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Head to head

iPhone 16 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24+

Samsung Galaxy S24+ leads 9 to 3 on the 12 rankable specs.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

iPhone 16 Pro
$9993 spec wins
Swap
Samsung Galaxy S24+
$9999 spec wins
Swap

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your phone.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 3 to 9

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S24+.

  • Leads 9 of 12 rankable overall specs; iPhone 16 Pro takes 3.
  • Weight: 197 g vs 199 g
  • Size: 6.7 inches vs 6.3 inches
  • Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.
3 iPhone 16 Pro12 rankable of 48 specsSamsung Galaxy S24+ 9

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

  • row

    No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

    Trips:iPhone 16 Pro · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S24+ · No
  • row

    Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.

    Trips:iPhone 16 Pro · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S24+ · No
  • row

    Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.

    Trips:iPhone 16 Pro · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S24+ · No
  • row

    Storage is fixed at what you buy.

    Trips:iPhone 16 Pro · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S24+ · No

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

6 of 6 differ

Weight

Apple

199 g

Samsung

197 g (6.95 oz)

Size

Apple

6.3 inches

Samsung

6.7 inches

Chipset

Apple

Apple A18 Pro (3 nm)

Samsung

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm)

RAM

Apple

8 GB

Samsung

12 GB

Max optical zoom

Apple

5x optical (25x digital)

Samsung

3x optical zoom

Capacity

Apple

3,582 mAh (typical)

Samsung

4,900 mAh

True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Upfront price + 3 years of consumables, fees & essential add-ons

iPhone 16 Pro

Upfront list price$999
Essential add-ons (30W USB-C fast charging brick (no charger in box))+$29
3-Year Estimated Total$1,028

Samsung Galaxy S24+

Upfront list price$999
3-Year Estimated Total$999

Pocket, Palm & Desk Usability Check

One-handed reachability, pocket weight, and table wobble when typing without a case.

Ergonomic & Spatial Check

One-Handed Palm Reach

Widths under 72mm allow thumb access to opposite screen edges without shifting grip.

Apple

6.3" display with 71.5mm slim bezels (manageable one-handed)

Samsung

Standard smartphone width

Desk Typing Table Wobble

Horizontal visor cameras sit flat on desks without annoying rocking while typing.

Apple

Large triangular stove-top camera island wobbles on table tap

Samsung

Corner camera bump causes minor wobble

Pocket Weight & Heft

Apple

199g (balanced titanium heft)

Samsung

Standard phone weight

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

Apple: What to watch for

  • Ergonomics

    Camera Control button placement feels awkward in portrait orientation.

    Located low along the right rail, accidentally swiping or pressing the capacitive button while pulling the phone from pockets is a frequent complaint.

Samsung: What to watch for

  • Hidden Cost

    No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.

    Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Body

leads 1-0
Body specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
Dimensions149.6 × 71.5 × 8.3 mm158.5 × 75.9 × 7.7 mm
Weight199 g197 g (6.95 oz) (wins this row: lower)
BuildCeramic Shield front, textured matte glass back, grade 5 titanium frameArmor Aluminum 2 frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
Water / dust ratingIP68 (6 m / 30 min)IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
ColorsBlack Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert TitaniumOnyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow
StylusNoNo

Display

leads 4-0
Display specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
TypeLTPO Super Retina XDR OLEDDynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
Size6.3 inches6.7 inches (wins this row: higher)
Resolution1206 × 26223120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher)
Pixel density~460 ppi513 ppi (wins this row: higher)
Refresh rate1–120 Hz ProMotion120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO)
Peak brightness2,000 nits outdoor / ~1,000 nits typical2,600 nits peak (wins this row: higher)
HDRDolby Vision, HDR10, HLGHDR10+, HLG
ProtectionCeramic Shield (2024)Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Always-on displayYes (Dynamic Island)Yes

Platform

5 differences
Platform specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
Operating systemiOS 18Android 14 (One UI 6.1)
Software supportTypically 6+ years of major iOS versions7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates
ChipsetApple A18 Pro (3 nm)Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm)
CPU6-core (2 performance + 4 efficiency)8-core (1× Cortex-X4 + 5× Cortex-A720 + 2× Cortex-A520)
GPU6-core Apple GPUAdreno 750

Memory

leads 1-0
Memory specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
RAM8 GB12 GB (wins this row: higher)
Storage256 GB NVMe256 GB
Storage options128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB256 GB, 512 GB (UFS 4.0)
microSDNoNo

Rear camera

leads 3-1
Rear camera specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
Main48 MP Fusion, f/1.78, 24 mm, sensor-shift OIS50 MP (f/1.8, 24mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher)
Ultrawide48 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120° (wins this row: higher)12 MP (f/2.2, 13mm, 120° FOV)
Telephoto12 MP, f/2.8, 120 mm, 5x optical, 3D sensor-shift OIS (wins this row: higher)10 MP (f/2.4, 67mm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom)
Max optical zoom5x optical (25x digital) (wins this row: higher)3x optical zoom
StabilizationSensor-shift OIS on main and telephotoOIS on main and 3x telephoto cameras
Video4K 24/25/30/60/120 fps, ProRes, Log, spatial video8K at 24/30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+

Front camera

2 differences
Front camera specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
Selfie camera12 MP, f/1.9, autofocus, Retina Flash12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF)
Selfie video4K 60 fps, cinematic mode4K at 30/60 fps

Battery & charging

leads 2-0
Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
Capacity3,582 mAh (typical)4,900 mAh (wins this row: higher)
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet~20–25 W USB-C (no charger in box)45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min) (wins this row: higher)
Wireless chargingMagSafe up to 25 W, Qi215W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
Reverse wirelessNo4.5W Wireless PowerShare
Charger in boxNoNo

Audio

1 differences
Audio specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
SpeakersStereo (bottom + earpiece)Stereo speakers tuned by AKG
Headphone jackNoNo

Connectivity

5 differences
Connectivity specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
Cellular5G (sub-6 + mmWave, region-dependent)5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax tri-band)
BluetoothBluetooth 5.3Bluetooth 5.3
NFCYes (Apple Pay)Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay)
USBUSB-C 3 (up to 10 Gbps)USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort out)
SIMeSIM (US) / dual nano + eSIM (many other regions)Nano-SIM + eSIM (Dual eSIM support)

Features

3 differences
Features specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Pro, right column is Samsung Galaxy S24+.
BiometricsFace ID (no fingerprint)Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock
Extra controlsAction Button, Camera ControlNone
Standout featuresDynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, MagSafe, Find MyGalaxy AI suite (Circle to Search, Live Translate, Note Assist), Samsung DeX desktop mode, UWB support
Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

iPhone 16 Pro

Titanium iPhone 16 Pro with A18 Pro, Camera Control, and a 48MP Fusion camera system.

  • A18 Pro performance and video
  • Lighter, smaller Pro body
  • Camera Control and Apple Intelligence

What you give up

  • Slower wired charging than Android flagships
  • No fingerprint sensor
  • Only 5x optical zoom

Pick this one if

Samsung Galaxy S24+

6.7-inch Galaxy S24+ with QHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, and 12GB RAM.

  • Sharp QHD+ 120Hz LTPO display
  • 12GB RAM standard and 45W fast charging
  • 7 years of Android OS and security updates

What you give up

  • Camera hardware is mostly unchanged from previous generation
  • No built-in S-Pen stylus like the Ultra

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the iPhone 16 Pro.

  • Leads 3 of 4 rankable photos specs; Samsung Galaxy S24+ takes 1.
  • Max optical zoom: 5x optical vs 3x optical zoom
  • Ultrawide: 48 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120° vs 12 MP
  • Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.

Battery & updates

All-day battery, fast top-ups and years of software support

For battery & updates, buy the Samsung Galaxy S24+.

  • Leads 2 of 2 rankable battery & updates specs.
  • Capacity: 4,900 mAh vs 3,582 mAh
  • Wired charging: 45W fast wired charging vs ~20–25 W USB-C
  • Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.

Games & video

Games and streaming: chip, refresh rate, brightness, speakers

For games & video, buy the Samsung Galaxy S24+.

  • Leads 3 of 3 rankable games & video specs.
  • RAM: 12 GB vs 8 GB
  • Size: 6.7 inches vs 6.3 inches
  • Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

Manufacturer pages: iPhone 16 Pro · Samsung Galaxy S24+

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the iPhone 16 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S24+?

Both list at the same price.

What is the biggest catch with the iPhone 16 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S24+?

Both has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

Which is better for photos, the iPhone 16 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S24+?

For photos, buy the iPhone 16 Pro. Leads 3 of 4 rankable photos specs; Samsung Galaxy S24+ takes 1. Max optical zoom: 5x optical vs 3x optical zoom

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 48 specs tracked here, 36 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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