Should you buy an iPhone 15 or wait for the Galaxy S24?

The iPhone 15 was recently announced, bringing a few new improvements with it. This includes the arrival of the A17 for the Pro models, the move to USB-C, and more. If you’re an Apple fan, there’s a lot to love. As for the closest Android competitor? Samsung certainly comes to mind. Will the next Samsung flagship be a better choice than the iPhone 15? Join us as we take a closer look at the iPhone 15 vs Galaxy S24.

Apple and Samsung take very different approaches when designing their phones, as you’d expect when comparing Apple to oranges Samsung. Keep in mind that everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy S24 series right now is based on rumors and hearsay.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus ship with last year’s A16 Bionic SoC, while the Pro and Pro Max feature the new Apple A17 Pro.

This new chip drops the “Bionic” name altogether and offers several improvements over its predecessor. First off, it’s built on the 3nm architecture and boasts the title of the fastest CPU ever offered on a smartphone, according to Apple. The company also claims that the new 6-core GPU consists of two high-performance cores and four energy-efficient cores, resulting in a 10% performance boost over the A16. The 6-core GPU also sees a 20% performance gain. Apple is emphasizing this advancement and is using the opportunity to promote console-level games on the iPhone, such as the Resident Evil 4 remake.

While the A17 is undoubtedly more impressive, the A16 remains a formidable processor. According to Apple, it offers a 7% faster CPU speed compared to the A15, with 50% more memory bandwidth.

Although Apple doesn’t disclose the exact amount of RAM inside its phones, it is strongly believed that the new lineup retains the same 6GB as before. This may not be as much as many Android flagships, but the tight integration between the iPhone and iOS allows Apple to optimize the experience, ensuring the phones deliver a more substantial performance than you might expect.

Apple also provides a wide range of storage options. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are available in 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB variants. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro offers the same sizes, with the additional choice of a 1TB option. Interestingly, the Pro Max starts at just 512GB but otherwise shares the same storage options as the Pro.

Lastly, Apple has finally adopted USB-C for its iPhone range. However, there’s a catch. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will only support USB 2, with USB 3 compatibility reserved for the Pro range.

Earlier this year the Galaxy S23 series ditched the Exynos SoC in every region. This was a huge change. Of course, we assumed this new arrangement would continue into 2024. Unfortunately, a series of new rumors claim the Exynos processor will return, at least in some limited capacity.

Don’t worry, we’re still expecting the latest Snapdragon to be the main processor of choice. That said, tipster RGcloudS claimed in April the base Galaxy S24 may be powered by the Exynos 2400, at least in select regions. This would be a great cost-saving measure for Samsung, as it’s much more affordable to use in-house chips.

For models running on Qualcom’s silicon, you can expect the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. There’s still a lot we don’t know about this upcoming SoC, but it is expected to have new AI features and use the latest ARM chips: the Cortex-X4, A720, and A520. It’s also likely the Galaxy S24 will have at least 8GB of RAM, though some leaks claim all models will start at 12GB and that the Ultra could feature as much as 16GB.

The same rumor suggests we could be looking at a base storage size of 256GB with options as high as 2TB. While we’d take that with a grain of salt, Samsung tends to push the limits in storage and RAM capacities, so it is certainly possible. It would also mean double the storage capacity you’ll find on an iPhone Pro.

Most rumors suggest that the Galaxy S24 series will have similar sizes and dimensions to their predecessor models. If this is true, you can expect dimensions of 70.8 x 146.3 x 7.62mm for the standard Galaxy S24. Next up, the Plus model will likely measure 76.2 x 157.7 x 7.6mm. Lastly, the Ultra is a significantly larger phone at 76.7 x 159.9 x 8.25mm.

How does Apple compare? The iPhone 15 is slightly larger and thicker than the Galaxy S24, measuring at 71.6 x 147.6 x 7.8mm. The same goes for the Plus model, which measures 77.8 x 160.9 x 7.8mm. Apple offers two Pro models in contrast to Samsung’s single Ultra variant, but you’ll notice a similar pattern here, too. The iPhone 15 Pro comes in at 71.6 x 147.6 x 7.8mm, while the Max is even larger at 76.7 x 169.9 x 8.25mm. As you can see, this makes the Ultra smaller than the Pro but slightly smaller than the Max.

Apple continues its usual design language with a few new tweaks this year, but will Samsung surprise us with a more substantial refresh? For now, it’s hard to say. The Galaxy S24 is still a long way off, and few rumors have addressed its design yet. It’s likely that we could see some minor changes, but Samsung tends to make incremental changes from one generation to the next. The odds are that this trend will continue into 2024.

The iPhone 15 series made a few changes to its camera package this year. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have two rear cameras, as well as a selfie camera up front. The primary wide shooter is now 48MP, a jump from last year’s 12MP sensor. Here’s a breakdown of the actual sensor specs:

• 48MP wide primary (26mm, ƒ/1.6, 2µm, OIS)
• 12MP ultrawide (13mm, ƒ/2.4, 120-degree FoV)
• 12MP wide front camera (23mm, ƒ/1.9)

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max also have a 48MP wide primary shooter, but it’s actually a higher-end sensor with better focal length and a few other improvements. There’s also a 12MP ultrawide sensor and a 12MP telephoto lens. The front camera is the same as the rest of the iPhone 15 series. Here’s a bit more detail on the specs:

• 48MP wide primary (24mm, ƒ/1.78, 2.44µm, OIS)
• 12MP ultrawide (13mm, ƒ/2.2, 1.4µm)
• 12MP telephoto (77mm, ƒ/2.8)
• 12 MP wide front camera (23mm, ƒ/1.9)

Turning to the Galaxy, early rumors have been pretty conflicting for Samsung’s 2024 flagship series. Reportedly, we could see the 10x periscope camera traded in for a variable folded lens. This lens could deliver true, lossless zoom from a range of 5x to 10x. Another rumor claims the Galaxy S24 Ultra could upgrade one of its two telephoto lenses from 3x to 5x.

Leaker Revegnus disputes both of these rumors. Instead, the leaker suggests the only change will be an improvement to the 10x sensor. Otherwise, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus could largely have the same cameras as last year.

Typically, Samsung focuses most of its changes on the Ultra model, and recent rumors seem to support this notion. Ice Universe recently claimed that the Ultra will feature a 50MP 3x telephoto camera with “good” 5x zoom quality. Furthermore, Ice Universe suggests that the 10MP 10x periscope camera will remain unchanged.

However, there’s more to a good camera experience than just the hardware onboard. A well-known and trusted leaker, Yogesh Brar, claims that significant changes are coming to the software experience on the Galaxy S24 family. While there are no specific details on what to expect, we’ve witnessed how much of a difference good software can make. Google, for instance, doesn’t always have the best hardware, but its software, combined with the Tensor G2, compensates for it. We already know that machine learning and AI technology will receive an upgrade with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, so we could be looking at a similar leap in software quality here as well.

Apple tends to stay tight-lipped when it comes to battery specs, but everything we know suggests that battery sizes haven’t changed from last year. If this information is accurate, it means you can expect a 3,279mAh battery for the iPhone 15 and a 4,325mAh battery for the iPhone 15 Plus. Meanwhile, the Pro model could have a 3,200mAh battery, and the Max might feature a 4,323mAh capacity. The good news is that the A16 is much more power-efficient than the A15, so even if battery capacities remain the same, battery life may improve. A similar story plays out for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

As for charging speeds, the iPhone 15 is set at 20W for wired charging and 15W for wireless charging.

Apple may have taken a conservative approach with its latest phones, but that may not be the case for Samsung. Rumors suggest that the Galaxy S24 will come with a 4,000mAh battery, and the S24 Plus could have a 4,900mAh capacity. It appears that the Ultra model may retain the same 5,000mAh battery, but at least one rumor claims that the S24 will employ a stacked battery configuration. This type of setup allows for higher energy density within the same volume. It should also be more efficient and possibly have a longer lifespan compared to a traditional battery.

Charging speeds could also see an improvement for the Galaxy S24 family. While there hasn’t been solid information about the Galaxy S24, RGcloudS suggests that the Ultra model may feature 65W charging. It’s also possible that the S24 Plus may see this upgrade. While we hope that the S24 gets an upgrade from the Galaxy S23’s current 25W charging speed, we can’t say for sure just yet.

If you’re looking for a new phone, you’ll be waiting a while for the Samsung Galaxy S24 as the Galaxy S23 isn’t even a year old yet. Over the past few years, the Galaxy S line has launched sometime in January or February with a few exceptions. There’s no reason to expect 2024 to be any different.

• Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, S21 Ultra: $799, $999, $1,199
• Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, S22 Ultra: $799, $999, $1,199
• Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, S23 Ultra: $799, $999, $1,199

We won’t know the Galaxy S24 price tag for quite a while, but we can certainly speculate. Samsung hasn’t changed its pricing in the US for three years. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for other regions. This year, the Galaxy S23 saw a price increase in the UK and most of Europe due to growing inflation. Odds are this trend will continue next year, even in the United States. If this holds true, Samsung could very likely end up increasing the price of each model by around $100 to $150.

Pricing for the iPhone 15 family starts at $799 for the iPhone 15 and $899 for the iPhone 15 Plus. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,199. As you can see, that’s quite similar to the current pricing of the S23 series. If Samsung does raise its prices next year, it means that Apple will actually be the more affordable option. Considering that the Cupertino beast is often criticized for an “Apple tax,” it’s surprising to think that it might actually be less expensive in comparison next year.

If you absolutely need a new phone right now, the Galaxy S24 is obviously not the phone for you. The most obvious Android alternative would be the Galaxy S23 ($799 at Amazon), which is available right now and offers one of the best smartphone experiences of 2024. Looking for even more options based on Android? Check out our guide to the best Android phones. Then again, maybe you just want a new phone but don’t need it. If it’s possible to hang on a bit longer and you’re not sold on any of the upcoming 2023 flagships, we’d say waiting isn’t a bad move.

Of course, if you don’t mind iOS and you were considering a Galaxy or an iPhone, we’d pick the iPhone 15 over the Galaxy S23 if you have no strong preference. The iPhone 15 has a lot of great upgrades that help it stand out, and the move to USB-C means switching between iOS and Android devices will be easier than ever before. Then again, the changes aren’t quite as massive when comparing the base iPhone 14/Plus to the iPhone 15 ($799 at Apple) or iPhone 15 Plus ($899 at Apple). Going with the latter could save you some extra cash.