Christine Romero - Chan / Digital Trends
Samsung unveil its next flagship smartphone telephone line , theGalaxy S24 , during theJanuary Galaxy Unpacked case . This new batting order includes the meanspirited theoretical account S24 , the larger S24 Plus , and the top - tier up S24 Ultra . It ’s one of the first big smartphone waiver to kick things off for the new class .
I got my hand on the cornerstone Galaxy S24 and have been spending some time with it . Here are my ( very positive ) first impression of the equipment so far .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
The size is very similar to the S23
One of the things I love about theGalaxy S23from last class was the sizing . I ’m a individual who prefers smaller phones , and the S23 was big because it was a comparatively compact sizing compared to most of the rivalry , and it was quite comfortable to hold and expend for extended periods .
When the Galaxy S24 was harbinger , I was a bit peeved at the fact that Samsung had slightly increased the presentation size from 6.1 inches to 6.2 inches ( and the S24 Plus got the same .1 - inch addition to 6.7 inches from 6.6 inches ) . I choose more compact devices because I have tiny men , and large telephone set are difficult for me to use single - handedly . So , when I reckon that the S24 was creeping up in size of it , my heart sank . After all , it ’s a slippery gradient — what ’s to stop Samsung from slightly increase it each year ? finally , there may be no more compact telephone set .
Thankfully , the excrescence to 6.2 inches is not as defective as I consider . It ’s actually pretty trifling , and unless you have the two devices side - by - side , I doubt you ’ll even be able to assure the remainder . The Galaxy S24 look to be a smidge taller and a fraction of a pilus tenuous than its harbinger , but it ’s not noticeable unless you attend closely . There ’s also a slight diminution in bezels , but not too much .
The Galaxy S24 is still quite belittled and compendious , making it a good sizing for me . It ’s about the same as myiPhone 15 Probut light due to the aluminium frame . It ’s been well-to-do to use , which I ’m grateful for .
The new design is good, but also very familiar
Samsung resolve to refresh the looking at of the S24 and S24 Plus this year by move to a straight - edged frame instead of the rounded curves from the S23 . The flat edge are redolent of what Apple has done since the iPhone 12 and up to the currentiPhone 15lineup .
I like the flat edges . It makes the S24 a bit easier to hold and looks much more elegant and clean , in my vox populi . But it also feel like a double - edged sword because it ’s not actually anything young — it ’s been done before . Samsung is simply being a copycat . The Galaxy S24 fundamentally finger like an iPhone 15 , and there ’s no acquiring around it .
And it seems like Samsung is n’t the only one . From theGoogle Pixel 9andPixel 9 Pro leakslast week , it look like Google is doing the same affair . Flat edges are fall to the Pixel lineup , assuming those renders are true .
As much as I like the flat edges , it feels like smartphone design has plateaued , at least with the major blade . It works well on the S24 , but it ’s also a potentially worrisome sign of what all smartphones could depend like over the forthcoming year .
Circle to Search is incredible
I ’m not a Brobdingnagian fan of how AI seems to be taking over everything everywhere , let in smartphones . But I must accept that Circle to Search was a feature article that intrigued me when I hear about it , and I could n’t wait to check it out for myself .
I ’m always scroll through my social media apps , and I often come across things that catch my attention , but I have no thought what the name is or what it ’s call . I type something into a Google search but sometimes I ’m not even skinny with the resultant role . dress circle to Search is a biz changer .
I bed that this feature work anywhere in any app , not just when you ’re surf the web on Google Chrome . encounter something that interest you , and then tap and contain on the center pilotage release ( or nav bar if you chose gesture pilotage ) , and then tap , roach , or scribble on whatever you want to look up .
The results I ’ve gotten so far are pretty good , as I ’ll find links to where I can purchase an item that I randomly found , or other article for products . It ’s an telling AI feature of speech that I wish was on all of my other earpiece . Thankfully , Circle to Search is available on all of the S24 batting order ( the S24 Ultra , in particular , is great because of the S - Pen),and it ’s also heading to the Google Pixel 8 series by the closing of the month .
This is a convenient feature that all phones should have , not just the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 . Hopefully , it just becomes a standard feature in the dear future tense .
There’s still a lot more to like
I ’ve only been using the Samsung Galaxy S24 for a few day , but I ’m enjoying my time with it . Aside from the new design changes and AI - powered tools like Circle to Search , it looks like a decent rise from last yr ’s Galaxy S23 .
The Galaxy S24 ’s display is brighter than ever , which is useful for those bright and gay Southern California days . Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipping is snappy and fast , and even though the S24 only has 8 GB read/write memory compared to the 12 GB of the S24 Plus and S24 Ultra , it ’s still quite a power station for the modal user — specially those who opt small phones . The battery life-time is also impressive , though I bid Samsung would bump up the charging stop number for the base mannequin S24 like the rest of the lineup .
I ’ll be putting the S24 through the tread more in the total days for a full review , so stay tuned !
