Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Which should you buy?

Apple's iPhone 16 lineup is finally official, and it's all set to go against Samsung's Galaxy S24 series and other heavy hitters of the Android world. As has been the case for the past few years, both manufacturers have launched multiple smartphones, but we're going to be focusing specifically on the 'Plus' models, namely the iPhone 16 Plus and the Galaxy S24 Plus.

Comparing Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus makes perfect sense, as these are two of the best high-end phones available in the market right now. Each offers top-of-the-line hardware specifications, AI-enhanced software features, and a truckload of other goodies. But as stacked as both of these devices are, which one of them is a better value for money? Let's find out.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Design and display

Barring a few changes, both the Apple iPhone 16 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus are virtually identical to their respective predecessors. This isn't meant to be a criticism; there's only so many ways you can design a rectangular slab, and these are still two very premium and well-built smartphones. Both feature flat front and back panels (made by Corning), a brushed aluminum frame, as well as an IP68 rating for ingress protection.

The Galaxy S24 Plus has a triple-lens rear camera setup with the lenses arranged vertically, similar to the last-gen model. The iPhone 16 Plus sports a dual-lens camera system with a similar lens arrangement, ditching the diagonal lens layout of the previous-gen model. With the iPhone 16 Plus, you also get the new 'Camera Control' pad, as well as the customizable 'Action Button' that debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Although both Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Apple iPhone 16 Plus have absolutely gorgeous 6.7-inch OLED panels, only the former's display uses LTPO technology for better energy efficiency. The screen on the Galaxy S24 Plus also has a faster 120Hz refresh rate, and its slimmer bezels allow the smartphone to have a slightly smaller physical footprint.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Hardware and cameras

To no one's surprise, both smartphones come with the absolute best in terms of hardware. While the iPhone 16 Plus is helmed by Apple's homegrown A18 (3nm) chip and has 8GB of RAM, the Galaxy S24 Plus is driven by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) SoC and packs 12GB of RAM. The former can be had with up to 512GB of internal storage, while the latter is available with up to 1TB of onboard storage.

So, what do these specifications mean? To put it simply, blazing-fast performance. Whether it's multitasking, 4K video recording, or playing resource-heavy titles like Genshin Impact, the iPhone 16 Plus and the Galaxy S24 Plus rank up there with the best Android phones available in the market. These hardware specifications also power the various AI-based features (discussed later) that the two smartphones are packed with.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Apple iPhone 16 Plus have all kinds of connectivity and I/O options including multi-band 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, and USB Type-C with DisplayPort functionality.

Coming to cameras, now this is where things are a bit different. The iPhone 16 Plus features a dual-lens rear camera setup with a 48MP main sensor and a 12MP ultrawide module. The main 'Fusion' sensor can capture full-resolution photos or use sensor crop to shoot 2x 'optical-quality' zoom images, whereas the ultrawide module can also capture macro photos.

The Galaxy S24 Plus, on the other hand, comes with a proper triple-lens primary camera system having a 50MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide module, and a 10MP ultrawide unit with 3x optical zoom. Of course, the camera arrays on both of these smartphones are complemented by a wide range of software-based features such as auto HDR, live photos, creative image filters, editing tools, and more.

We already know that the Galaxy S24 Plus is easily one of the best Android camera phones out there, and even though it's probably too early to comment, the iPhone 16 Plus is quite likely to have a comparable camera performance as well. However, there's no denying that among the two, the Galaxy S24 Plus has a more versatile camera setup. No matter how good things like 'Fusion' and 'Camera Control' are, you just can't beat a dedicated telephoto sensor.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Software and battery

Running iOS and Android, respectively, the iPhone 16 Plus and the Galaxy S24 Plus are different yet similar when it comes to their software. Sure, these are competing operating systems we're talking about, but both platforms have matured quite a lot, thanks to years of continued development. As far as things like app support, data security, and general user experience are concerned, you can't go wrong with either of the two.

Then there's AI, because it's 2024 and every single gadget needs to have some kind of AI functionality baked into it. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Apple iPhone 16 Plus have their own collections of AI-based tools, clubbed under the monikers Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence, respectively. These enable things like live translation of calls, summarizing of textual content, and more.

While I still find the majority of these AI-powered features to be a bunch of hogwash, your mileage may vary. However, even if you do like them, it's worth noting that only Galaxy AI is available as of writing this article. If you prefer Apple Intelligence, you'll have to wait until later this year.

Lastly, let's talk about endurance. As noted by Android Central's Derrek Lee in his review, the Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a 4,900mAh battery that can easily keep the phone running for an entire day. When you do need to top it up, there's support for 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.

Conversely, the iPhone 16 Plus sports a slightly smaller 4,674mAh battery, but given the energy-efficient hardware, the phone should last quite a while before needing to be juiced up. You get support for 20W wired charging and up to 25W wireless charging with 'MagSafe' as well.

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: Which should you buy?

Apple iPhone 16 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus are both exceptional mobile devices. They offer premium hardware, top-tier software, class-leading cameras, and just about everything else you could possibly want in a modern-day flagship. With iOS finally allowing home screen customization and Android now offering years of platform updates, the operating systems that power these two smartphones have achieved sufficient feature parity as well. So, the question is, which one should you go for?

Here's our take! With a starting price of $899, the iPhone 16 Plus is the ideal choice if you're already comfortable with Apple's ecosystem and want things to stay that way. The phone has industry-leading performance, customizable physical controls, and the build quality is just amazing.

But if you want to switch from iOS to Android, or simply don't care about platforms and just want the most bang for your bucks, then the Galaxy S24 Plus is clearly the overall winner. Sure, it does have a higher starting price of $999, but those extra $100 give you a smartphone with a much better and power-efficient display, twice the storage, and a superior primary camera system.