iPhone 16 vs Galaxy S24: Which should you buy?

The iPhone 16 household is now official. Apple and Samsung each launch their flagships with a base mannequin and a bigger Plus variant, along with their Professional-level units just like the Galaxy S24 Extremely and the iPhone 16 Professional Max.  Android followers could also be interested in how this new pairing compares to Samsung’s newest and best. Discover out on this iPhone 16 vs Galaxy S24 comparability!

Take into account that is an early on paper versus, designed to provide you a better take a look at how the telephones examine. We’ll go into better element as soon as we’ve hands-on time with all of the units.

Neither Samsung nor Apple’s flagships have seen important design adjustments lately, however the Galaxy S24 did swap to a barely bigger 6.2-inch show this 12 months. The iPhone 16 stored the identical display sizes on each fashions, however that doesn’t imply it didn’t make any design adjustments. You’ll discover immediately that the iPhone 16 now has two new buttons: the customizable Motion Button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Professional sequence, and the brand new Digital camera Management, which we’ll focus on later on this comparability.

The iPhone 16 measures 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm and weighs 170g, whereas the Galaxy S24 measures 147.0 x 70.6 x 7.6mm and weighs 167g. The iPhone is barely heavier and larger, however you probably received’t discover a distinction when holding the gadget.

The iPhone 16 Plus measures 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8mm and weighs 199g, whereas the Galaxy S24 Plus is barely smaller at 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm and weighs 197g. Once more, the distinction is negligible.

Each telephones are available numerous colours. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus supply 4 colorways: Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black. The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus supply extra decisions with Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow, and Samsung.com exclusives Jade Inexperienced, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone Orange.

Whereas the Apple iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S24 don’t look dramatically totally different from each other at a passing look lately, there are undoubtedly some notable variations in the case of the options the businesses prioritize. The Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus put better emphasis on show know-how, providing greater refresh charges than the much less spectacular 60Hz supplied on the iPhone 16 household in addition to higher picture high quality, always-on show tech, and some different extras.

On the flip aspect, the Galaxy S24 has a weaker SoC, even when simply by a small margin. Whereas Apple doesn’t disclose all the pieces about its SoCs we all know the Apple A18 has a 6-core CPU with 2 efficiency and 4 effectivity cores. There’s additionally a 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. Even with out full specs, we all know it’s going to be a monster of a processor. That’s not the one benefit Apple has right here, as its management of the SoC and working system permits it to optimize efficiency to a stage that its Android opponents merely can’t (exterior of maybe Google with the Pixel 9 sequence).

The Galaxy S24 isn’t a slouch although and certain you received’t discover any actual world distinction, particularly you probably have a Qualcomm mannequin. The S24 and S24 Plus use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy on the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus within the US and the Exynos 2400 elsewhere. Truthfully, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is probably going a barely extra highly effective chip for those who have been to disregard the software program optimization variations. Even with this distinction, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can deal with any Android sport, app, or expertise with out skipping a beat so it’s not such as you’ll really feel a lack of pace right here.

These with the Galaxy S24 Plus will even take pleasure in a bit extra RAM at 12GB, versus the 8GB discovered on the Galaxy S24. Apple doesn’t disclose its RAM measurement but it surely did say it has elevated it making it very probably the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus each make the most of 8GB of RAM this time round. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus even have the identical storage configurations because the S24 Plus, however the usual Galaxy doesn’t supply a 512GB choice.

Apple doesn’t disclose battery sizes and we don’t have any agency particulars on that entrance but, however we’d anticipate them to be related or barely bigger than final 12 months and may make it via a full day’s use, just like the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus. When you deplete them, that’s the place you’ll see a notable distinction.

Apple once more didn’t get into specifics about charging speeds but when it had improved them you’ll be able to guess they’d have made a giant deal about it on stage. It’s probably the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will nonetheless take pretty shut to 2 hours to cost as much as a hundred percent from empty. On the brilliant aspect, the iPhone does have MagSafe cables that make it simpler to line up chargers and fix equipment.

Samsung and Apple make the most of totally different sensors and take fairly totally different approaches with the digicam however each find yourself with a number of the greatest pictures experiences you’ll discover on a cell gadget.  The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus characteristic three rear cameras (large, ultrawide, and 3x telephoto), whereas the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have simply two, although at the least the iPhone lastly provides macro assist and autofocus.

Much more thrilling is the brand new Digital camera Management key. We talked about this earlier however now it’s time to speak about what it does. Briefly, it acts like a wise digicam shutter key. There’s not solely assist for swipe gestures that allow you to zoom out and in but in addition the power to mild press for a cleaner viewfinder UI and extra.

Whereas Google and Samsung have dominated the AI dialog, Apple’s iPhone 16 represents the corporate’s first time designing a cellphone from the bottom up with AI in thoughts. As you’d anticipate, Apple Intelligence is on the forefront of those efforts and it guarantees loads of new options. Simply remember not all of them are coming from day one, as lots of the thrilling extras aren’t coming till later this 12 months aren’t coming till later this 12 months together with the Picture Playground device, Picture Wand, Genmoji, the upgraded Siri, and ChatGPT integration. This places the iPhone 16 household at a brief drawback over Samsung and its Galaxy AI options, although Apple says the lacking talents will roll out within the “months following”.

As for what Apple will give its customers from the start? You’ll be able to anticipate writing instruments, pure language search from photographs, the power to create motion pictures from reminiscences utilizing prompts, Good Replies, and the brand new Clear Up device (Apple’s model of Magic Eraser).

Lastly, let’s discuss software program briefly. The iPhone 16 household runs on iOS 18 whereas the Galaxy S24 sequence makes use of Android 14 with its One UI on prime. These are very totally different experiences, with Samsung providing superior customization choices, even when Apple has significantly improved its sport there lately. We received’t discuss whether or not iOS or Android is healthier however I do wish to level out the Galaxy S24 affords seven years of OS upgrades and safety fixes, whereas Apple doesn’t have an precise mounted assure however sometimes gives at the least 5 years of updates. If you happen to like realizing how a lot time you’ll get the newest software program in stone, that’s one other benefit on Samsung’s half.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have been introduced on September 9, with pre-orders beginning on September 13. You’ll discover the iPhone 16 in shops starting September 20. The iPhone 16 begins at $799 for the 128GB mannequin, whereas the iPhone 16 Plus with 128GB begins at $899, making it about $100 lower than the Galaxy S24 Plus.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus on January 17 this 12 months, they usually’ve been obtainable at main retailers ever since. Costs begin at $799.99 for the Galaxy S24 and $999.99 for the Galaxy S24 Plus.

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are stable telephones with a number of main upgrades, together with the brand new A18 chip, Apple Intelligence integration, and different enhancements. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus are additionally spectacular units. For most individuals, it actually comes all the way down to which ecosystem you favor.

If you happen to’re open to switching between working programs, ask your self: would you like an easy, streamlined expertise or a extremely customizable one with a wide selection of options? If simplicity is what you worth, follow Apple. For better customization, the Galaxy is the higher alternative. If you happen to’re after high-end options, think about the iPhone 16 Professional ($999 at Apple), Professional Max ($1199 at Amazon), or the Galaxy S24 Extremely ($1419.99 at Amazon).