Samsung Galaxy S24: Release date, price, Ultra features, and more

Samsung Galaxy S24 release date has been confirmed, but we're still in the dark about its hush-hush features.

It’s worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S24 will reportedly be “the first AI phone.” How do we figure? According to Galaxy Club, on Nov. 24, Samsung applied for trademarks for phrases such as “AI Phone” and “AI Smartphone” in the EU and UK.

We’re going to pull the curtains back on all the rumors we know so far about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24, the Galaxy S24+, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra phones.

Samsung Galaxy S24 release date

The Samsung Galaxy S24 release is confirmed to be on Jan. 17.

In the past, the Samsung Galaxy S series was released in either January or February. Take a look at the historical release dates:

Samsung Galaxy S21: Jan. 29, 2021
Samsung Galaxy S22: Feb. 25, 2022
Samsung Galaxy S23: Feb. 1, 2023

In recent years, the Galaxy S series phones launched in February, so this mid-January reveal is much earlier than we expected.

Samsung Galaxy S24 price

There haven’t been many leaks about the Samsung Galaxy S24’s pricing, but there’s one thing to note before I dive into the whispers we’ve been hearing. According to The Elec, Samsung has been considering nixing the Plus model from its line. Why? To put it succinctly, buyers have had a tendency to purchase either the cheapest model or the most premium one – not the mid-tier variant.

However, X leaker @Tech_Reve, a bean spiller that TechRadar claims has a "respectable track record," is skeptical. They claim that gossip about Samsung axing the Galaxy S24 are "confused rumors." I’m leaning toward @Tech_Reve on this one. While I do suspect there have been internal talks at Samsung about potentially ending the Plus model, I don’t believe the Samsung Galaxy S24 line will be the one to do it.

Again, there’s currently not much in the rumor mill about the next-generation phones' pricing, which may indicate that there won’t be a price hike next year. Let’s take a look at the starting prices of the last three generations:

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra: $799, $999, $1,199
Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra: $799, $999, $1,199
Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra: $799, $999, $1,199

Pricing has been consistent since Samsung unleashed the Galaxy S21 line in 2021. Could this change next year? With inflation driving price hikes in the tech realm, it’s possible, but we won’t know for sure until we hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

Samsung Galaxy S24 design

The Samsung Galaxy S23 dropped that camera module block that enveloped the Samsung Galaxy S22. But for this next-generation line, according to @Tech_Reve, we won’t be seeing any major changes to the design language.

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In collaboration with @Onleaks, a bean spiller with a decent track record, SmartPrix dropped high-quality renders of the entry-level Galaxy S24.

Samsung Galaxy S24 leaked renders Credit: @Onleaks/SmartPrix

It looks like the Samsung Galaxy S24 will sport the same squared-off design as its predecessor. It also still has a bump-less camera module and a trio of lenses. However, SmartPrix claims that the Galaxy S24 will be slightly taller and slimmer than the S23.

Ice Universe, another respected leaker in the tech space, claims that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will get the most salient tweaks. It will likely drop its curved-screen aesthetics for a flat-panel look. @Onleaks, on the other hand, claims that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a design that blends both a curved and flat design.

@Onleaks, again, in collaboration with SmartPrix, claims that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has even slimmer bezels compared to its predecessor. According to SmartPrix, it is one of the "narrowest bezels" seen on any smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra leaked renders Credit: @Onleaks/SmartPrix

Twitter leaker @MysteryLupin published a set of alleged "official renders" for the Galaxy S24 in all four color ways: Onyx Black, Cobalt Violet, Mable Gray, and Amber Yellow.

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Like the iPhone 15, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is getting an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) antenna, which will make it easier for you to track down your device. The upper-tier Samsung Galaxy S24 model is expected to be slightly shorter than its predecessor, but a tinge wider. And finally, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra may get a brightness bump to 2,200 nits, an upgrade from its predecessor's 1,750 nits.

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Ice Universe suggested that, similar to the iPhone 15 Pro models, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will be made of titanium, ditching the Ultra’s signature “Armor Aluminum'' frame. (Forbes’ Ewan Spence also claims that the Samsung Galaxy S24 could switch to titanium.)

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Another rumor claims that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will ditch one of its telephoto lenses, dropping its four-camera system to a trio-lens module, but we’ll dive into this later.

Samsung Galaxy S24 colors

According to GSMArena, the new colors for the entry-level Samsung Galaxy S24 are the following

Black
Gray
Violet
Yellow

The first two colors are typically labeled "Phantom Black" and "Graphite," and they're no stranger to the Galaxy S series line. However, violet and yellow are hues we haven't seen for several generations. As GSMArena pointed out, we had a violet colorway with the S21 series, but we haven't had a yellow hue since the Galaxy S10e.

However, according to Android Headlines, citing a "trusted, confidential source," the official names for the four colors are Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow. Android Headlines added that there will be four additional colors, Blue, Green and Orange, that will be exclusive to Samsung's official website.

Samsung Galaxy S24 display

According to Ice Universe, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus – the mid-tier model – will get a negligible bump in display size (6.65 inches vs. 6.6 inches). Let’s take a look at the screen sizes of both generations:

Samsung Galaxy S23 display size

Samsung Galaxy S23 - 6.1 inches
Samsung Galaxy S23+ - 6.6 inches
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra - 6.8 inches

Samsung Galaxy S24 display size (rumored)

Samsung Galaxy S24 - 6.1 inches
Samsung Galaxy S24+ - 6.65 inches
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra - 6.8 inches

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The same leaker also claims that the resolution gap between the S24+ and the S24 Ultra will narrow; the mid-tier model will join the top-tier variant in getting a better-quality WQHD+ resolution.

As it stands now, all three Galaxy S23 models have 120Hz refresh rate displays. Keep in mind, however, that only the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a variable refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz; the lower-tier models have a dynamic refresh rate between 48Hz and 120Hz. What does this mean? Well, the Ultra can dive down all the way to 1Hz when you’re not particularly active on your phone, which means the screen is refreshing much less. This preserves battery life. The lower-tier Samsung Galaxy S23 models can only drop down to 48Hz, which means it may be refreshing the screen even when your task doesn’t call for such a high rate.

However, we have a strong inkling that the Galaxy S24 and S24+ models will now have the ability to drop to 1Hz. How do we know? Ice Universe claims that they will now use an LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) panel (which is featured on the Ultra model), giving the lower-tier variants the opportunity to smoothly transition between 1Hz and 120Hz.

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As a cherry on top, according to SamLover, Samsung may upgrade the Ultra variant to 144Hz. What does this mean for you? Navigating through your phone will feel more seamless, smoother and more responsive. Mobile gaming should feel zippier, too.

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Finally, according to Ice Universe, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ is getting slimmer bezels (2.5mm vs. 3.4mm).

Samsung Galaxy S24 cameras

There are conflicting reports regarding the Samsung Galaxy S24 cameras. In June, Ice Universe claimed they secured the camera specs for the Ultra model from "Korean sources."

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The listed specs are largely the same as before, but two months later, Ice Universe changed their tune, suggesting that the Ultra model will feature two telephoto options: a 50MP camera with 5x optical zoom, and a 10MP lens with 3X optical zoom.

The current Ultra model has two 10MP telephoto cameras, one with 10X zoom and another with 3X zoom. This means that the 10MP, 10X sensor may get replaced with the 50MP, 5X camera. On paper, this means that the new telephoto sensor on the upcoming Ultra will have a shorter optical range before the digital-zoom software kicks in, but the picture quality should be crisper and sharper.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra:

Wide camera - 200MP
Ultrawide camera - 12MP
Telephoto - 10MP, 3X
Telephoto - 10MP, 10X

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (rumored)

Wide camera - 200MP
Ultrawide camera - 12MP
Telephoto - 10MP, 3X
Telephoto - 50MP, 5X

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is also tipped to have a new Nightography Zoom mode as well as 4K video @ 120fps.

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Ice Universe also took to Weibo on Oct. 28 to showcase some leaked images of protective cases that appear to be for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. According to the pictures, as Tom's Guide pointed out, Samsung may consider consolidating the two telephoto lenses into a single camera.

As far as the other models are concerned, there’s not much in the rumor mill about them. But if things remain relatively consistent, the lower-tier models will continue to sport a 50MP wide camera, a 10MP 3X telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with a 120-degree field of view.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs and new features

According to SamMobile, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will power the next-generation Samsung Galaxy S-series line. Citing a report from China, SamMobile added that the new chipset will have a GPU that’s 50 percent faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the Galaxy S23 line.

Interestingly, the Adreno 740 inside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is faster than the graphics packed inside A16 Bionic, which you can find inside the iPhone 14 Pro models. So the question is, will the next-gen GPU, likely to be called Adreno 750, beat the A17 Pro inside the iPhone 15 Pro models in graphics prowess? Only time will tell.

SamMobile also reported that the entire Galaxy S24 line will start with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. This presumably means that you won’t have to shell out more to increase your phone’s space. The tech outlet also stated that the Ultra model may have a variant that comes with 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, but Ice Universe refutes this in the following X post: