6 great alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy S24 that can save you money

Samsung's new flagship series may not have come on leaps and bounds on the hardware front, but its exciting new AI promising slick photo editing and instant translation certainly helps the S24s stand out.

With the cutting edge specs comes a hefty price tag, though, and our tests have revealed a concerning issue with the face unlock – we were easily able to fool the S24 and S24+ with a printed photo. 

It's a disappointing misstep for pricey phones that excel in so many other ways – and when you compare them to cheaper alternatives, there's plenty to weigh up before you take the plunge.

Read our verdict on the heavily-advertised Samsung AI on the S24 series and see how Samsung fares in our best smartphones to buy in 2024.

Samsung Galaxy S24 - seven years of support

The Samsung Galaxy S24 has some enviable specifications. Visually it's hard to tell that it's different to last year's handset, but with a sleek design and high-quality 6.2-inch screen with 2,340 x 1,080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, it certainly feels like few corners have been cut. Under the hood is an upgraded Exynos 2400 processor, which Samsung says will enhance gaming visuals. It has a slightly bigger battery too (from 3,900mAh to 4,000mAh).

But our favourite upgrade is that it's guaranteed security updates for seven years from the launch date. Security updates are important to keep your phone free from vulnerabilities, and short update periods often mean phones are thrown out before they need to be. This is one of the best update policies on the market and means you can keep it for much longer than a traditional two to three year upgrade cycle.

Find out its battery life, processing speeds and more in our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review. It's available at the below retailers, or you can compare contract deals.

Or grab a Samsung Galaxy S23

The Samsung Galaxy S24 launched for £799, which is £50 cheaper than last year. Plus, some retailers offer extras to tempt you to purchase, such as 12 months access to Disney+. But you can still get last year's flagship phone for less.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 might not have the latest processor or newest screen, but Samsung recently announced that it would get some new AI features and it has first-rate camera specs. It's guaranteed another three and a half years or so of security support if you buy it now. 

Find out everything this phone has to offer you in our Samsung Galaxy S23 review. It's available at a discounted price at the retailers below, or on contract deals.

Or a Google Pixel 8

Google's latest flagship phone is arguably just as high-spec as Samsung's in some important ways. The rear dual-camera system spans the entire width of the phone and the camera software is powered by AI. This gives you similar - though slightly more limited - editing tools to the Galaxy S24 and you can remove people and unwanted objects from pictures. 

It has Google's latest G3 chipset and the 6.1-inch screen is astronomically bright and has smooth scrolling thanks to its high content-refresh rate. Like the Samsung Galaxy S24 range, it was guaranteed seven years of security updates when it launched in October last year.

We've rounded up the best mobile phone deals for this month so you don't have to.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ - a bigger, bolder display

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is the big-screen version of the S24, with a 6.7-inch display and higher 3,120 x 1,440 resolution to match. This might suit you if you're a keen gamer or watch a lot of videos. It has a bigger 4,900mAh battery to fuel its larger size too. Otherwise, it's identical to the Galaxy S24 with the coveted AI features, a premium processor, and a triple-rear camera system.

If the AI features don't tempt you, you might think you could opt for a Galaxy S23+ for a saving, but it has been discontinued. So consider the alternatives below instead.

Find out how the S24+ compares to the S24 in our Samsung Galaxy S24+ review. You can compare contract deals or it's available Sim-free from the retailers below.

Or consider a Google Pixel 8 Pro

The Google Pixel 8 Pro gives you a similar big-screen Android experience with its 6.7-inch OLED display. But it also comes with Google's very best cameras; the three camera lenses and software work together to improve autofocus, the quality of zoomed in pictures, and the light the lenses can capture.

For the full scoop, check out our Google Pixel 8 Pro review. It's for sale at the retailers below or on contract deals.

Or a OnePlus 12

If you're just after an Android phone with a big display, you can spend less. The OnePlus 12 has a 6.8-inch screen and a number of brilliant features. OnePlus partnered with Hasselblad to develop the high-resolution camera system, and its Snapdragon chipset is similar to ones you'll find in Samsung's flagship range. 

For the full results, check out our OnePlus 12 review. Or Buy it below.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra - ingenious cameras

Like in previous years, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra holds Samsung's greatest cameras. On the back of the phone are four lenses: a 200Mp main wide lens, a 12Mp ultra-wide lens and two telephoto sensors. The first is a 10Mp telephoto lens that might have a reduced five times optical magnification instead of the 10 times on the S23 Ultra, but it has a higher 50Mp resolution. Using AI, you can zoom in up to a huge 100 times.

You can navigate its large 6.8-inch QhD+ screen with the built-in stylus known as the S-Pen, as well as use it to take written notes. The design isn't hugely different from its predecessor, but the new frame is made from titanium.

It's one of the first phones to be released with Wi-Fi 7 for the quickest data transfers, especially when this is paired with its premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.

Like the S23+, we haven't really seen last year's Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone go down in price. You might find a sale here and there, but if not, you're better off buying the S24 Ultra.

Find out if this phone's performance is really five stars in our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review. You can buy it below or on the best contract deal.

Or consider the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

If you want one of the best phones on the market, the S24 Ultra's main rival is Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max. Its titanium design makes it stylish, light and robust, and on the inside is Apple's quickest A17 Pro Chip. 

Since the iPhone 14 Pro Max, camera improvements include anti-reflective coating to help reduce lens flare, and adjustable focal length. These are just some of the perks these impressive cameras have to offer, which feel like they've got an endless array of shooting modes and editing tools. 

See what our experts thought of this expensive, but popular phone in the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max review. It's available to buy below or compare the best contract deals.

Find out more about how we test mobile phones or head over to our mobile phone reviews to find the perfect phone for you at the right price.

The unlikely security flaw affecting modern smartphones

In 2023, we revealed that over 40% of phones we tested had face recognition security that could be easily fooled and successfully unlocked by a 2D printed photograph. These included popular handsets from Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi and others. Unfortunately the issue isn't going away and we were surprised that the same issue affects two of Samsung's latest flagship phones – the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+.

Fortunately, Samsung offers a clear warning during the face recognition set up on the S24 and S24+ that tells users the system can be fooled with a photograph. But to avoid this vulnerability, we recommend you don't enable the feature and use the fingerprint sensor or a password/PIN instead. Long PINS are generally more secure (six characters), and if you can set up a password, use a mixture of different characters so it's harder to guess. We recommend setting up protections on your apps that contain sensitive information too – this could involve logging out when you're not using them, or setting up passwords or fingerprint locks.

We approached Samsung for comment on our findings about face recognition on the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+. It said: 'We provide various levels of biometric authentication, with the highest level of authentication from the fingerprint reader. In addition, we provide users with multiple options to unlock their smartphones through both biometric security methods, and convenient options such as swipe or facial recognition. Further information about facial recognition can be found via the settings on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.'

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