MP, f/3.4 5x telephoto Mobile connectivity Sub-6 5G, LTE mmWave & sub-6 5G, LTE Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity IR blaster, NFC UWB, NFC Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.3 Dimensions 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm Weight 220g 233g IP Ranking IP65 IP68 Colours Flowy Emerald, Silky Black Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Stylus No S Pen included Worth From $800 From $1,300
OnePlus 12 evaluate: All flagship, no AI
This cellphone leaves nothing on the desk, making for a very full package deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate: Nonetheless the very best, except you’re taking photographs
With none significant adjustments, Samsung’s newest phablet looks like a do-over for final yr’s smartphone
Design
A featureless monolith and a terrific, large circle
It looks like Samsung’s spent the previous couple of years refining away all of its telephones’ noteworthy visible options till they’re only one pristine, barely shiny block. With none main visible cues left to take away this yr, it went even blockier and fully flattened the edges and display screen.
That is not a criticism. The sharper edges make it really feel higher in hand, and the mirror-flat entrance works higher with contact and stylus enter. However the one actually fascinating factor in regards to the S24 Extremely’s appears to be like is the variety of colours it is available in. The delicate, titanium-hued inexperienced, blue, orange, violet, yellow, black, and silver nearly look extra like jewellery than an digital system.
OnePlus provides far fewer colours — black, and a pleasant inexperienced marbling known as Flowy Emerald — but it surely sports activities a putting look that stands out amongst flagships. On the higher left facet of the 12’s again sits an unmistakable bump that homes the Hasselblad digital camera lenses, an iconic design factor first seen on the OnePlus 11. Whereas the OnePlus 12 does additionally look nearly precisely like its predecessor, it nonetheless appears to be like fairly eye-catching.
Samsung does superceede OnePlus barely from a bodily design standpoint. The S24 Extremely’s Gorilla Glass Armor strikes a steadiness of sturdiness and scratch resistance we have not but seen, marginally outperforming the Victus 2 discovered on the OnePlus 12. Samsung additionally shot for an IP68 score, whereas OnePlus solely eked out IP65 safety.
Show
How vivid is simply too vivid?
We have reached some extent in high-end smartphone shows the place numbers like share of colour gamut protection and colour variance delta-E do not imply a lot in real-world use. Each smartphones produce colours, deal with movement, and resist ghosting and artifacts so properly that it is tough to base comparisons on arduous numbers.
For instance, the OnePlus boasts a borderline-unbelievable 4,500-nit peak brightness, however you will not ever really see that type of shine in common use. OnePlus probably measured the utmost attainable output of a single pixel whereas the remainder of the panel was at a low energy stage, a state of affairs you will not encounter in actual life. With that stated, the OnePlus does get brighter, however you will want to show off computerized brightness to get essentially the most out of it. With the OS managing brightness by itself, the Galaxy tends to be simpler to see, however not by an enormous quantity.
Qualitatively, although, there are some clear variations between the screens. Most notably, the OnePlus 12’s rounded corners look, properly, like quite a lot of cellphone show designs we’re used to seeing. The S24 Extremely’s unusual 90-degree corners stand out and improve the efficient display screen house. Samsung’s entry undoubtedly appears to be like cleaner, though the OnePlus appears to be like incredible.
The aforementioned Gorilla Glass Armor is one other large distinction that defies measurement. Not simply formulated for sturdiness, it is also engineered to withstand glare in any respect angles with out noticeably affecting picture high quality. It is one of many S24 Extremely’s largest benefits, and no different telephones use it but.
However the OnePlus nonetheless has some methods up its sleeve. Its panel helps not simply HDR and Professional XDR (primarily a souped-up model of HDR for viewing photographs), but additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in contrast to the Samsung. Aqua Contact is one other novel OnePlus characteristic; it makes the touchscreen extra constantly responsive when there’s extra moisture in your fingers or the display screen. That one’s arduous to quantify, however we observed a distinction in side-by-side testing with the OnePlus 11.
Software program
The most important distinction
Samsung’s OneUI Android pores and skin will get a ton of reward for its intuitive design and excessive diploma of customizability. It is probably not universally liked — nothing is — however specialists and informal customers alike broadly regard it as the very best Android implementation as we speak. It provides a few of the only multitasking instruments, together with Samsung Dex, which might primarily flip your cellphone right into a tiny desktop PC.
For essentially the most in-depth use instances, the inclusion of Samsung’s vaunted S Pen and its in-body storage cannot be ignored. When you’re planning on taking notes or in any other case utilizing a stylus to govern your smartphone, the S24 Extremely’s the one selection. The OnePlus 12 would not even help the corporate’s personal pen.
However arguably the largest gulf in software program design comes within the type of machine studying instruments, which everyone’s simply determined to name AI options. Samsung leaned into Galaxy AI arduous in the course of the Unpacked occasion when it introduced the S24 household, pitching it as the brand new fashions’ most essential improve, and principally the tech of the longer term.
Constructed on Google’s Gemini Professional and Imagen 2 AI fashions, Galaxy AI provides novel options that the vanilla Google Assistant cannot fairly deal with. This consists of neat stuff like eradicating shadows, reflections, and even whole objects from photographs. It may transcribe audio recordings, and make fast summaries of huge notice units. It even allows reside translation of calls, messages, and in-person conversations, good for worldwide professionals and vacationers.
The OnePlus 12 provides no such AI options. As a substitute, it employs the OxygenOS pores and skin, which deviates from inventory Android greater than just a bit. Not at all cumbersome or complicated, it has a little bit of a studying curve if you have not used a OnePlus cellphone in the previous couple of years. Regardless of a couple of minor quirks, although, it really works nice when you get to understand it, and may see continued refinement.
Android replace lifespans
Considerably famously, Samsung adopted Google’s lead this yr and now guarantees seven years of full Android updates and safety patches for its high-end gadgets. Battery degradation however, there’s little doubt the S24 Extremely will nonetheless carry out properly a number of years down the highway.
OnePlus, sadly, hasn’t adopted swimsuit. Whereas it undoubtedly has the {hardware} to last more, it is going to solely see 4 Android updates after which one additional yr of safety patches. For that matter, OnePlus itself really derided the idea of a seven-year replace lifespan, evaluating it to a moldy sandwich — so do not maintain any hope that it will change its thoughts in a couple of years and provide extra software program.
Efficiency
Laborious to inform aside
The 2 telephones embrace extraordinarily comparable internals. They use the identical bodily Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which boasts a marginal efficiency improve and notable effectivity improve to the Gen 2. They do use totally different variants, although. The Samsung’s Cortex-X4 core will get a minor, 100MHz overclock on the expense of 100MHz for every of the opposite seven cores. That is presumably to accommodate the AI options that take just a little extra processing energy than your common smartphone activity.
In day-to-day utilization, although, you will discover no distinction. Each telephones are blazing quick and capable of deal with essentially the most resource-intensive duties an app can throw at them. When you prefer to get so much carried out directly in your cellphone, although, the upper-tier OnePlus and its 16GB of RAM might entice you. OnePlus additionally added a brand new SoC administration engine known as CPU-Vitalization, which claims to steadiness energy and efficiency to ship extra uncooked velocity while you want it, and higher effectivity when you do not.
Supply: JerryRigEverything/YouTube
OnePlus additionally employs superior thermal administration known as the Twin Cryo-velocity Cooling System, which includes a sizable vapor chamber that minimizes the prospect of throttling. Altogether, the 12’s incredible {hardware} and its novel implementation can, theoretically, push it a notch above the Samsung when it comes to efficiency. The typical person may not discover, but when absolute breakneck velocity is a precedence, the OnePlus 12 has you lined to a greater extent than the S24 Extremely.
However from a extra useful standpoint, we do have a few gripes with the OnePlus. The small one is that the fingerprint reader would not carry out in addition to it might; it periodically took a number of tries and lagged unlocking the cellphone. The dearth of 5G mmWave connectivity is a barely bigger challenge, and means it will not have entry to the very best over-the-air knowledge speeds and latency. That is probably not a deal-breaker, but it surely is a crucial level for some customers.
Battery life
Would you like nice, or unimaginable?
Each make the most of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s capability to sip energy, delivering spectacular, all-day battery life, even with heavy use. In actual fact, most customers might in all probability stretch them each to over two days of use with out requiring a recharge — though we would not suggest that, as a result of discharging your battery beneath about 40% begins to encourage degradation. Nonetheless, there’s one clear winner.
Based mostly on a pure video playback take a look at, the Samsung really lasts a few hours longer (about 28.5 hours to the OnePlus’s 26), probably as a result of OnePlus’s increased brightness. However taking normal use under consideration — 4G and 5G radios, Wi-Fi connections, app switching, inputs and haptics, and geo-location pinging — the OnePlus 12 edges out the S24 Extremely constantly.
Neither’s getting massively blown out, in fact, and each final lengthy sufficient to say a few of the finest battery life available on the market. However that is not the entire story.
A story of two charging speeds
We are inclined to rag on the Galaxy Extremely’s 45W max charging fee. Not as a result of it is unusably sluggish, however as a result of that is the very best, costliest Samsung has to supply, and we expect it will probably do higher. Certain, it could not want blazing-fast refueling speeds, partly as a result of it would not want topping off in the course of the day. But when we shell out $1,300 or extra for a cellphone, we expect it ought to have a few of the finest high-end options.
On the very least, it ought to enhance upon its two-year-prior predecessor, or possibly even embrace the requisite specialty charger within the field. Samsung’s newest top-dollar cellphone does neither. What’s worse, the cable included within the S24 Extremely’s field would not even help the amperage required to accommodate the total 45W peak. That is borderline shameful.
Questionable producer choices apart, half-hour on a typical 25W charger can take the S24 Extremely from empty to only over 50%. A 45W PPS charger strikes that determine to nearly 70%. From zero to 100%, 25W and 45W charging take about 1:05 and 1:15, respectively. The small distinction comes from the truth that Samsung’s charging algorithm slows considerably because it passes roughly 80%, to protect battery longevity. The 45W PPS know-how, subsequently, is extra helpful for fast top-ups when the battery is low.
OnePlus does just about every thing in a different way. It consists of the required SuperVOOC charger and cable wanted to succeed in the cellphone’s peak charging fee, which is restricted to 80W (as an alternative of the worldwide 100W) merely attributable to US electrical infrastructure. OnePlus additionally would not fiddle with slowing down the cost fee routinely, so you will see the battery refill at a comparatively fixed fee. A fast, 15-minute spot on the charger takes it from empty to almost 50%, with a full tank at simply over the 30-minute mark.
That is not simply spectacular, it is the very best available on the market, and slays the S24 Extremely. Nonetheless, for those who plan to maintain your OnePlus 12 for a major size of time, keep in mind that quicker charging and the warmth related to it are inclined to degrade batteries quicker. When you’re charging in a single day, it is OK to make use of a daily charger, and that’ll guarantee your battery nonetheless works properly two or three years into the longer term.
Cameras
The place reputations collide
Samsung goes out of its solution to embrace nearly excessively good optical {hardware} in its flagship. Arguably nobody wants a 200MP picture from a smartphone, though its pixel binning does do a terrific job, particularly in low mild. And whereas not everybody loves Samsung cameras’ predilection for slight oversaturation, the photographs do look nice, and you may forestall the saturation challenge with a fast settings change.
Total, we managed to get some glorious photographs with the Galaxy, particularly the 200MP main lens. The night time mode works significantly properly in capturing colours in darkish settings, indoors and out. The broader telephoto lens additionally works higher in lots of instances, and the downgrade from 10× to five× is just barely noticeable at excessive zoom ranges.
However that is not our gripe with Samsung’s pictures expertise. That is the third yr operating we have encountered clear movement dealing with points, largely within the type of blurry photos in moderately well-lit settings. This may not be the tip of the world, but it surely’s unimaginable to miss in such a expensive system.
Now, for one thing fully totally different. OnePlus partnered with Swedish pictures heavyweight Hasselblad to develop probably the most fascinating digital camera setups out there. Its 50MP wide-angle main lens sits alongside a 64MP 3× telephoto setup, complemented by a 48MP ultrawide sensor. This dizzying array of high-resolution lenses gives a powerful stage of versatility, with the 32MP wide-angle selfie digital camera solely including to the combo.
Our hands-on testing left us with nothing however good issues to say. The bevy of taking pictures modes, each guide and auto, give handheld photographers tons of choices for attaining the proper shot. And whereas OnePlus would not use any particular AI photo-editing instruments, its picture processing is up there with the very best telephones for pictures proper now. If taking photos is essential to your smartphone expertise, the OnePlus 12 stands out from the remainder.
Which one’s best for you?
The Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful cellphone and can, undoubtedly, promote extra models than the OnePlus 12. However, apart from the anti-glare Gorilla Glass Armor, common OneUI Android pores and skin, and novel AI instruments, the OnePlus does nearly every thing higher. It is ridiculously quick, appears to be like particularly good within the Flowy Emerald colorway, lasts longer per cost, fees manner quicker, and takes higher photos on a extra constant foundation than the Samsung.
And the true kicker? MSRP for the bottom mannequin is a whopping $500 decrease, and simply $100 extra nets you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. You’ll be able to even commerce in any previous cellphone you will have readily available for a $100 recycling low cost. If there have been ever a time to ditch Samsung, it is now.
OnePlus 12
Prime choose
Look actually arduous, and you may solely discover small weaknesses
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the 12 by ignoring AI and specializing in the issues that make a conventional flagship smartphone actually nice. Its unparalleled velocity, battery life and charging, and digital camera efficiency make it a powerful contender for cellphone of the yr.
Nonetheless, lots of people place excessive significance on issues the S24 Extremely does fairly properly. It appears to be like just a little extra polished, if not as flashy, and the software program expertise (particularly the multitasking options and Samsung Dex implementation) provides tons of utility for customers who spend quite a lot of time engaged on their telephones.
Plus, regardless of its competitor doing quite a lot of issues higher, the Galaxy nonetheless does every thing extremely properly — besides a considerably inconsistent digital camera expertise. If cash’s no object and also you need entry to the most recent AI instruments, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is a good selection.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
The software program king
Superior options and the value to match
$1150 $1300 Save $150
The S24 Extremely would not depart from its predecessor in any main manner apart from an elevated concentrate on AI instruments — one thing lots of people as we speak worth. If you’d like a top-of-the-line software program expertise and might abdomen the excessive price, there’s nothing actually flawed with Samsung’s newest big-screen flagship.