Head to head

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs iPhone 16 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S24 leads 6 to 4 on the 10 rankable specs and costs $100 less, which makes it the straightforward pick.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Weight: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 167 g (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 16 Plus lists 199 g (7.03 oz) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Size: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 6.2 inches (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 16 Plus lists 6.7 inches (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Chipset: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 16 Plus lists Apple A18 (3 nm) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Max optical zoom: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 3x optical (30x digital Space Zoom) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 16 Plus lists 2x (sensor crop) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Capacity: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 4,000 mAh (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 16 Plus lists 4,674 mAh (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).

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

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: 6 to 4

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S24.

Leads 6 of 10 rankable overall specs; iPhone 16 Plus takes 4.
Weight: 167 g vs 199 g
Max optical zoom: 3x optical vs 2x
It is also $100 cheaper.

6 Samsung Galaxy S2410 rankable of 48 specsiPhone 16 Plus 4

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No stylusrow
No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone 16 Plus · No
No headphone jackrow
Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone 16 Plus · No
No charger in the boxrow
Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone 16 Plus · No
60 Hz screenrow
Scrolling looks noticeably less smooth than a 120 Hz rival.
Clear:Samsung Galaxy S24 · 1–120 Hz LTPOTrips:iPhone 16 Plus · 60 Hz
No microSD slotrow
Storage is fixed at what you buy.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone 16 Plus · No

At a glance

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

5 of 6 differ

Weight

Samsung

167 g

Apple

199 g (7.03 oz)

Size

Samsung

6.2 inches

Apple

6.7 inches

Chipset≠

Samsung

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm)

Apple

Apple A18 (3 nm)

RAMsame

Samsung

8 GB

Apple

8 GB

Max optical zoom

Samsung

3x optical (30x digital Space Zoom)

Apple

2x (sensor crop)

Capacity

Samsung

4,000 mAh

Apple

4,674 mAh

True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)

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

Samsung Galaxy S24

Upfront list price$799

Essential add-ons (25W USB-C charging brick (no charger in box))+$25

3-Year Estimated Total$824

iPhone 16 Plus

Upfront list price$899

Essential add-ons (20W USB-C charging brick (no charger in box))+$29

3-Year Estimated Total$928

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

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

Post-Purchase Truths

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.

Apple: 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.

Samsung Galaxy S24$7996 wins

iPhone 16 Plus$8994 wins

Body Display Platform Memory Rear camera Front camera Battery & charging Audio Connectivity Features

42 of 48 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Body

leads 1-0

Body specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Dimensions	147.0 × 70.6 × 7.6 mm	160.9 × 77.8 × 7.8 mm
Weight	167 g (wins this row: lower)	199 g (7.03 oz)
Build	Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front/back, Armor Aluminum 2 frame	Aluminum frame with color-infused glass back
Water / dust rating	IP68 (1.5 m / 30 min)	IP68 (up to 6m for 30 mins)
Colors	Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow	Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
Stylus	No	No

Display

9 differences

Display specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Type	Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X	Super Retina XDR OLED
Size	6.2 inches	6.7 inches (wins this row: higher)
Resolution	1080 × 2340 (FHD+)	2796 × 1290 (wins this row: higher)
Pixel density	~416 ppi	460 ppi (wins this row: higher)
Refresh rate	1–120 Hz LTPO (wins this row: higher)	60 Hz
Peak brightness	2,600 nits peak (wins this row: higher)	2,000 nits outdoor peak / 1,000 nits typical
HDR	HDR10+	HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield (latest generation)
Always-on display	Yes (wins this row: has it)	No

Platform

5 differences

Platform specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Operating system	Android 14, One UI 6.1	iOS 18
Software support	7 major OS updates + 7 years security patches	5+ years estimated (typically 6-7 years)
Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm)	Apple A18 (3 nm)
CPU	8-core (1× Cortex-X4 + 5× A720 + 2× A520)	6-core (2 performance + 4 efficiency)
GPU	Adreno 750	5-core Apple GPU

Memory

2 differences

Memory specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
RAM	8 GB	8 GB
Storage	128 GB UFS 3.1	128 GB
Storage options	128 GB / 256 GB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
microSD	No	No

Rear camera

leads 2-0

Rear camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Main	50 MP, f/1.8, 24 mm, 1/1.56", Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS (wins this row: higher)	48 MP (f/1.6, 26mm, sensor-shift OIS, 2x telephoto crop)
Ultrawide	12 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120°	12 MP (f/2.2, 13mm, 120°, autofocus macro)
Telephoto	10 MP, f/2.4, 67 mm, 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS	None (2x optical-quality sensor crop via 48MP main)
Max optical zoom	3x optical (30x digital Space Zoom) (wins this row: higher)	2x (sensor crop)
Stabilization	OIS on main and telephoto lenses	Sensor-shift OIS on main camera
Video	8K 30 fps, 4K 60 fps, 1080p 240 fps	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, Dolby Vision HDR, Spatial Video

Front camera

2 differences

Front camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Selfie camera	12 MP, f/2.2, 26 mm, Dual Pixel PDAF	12 MP TrueDepth (f/1.9, autofocus)
Selfie video	4K 60 fps	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, Dolby Vision HDR

Battery & charging

leads 1-0

Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Capacity	4,000 mAh	4,674 mAh (wins this row: higher)
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet	25 W fast wired (50% in 30 min)	Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W+ adapter (up to 27W peak)
Wireless charging	15 W Fast Wireless	25W MagSafe (with 30W adapter) / 15W Qi2
Reverse wireless	4.5 W Wireless PowerShare	4.5W wired reverse charging via USB-C
Charger in box	No	No

Audio

1 differences

Audio specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Speakers	Stereo speakers tuned by AKG	Stereo speakers
Headphone jack	No	No

Connectivity

5 differences

Connectivity specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Cellular	5G (sub-6 + mmWave)	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave in US)
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
NFC	Yes	Yes (Apple Pay)
USB	USB-C 3.2 Gen 1	USB-C 2.0 (up to 480 Mbps)
SIM	Dual nano-SIM + eSIM	Dual eSIM (US model, no physical SIM tray)

Features

3 differences

Features specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone 16 Plus.
Biometrics	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint + Face unlock	Face ID (TrueDepth camera)
Extra controls	Power and Volume keys	Action Button, Camera Control button
Standout features	Circle to Search, Live Translate, Note Assist, Samsung DeX	Camera Control button, Action button, Apple Intelligence, Dynamic Island, Emergency SOS via satellite

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

Samsung Galaxy S24 source iPhone 16 Plus source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

Samsung Galaxy S24

Compact Android powerhouse with 6.2-inch 120Hz LTPO display, 3x telephoto, and Galaxy AI suite.

Extremely lightweight and compact 167g pocket-friendly design
Dedicated 3x optical telephoto camera on a base model
Bright 2,600 nit 1-120Hz LTPO display

What you give up

Charging capped at 25W wired
Base model starts with 128GB UFS 3.1 storage

Full Samsung Galaxy S24 specs →

Pick this one if

iPhone 16 Plus

6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus with A18 chip, Camera Control, 48MP Fusion camera, and extended battery life.

Outstanding multi-day battery endurance
Large 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR screen
A18 chip and Camera Control button

What you give up

60Hz display refresh rate (no ProMotion)
No dedicated optical telephoto camera

Full iPhone 16 Plus specs →

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S24.

Leads 2 of 2 rankable photos specs.
Max optical zoom: 3x optical vs 2x
Main: 50 MP, f/1.8, 24 mm, 1/1.56", Dual Pixel… vs 48 MP
It is also $100 cheaper.

Battery & updates

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

Too close to call on battery & updates from the spec sheets. Only capacity is rankable here.

Wired charging: 25 W fast wired vs Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W+ adapter
Wireless charging: 15 W Fast Wireless vs 25W MagSafe

Games & video

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

For games & video, buy the Samsung Galaxy S24.

Leads 2 of 3 rankable games & video specs; iPhone 16 Plus takes 1.
Refresh rate: 1–120 Hz LTPO vs 60 Hz
Peak brightness: 2,600 nits peak vs 2,000 nits outdoor peak / 1,000 nits typical
It is also $100 cheaper.

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.

Samsung Galaxy S24 spec sheet iPhone 16 Plus spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S24 ↗ · iPhone 16 Plus ↗

Common questions

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

Samsung Galaxy S24 costs $100 less at list price.

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

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

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

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S24. Leads 2 of 2 rankable photos specs. Max optical zoom: 3x optical vs 2x

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 48 specs tracked here, 38 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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