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A flagship in the line
As the newest OnePlus phone and the new flagship in the line, the OnePlus 12 offers premium features for a relatively affordable price. While you might not get the same level of AI integration as with the Samsung Galaxy S24, it has a stunningly bright screen, great cameras, and focuses heavily on advanced mobile gaming performance.
For
- Stunning, bright screen
- Powerful processor
- Fabulous cameras
- More affordable
Against
- Not IP68 water resistant
- No AI features
A new Galaxy
The most affordable model in the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series phones is the base Galaxy S24 model, which is the one most comparable to the OnePlus 12 in many ways. It offers plenty of similar features along with the integration of Google Gemini AI models. For taking photos and AI assistance across the board, the Galaxy S24 takes the cake.
For
- Tons of AI integration
- Lots of photo editing features
- 7 years of software and security updates
- IP68 water resistant
Against
- More expensive
- Not compatible with the S Pen
If you’re in the market for a new Android phone, chances are two models you might be considering are the OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24. Both were just recently announced and include premium features and specs. There are specific things to consider, however, that might sway your decision from one to the other. Here, we’ll take a look at how they compare in all the most important ways.
OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: On the outside
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There are some notable differences in how these two phones look.
With a design inspired by nature, the OnePlus 12 comes in Silky Black or Flowy Emerald, with rounded edges and smooth curves and a camera island that blends into the mid-frame. It has a circular shape on the back that houses the four cameras. Android Central’s Harrish Jonnalagadda calls the camera design “striking” in his OnePlus 12 review, particularly with the Flowy Emerald finish.
The 6.82-inch QHD+ 120Hz ProXDR advanced LTPO screen is made of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and boasts 3,168 x 1,440 resolution along with an incredible peak brightness of 4,500 nits. While the phone itself is not water-resistant, the AquaTouch technology on the screen is designed to allow you to use it comfortably and responsively even if there are water droplets from the rain, for example, or your sweaty hands while gaming.
The battery is a generous 5,400mAh, so the OnePlus 12 will easily last all day and then some. Plus, it supports 80W SUPERVOOC charging and 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging. Charge it up for just 30 minutes, and you’ll get another two days of use. It takes about an hour to charge fully when using a compatible wireless charger.
The OnePlus 12 comes with either 256GB or 512GB of storage, but this isn’t expandable, so make sure to get more than you think you’ll need. It boasts an IP65 water-resistant rating, which isn’t quite as durable as most other phones in its class, including the Samsung Galaxy S24, which offers IP68 for submersion.
Other features include 5G, eSIM, dual SIM slot, Bluetooth 5.4, and USB 3.2; plus, the phone is Wi-Fi 7 ready.
Now, let’s look at the Samsung Galaxy S24. It comes in many more finish options to personalize the look, including Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Onyx Black, and Marble Grey, plus Samsung-exclusive colors only available directly through Samsung, including Sapphire Blue, Sandstone Orange, and Jade Green. The unified design is similar to that of the Galaxy S23, with a flat front and back, rounded edges, and a satin finish.
Made of Armor Aluminum, which is lighter than steel, the Samsung Galaxy S24 has three cameras positioned in a vertical row on the back. The durable Corning Gorilla Armor screen is much smaller at just 6.2 inches, and it’s a dynamic AMOLED 2x FHD+ boasting 2,340 x 1,080 resolution, making it lower resolution than the OnePlus 12 as well.
But Samsung does offer Vision Booster, which reaches 2,600 nits peak brightness and offers great visibility outdoors. There’s also a scene optimizer, which intelligently recognizes the scene and optimizes colors accordingly. Still, it’s much less impressive spec-wise than the OnePlus 12, though you also get a 120Hz refresh rate.
You’ll get IP68 water resistance as well, making this phone overall more durable. It, too, supports fast and wireless charging, but it only has a 4,000 mAh battery, so you can expect that it will need to be charged more often than the OnePlus 12. Still, you should be able to get a full day from it. Samsung rates the battery as being able to last for up to 25 hours for Internet usage. There’s also Wireless PowerShare for using the phone’s battery to recharge other compatible Galaxy devices, like Galaxy Buds true wireless earbuds.
The storage capacities options are fewer, with only a 128GB or 256GB option, and they are non-expandable. So, you’ll have to consider using cloud storage, but it’s recommended to save up to get the 256GB version. The Samsung Galaxy S24 does not come with the Samsung S Pen: if you want this for productivity, you’ll have to upgrade to the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Like the OnePlus 12, you get 5G, eSIM, and a dual SIM slot, and it comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, USB 3.2 Gen 1, and more. With the smaller screen, it’s also a much smaller, thinner, and lighter phone.
OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Spec comparison
How do these phones compare head-to-head on specs alone? Let’s take a look.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | OnePlus 12 | Samsung Galaxy S24 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | OxygenOS 14 (based on Android 14) | Android 14 with Samsung One UI 6.1 |
| Colors | Silky Black, Flowy Emerald | Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, Onyx Black, Marble Grey (Samsung exclusive Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, Sandstone Orange) |
| Screen Size | 6.82 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Screen Resolution | 3,168 x 1,440 | 2,340 x 1,080 |
| Screen Type | 2K ProXDR QHD+ | AMOLED 2x FHD+ |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| RAM | 12GB, 16GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB (not expandable) | 128GB, 256GB (not expandable) |
| Cameras | 50MP wide, 64MP periscope, 48MP ultra-wide, 32MP front | 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto, 12MP wide front |
| Speakers | Stereo Speakers (Spatial Audio Support) | Stereo Speakers |
| Battery | 5,400 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Wireless Charging | Yes | Yes |
| Fast Charging | 80W SUPERVOOC | 45W |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Water Resistance | IP65 | IP68 |
| Cellular | 5G | 5G |
| Size | 164.3 x 75.8 x 9.15mm | 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm |
| Weight | 220 grams | 167 grams |
There are some big differences between these phones in terms of specs. Let’s dive deeper.
OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Power and performance
With the OnePlus 12, you get the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor along with a dual vapor chamber that works to provide better heat dissipation. This is something that multitaskers, and especially gamers, will appreciate. The phone boasts impressive up to 16GB RAM, which is a huge deal for productivity, content creation, and gaming.
It also has a Trinity engine that helps reduce lag, resulting in smooth video playback and smooth and fast gaming. If you’re a gamer, though, keep in mind that Jonnalagadda was only able to play games at 60fps, even when he enabled frame booster. It’s possible that this could be rectified with a future over-the-air update, though.
For connectivity, the OnePlus 12 has omnidirectional antennas and offers support for Wi-Fi 7. Along with standard stereo speakers, you’ll also get Spatial Audio support when listening to compatible music sources through compatible headphones.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 has the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor but tops out at only 8GB RAM, making the OnePlus arguably the more powerful phone of the two. It has stereo speakers as well as support for Samsung DeX as well as SmartThings for controlling connected home devices. With the promise of seven years of software and security updates, you can expect more features to come to this phone in the future, keeping it consistently up to date.
Where the Samsung Galaxy S24 really shines is in the AI integration. Through Google’s Gemini AI, you get tons of useful AI-powered features. This includes Google’s new Circle to Search, which allows you to circle or scribble on an image to instantly pull up search results without leaving the page or app you’re in. In his initial hands-on, Android Central’s Nicholas Sutrich called Circle to Search — which is now also available on the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro — his favorite feature.
There are also features like Live Translate, which can translate conversations in two languages on the fly using a split screen, even without cellular data or Wi-Fi. Note Assist, meanwhile, offers AI-generated summaries, templates, and cover creations, and Transcript Assist uses AI and Speech-to-Text to transcribe, summarize, and translate recordings. Additionally, there’s Generative Edit for photos, which I’ll discuss more in the next section.
OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Photos and videos
Overall, the OnePlus 12 has a better set of cameras than the Samsung Galaxy S24. The main camera boasts a 50MP wide sensor, and it’s complemented by a 64MP 3x periscope telephoto camera, 48MP ultra-wide camera, and 32MP front camera. There are various photo modes from which to choose, including Master Mode, natural, high dynamic, and portraits. You can even shoot in RAW and add a watermark to photos.
The 4th generation Hasselblad camera system includes a Sony main sensor. In his review, Jonnalagadda says the phone “takes outstanding photos in any lighting condition, including low light.”
His photos had plenty of detail and dynamic range, and he found that color reproduction was accurate throughout, no matter the lighting condition or type of photo he took. In fact, he found the camera to be on par with others in its class, including the cameras in the Google Pixel 8 Pro as well as the Samsung Galaxy S24.
The specs of the Samsung Galaxy S24 cameras are not as impressive. This phone has a 50MP wide main camera as well, but only a 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto and 12MP wide front camera to complete the system. It does offer 30x space zoom and 3x optical zoom.
The benefits come with AI features that can be leveraged both before and while taking a photo, as well as in post-editing. The biggest upgrade with the cameras in the Samsung Galaxy S24 is the ProVisual Engine, a back-end AI tool suite that powers many of the intelligent features. This includes the use of the ultrawide camera to help reduce motion blur.
There are other features, too, that you’ll love playing around with. Edit Suggestion will recommend the best way to tweak a photo. With flaw detection, Samsung says you simply “can’t take a bad photo.”
Generative Edit will fill in parts of the background of a photo or a missing piece of an item. Sutrich likens it to the Magic Editor feature on the Google Pixel 8 series phones. AI can fill in the borders of a crooked image as well. You will even be able to reposition people in photos with AI completing the background so it looks as seamless as possible. A watermark will appear on any photo you modify using AI, and data will appear in the metadata of the image.
There are AI features for videos taken with the Samsung Galaxy S24, too. For example, you can use Instant Slo-mo to slow it down, and AI will generate additional frames based on the movement. The result is more detailed and compelling videos.
Bottom line: the cameras themselves in the Samsung Galaxy S24 might not boast as impressive numbers as the OnePlus 12. But the phone still takes wonderful photos, and you can do so much after the fact to improve photos that might otherwise have been considered throwaways or unfixable.
OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Which should you buy?
Now comes the big decision: which phone should you buy, the OnePlus 12 or the Samsung Galaxy S24? The OnePlus 12 is much more affordable; even the model with the highest specs, including 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, is cheaper than the highest-end Samsung Galaxy S24 with its highest specs, including 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. You’re effectively getting more for less.
With a heavy focus on heat dissipation and processing power, the OnePlus 12 is an ideal phone for gamers. It will keep up with all your gaming needs. From a productivity standpoint overall, it’s also a wonderful phone that boasts impressive specs and an ultra-bright screen you can comfortably view in any environment. The cameras are pretty impressive, too.
Spec-wise, the Samsung Galaxy S24 doesn’t measure up in virtually every department, from RAM to storage, cameras to screen resolution. However, it has powerful AI technology integrated right into the device, which can help in terms of productivity and content creation. If you value this, the Samsung Galaxy S24 might still be the better phone for you.
Plus, it’s also more durable with Armor Aluminum, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and an IP68 rating. This, along with the many finish options, could end up being the dealbreaker. With that said, it’s still advisable to consider one of the best cases for the Samsung Galaxy S24 to protect the phone (and you should do the same for the OnePlus 12 as well).
If you’re a gamer or looking for a phone that will be equally as good for taking photos and entertainment as for keeping up with your work or school day, go with the OnePlus 12. If you are already in the Samsung Galaxy camp and want to stay with it, you won’t be disappointed with the Samsung Galaxy S24. All the AI features will be fun to play around with, and you’ll find many of them tremendously useful. This is about as modern and futuristic a phone as you can get right now.
With that said, if you’re looking for the best of the best, consider saving up for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra instead. With that phone, you’ll get higher specs, better cameras, and a Samsung S Pen included, though it’ll cost you a pretty penny more. You can also consider the Galaxy S24 Plus, which has a bigger screen and boosts storage up to 512GB and 12GB RAM for a few hundred bucks more.
A gamer’s delight
If you’re a mobile gamer, you’ll probably want to opt for the OnePlus 12. It offers premium specs that are better than most you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S24 along with features gamers and multi-taskers will appreciate, like a dual vapor chamber for better heat dissipation and an AquaTouch screen. It’s much cheaper, too, though it isn’t quite as durable.
The future of phones
The Samsung Galaxy S24 represents the future of phones with plenty of generative AI tools and features integrated right into the device. You can experiment, learn, and get assistance for everything from composing messages and notes to translating conversations and improving photos and videos. But if you’re really into all these features, you might want to save and step up to the Galaxy S24+ or Galaxy S24 Ultra instead.
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