Comparing the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the OnePlus 12: price, specs, design and more

January has witnessed a flurry of new smartphone releases each week, and OnePlus has entered the arena with the launch of the OnePlus 12 series. The OnePlus 12 brings with it new upgrades and features and has garnered a lot of attention. The Samsung Galaxy S24 series was also recently unveiled, and thus, we present a head-to-head comparison between two giants of the smartphone industry, the OnePlus 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S24.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: specs at a glance

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: price in India

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: design

The Samsung Galaxy S24 maintains the same design as last year’s S23. It features a center-positioned punch-hole cutout for the selfie shooter, narrow bezels surrounding the screen, and flat edges. On the right spine, you’ll find the volume and power buttons. A new design change is the aluminium frame, which matches the colour palette of the smartphone.

At the rear, the triple camera sensors are arranged separately, along with an LED flash and the Samsung logo. The smartphone comes with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The phone will be available in Amber Yellow, Cobalt Violet, Onyx Black, Sapphire Blue, and Jade Green colour options.

The OnePlus 12 comes in two colour options: Flowy Emerald and Silky Black. The Flowy Emerald stands out with its etched green marbling on the glass back, giving the smartphone a visually striking appearance. The black colour variant is for users who prefer a more subtle charm with a minimalist all-black panel. The positioning of the alert slider has changed to be on the left spine of the smartphone, with the volume buttons resting above the power button on the right spine.

The curved display and rear panel make up for a comfortable holding experience; however, the device’s weight, at 220g, may be a bit hefty, which might not appeal to all users. The camera module features Hasselblad branding, and the metal frame is also tinted green and blends into the overall colour palette of the smartphone. The device is rated IP65, which is dust-resistant but isn’t quite water-resistant. The Gorilla Glass 5 protects the rear glass panel from damage.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: display

The Samsung Galaxy S24 features a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 2,600nits of peak brightness. The panel has an adaptive refresh rate and can go from 1Hz for static content to 120Hz while gaming. The display comes with a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels (FHD+) and comes with HDR10+ support, which allows the smartphone to stream in HD on OTT platforms. The Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects the display panel against damage and scratches.

The OnePlus 12 features a 6.82-inch curved AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The flagship comes with an LTPO panel, which allows it to have an adaptive refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz. The panel has a resolution of 3,168 x 1,440 pixels (QHD+) and 4,500nits peak brightness, and it comes with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support. The display uses a Display P1 chip, which claims to deliver sharper and brighter pictures with lower power consumption. The flagship features Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection and comes with HyperTouch technology, which improves touch accuracy and reduces mis-touches.

Takeaways: Both smartphones feature excellent display panels that deliver an impressive visual experience. The OnePlus 12, in particular, boasts a higher-resolution panel and a larger display, which offers better visual quality. In contrast, the Galaxy S24 offers a more compact display, which could be preferred by some users. 

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S24 features a 50MP primary camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation), a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS. The phone has a 12MP front camera.

The OnePlus 12 features a 50MP Sony LYT-808 primary camera with OIS, a 64MP OmniVision 64B periscope lens with 3x telephoto zoom and 6x in-sensor zoom, and a 48MP ultra-wide camera. There is a 32MP selfie camera at the front.

Takeaways: Since we have not yet reviewed the Galaxy S24, we cannot comment on the camera performance of the device. The Samsung Galaxy S series, however, has consistently offered one of the best camera systems on a smartphone. The OnePlus 12 also impressed us with its camera performance in our review. 

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: performance and software

The Samsung Exynos 2400 SoC with an Xclipse 940 GPU powers the Galaxy S24 Indian model. The global variants come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The chipset is paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The device operates on OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14 out of the box.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC with Adreno 750 GPU powers the OnePlus 12. It comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The smartphone operates on OxygenOS 14.0, based on Android 14, out of the box.

Takeaways: The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+ come with the Exynos 2400 chipset this year, which could disappoint users that were hoping for a Snapdragon chipset. The Galaxy S24 should still offer flagship-level performance. The OnePlus 12 equips the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and offers an impressive performance output.

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs OnePlus 12: battery and charging

A 4,000mAh battery powers the Samsung Galaxy S24, and it comes with 25W fast charging support. There is also wireless charging support. In comparison, a 5,400mAh battery powers the OnePlus 12, and it comes with 100W SUPERVOOC wired charging and 50W AIRVOOC fast charging support. 

Takeaways: In terms of battery, the OnePlus 12 takes the lead, with a higher-rated battery and a much faster charging speed. Interestingly, the OnePlus 12’s wireless charging speed also exceeds the Samsung Galaxy S24 standard charging speed.