Samsung Galaxy S24 in 2026: The Compact Android That Holds Up

Two and a half years after launch, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is still one of the most capable phones you can buy. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside still matches the S26 in gaming benchmarks. Five years of major OS updates remain, running through 2031. And the refurbished price starts from €350. That is a flagship-calibre phone at a very non-flagship price.

Quick facts:

Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (Exynos 2400 in European-market units)
Display: 6.2" AMOLED, HDR10+, dynamic refresh rate
Cameras: 50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, 10 MP telephoto (3x optical)
Battery: 4,000 mAh
OS updates until: 2031 (Samsung's 7-year pledge)
Refurbished from: €350–400

Still blazing fast in 2026 — here's the proof

In April 2026, Matthews Tech put the Samsung Galaxy S24 next to the brand-new S26 and found it "just as fast in my testing" across gaming benchmarks. PUBG runs at 120 fps. Call of Duty hits max frames. Multitasking is "always smooth, always just a great experience."

That is not coincidence. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still a powerful chip. And if you pick the 256 GB variant, you also get UFS 4.0 storage for faster file transfers. (Note: the 128 GB model uses the slower UFS 3.1 standard — worth knowing for video editors and heavy file workflows.)

The 7-year OS update pledge runs to 2031. As Matthews Tech put it: "by the time updates end, you will have 100% got your money's worth."

Shop refurbished Samsung Galaxy S24

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs S24+ vs S24 Ultra: the key differences

Refurbished price on refurbed

From €350–400

Display

6.2" AMOLED, HDR10+

Battery

4,000 mAh

Charging

25W wired, 15W wireless

Main camera

50 MP

Extra cameras

12 MP ultrawide, 10 MP telephoto

S Pen

Weight

167 g

Best for

Compact size, strong value

From €440–490

6.7" AMOLED, HDR10+

4,900 mAh

45W wired, 15W wireless

50 MP

12 MP ultrawide, 10 MP telephoto

196 g

Bigger screen, faster charging

From €550–600

6.8" AMOLED, HDR10+

5,000 mAh

45W wired, 15W wireless

200 MP

50 MP periscope tele, 12 MP ultrawide, 10 MP tele

Yes

232 g

S Pen, pro photography

What the Samsung Galaxy S24 genuinely gets right

A display that holds its own. All eight independent reviewers in our intel pool agreed on one thing: the display is the S24's standout hardware upgrade. It is vivid, flagship-bright, and stays readable in full sunlight where many phones give up. At 6.2", it packs enough screen to be useful without tipping into phablet territory.

The fingerprint sensor is class-leading. Reviewer Dion Schuddeboom described the ultrasonic under-display sensor as "the best fingerprint sensor on any phone — super fast and reliable." Multiple independent reviewers agree, without exception.

A camera app that simply works. Sam Beckman used the Samsung Galaxy S24 as his daily driver for six months, having switched from a Pixel 8 Pro specifically because of camera app reliability. His verdict after 26 weeks: "the camera app itself just does not have any issues whatsoever." The Pixel 8 Pro and Nothing Phone 2 both had documented camera app glitches in the same period. The 50 MP main lens produces consistent, colour-accurate results shot after shot.

Circle to Search. Hold the home button, circle anything on screen, and Google searches it — without leaving whatever app you are in. MKBHD tested it extensively: "much faster than Google Lens — one step vs multiple; almost always works; I was constantly impressed." It is the Galaxy AI feature with the broadest real-world praise across all eight reviews.

Customisation depth no other Android matches. Samsung's Good Lock app and its Home Up module let you create wider icon grids, hide the navigation bar, reorder settings menus, and build custom layouts that stock Android and Pixel launchers cannot replicate without third-party tools. For buyers who want to make a phone feel entirely their own, the S24 is the benchmark.

Samsung Galaxy S24 tips and tricks: features most buyers never find

The Samsung Galaxy S24 has considerably more depth than the default setup menus suggest. Most of the best features require a Galaxy Store visit or a specific settings path.

Instant Slow-Mo. Open any video in the gallery, press play, then tap and hold the screen. The video drops into real-time slow motion for as long as you hold. It works on downloaded videos, not just footage you shot yourself. Reviewer Hayls World: "I haven't seen this on any other phone."

Dual Record Mode. Go to Camera, then More, then Dual Record. The phone records simultaneously from two lenses — you choose the pair. Both clips can be saved as separate files, which is particularly useful for video content.

Galaxy Enhance-X (Galaxy Store — not in the standard photo editor). This free app can convert any video to slow-motion, turn a landscape photo into a 24-hour timelapse with simulated sunrise and sunset colour shifts, and remove shadows, reflections, and noise. Hayls World: "tools you won't find in the standard editor — definitely check it out."

Drag to Share. Tap and hold any photo in the gallery, then drag it directly into WhatsApp or any open app. No saving step needed. Works from Samsung Internet too — drag an image from a web page straight into a chat.

Zoom-in Mic. Download Camera Assistant from the Galaxy Store and enable Audio Monitoring. Connect Bluetooth earbuds, zoom in while filming, and the subject's audio plays in your ears in real time. Hayls World, with considerable enthusiasm: "if you zoom in on someone while recording, you'll hear what they're saying through your buds."

Portrait Blur re-focus. Swipe up on any portrait photo in the gallery. Tap anywhere in the frame to shift the focus point after the shot. Several blur styles are available, including spin blur.

Process AI on Device. Go to Settings, then Advanced Intelligence, then toggle "process data only on device." Galaxy AI runs locally and nothing is sent to Samsung's servers.

Honest limitations: what to know before buying

25W charging is the most visible gap within the S24 lineup. The base Samsung Galaxy S24 charges to full in around 1.5 hours — not a problem if you charge overnight, but slower than you might expect if you top up mid-day. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra both charge at 45W. As reviewer Dion Schuddeboom put it: "not an issue overnight, but that top-up won't be so quick." If fast mid-day charging matters to your routine, the S24+ is worth the step up.

GPS latency bug — check the firmware. Sam Beckman documented a Maps delay bug across five separate incidents on multiple S24 units in mid-2024, calling it "a proper deal-breaker for some users." It may have been resolved in later software updates. Before relying on navigation, check that the phone is running current firmware and test Maps on a route you know.

8 GB RAM has a ceiling. Simple Alpaca flagged this in their 2026 review: for heavy multitaskers running many apps at once, 8 GB "may not be that great of a performing device." The S24+ and Ultra both offer 12 GB.

4K 60fps locks to the main lens. When filming at 4K 60fps, the camera is locked to the primary 50 MP sensor — no switching to the telephoto. At 4K 30fps, lens switching works normally. This limitation is absent from most English-language reviews but was confirmed independently by two Italian reviewers who tested it side by side.

Storage speed depends on the capacity you buy. The 128 GB variant uses UFS 3.1 storage. The 256 GB variant uses the faster UFS 4.0. Matthews Tech: "if you want faster transfer speeds, make sure you get the 256 GB." It matters most for video export and large file workflows.

Exynos variant: expect more variable battery. The European Exynos 2400 draws roughly 15% more power than the Snapdragon variant. Sam Beckman tracked six months on the Exynos S24 and commonly finished days at around 20% charge — noticeably below the 50%+ he regularly saw on the S23. Snapdragon buyers can reliably expect six or more hours of screen-on time.

Galaxy AI in 2026: what's useful and what isn't

Still running. As of April 2026, Circle to Search, Gemini, Chat Translation, and the core Galaxy AI features are all confirmed active. Matthews Tech tested them directly. The original "free until end of 2025" window passed without a paywall appearing. Long-term availability is still an open question, but there is no restriction today.

Features worth using:

Circle to Search — the standout. Hold the home button, draw a circle around anything on screen, and Google returns a result instantly. Consistently faster than Google Lens in every real-world test across five reviewers.
Chat Translation — two-way, real-time translation inside any messaging app. TuttoAndroid compared it directly to Pixel's implementation and found the S24 better: it keeps the original message and adds the translation below, rather than overwriting it.
Recording and note summaries — drop a long voice memo or PDF into the Notes app and the AI condenses it.
Photo shadow and reflection removal — reliable in most cases, saves editing time.

Features that are hit or miss:

Voice transcription — reviewer Dion Schuddeboom: "has not been accurate enough to really count on — mistakes around names, will confuse speakers."
Live Call Translation: TuttoAndroid field-tested a consistent failure mode: the automated announcement the feature plays before connecting causes recipients to hang up, assuming it is a spam call. Works better for calls where both parties have agreed to use it in advance.
Full photo object manipulation (moving subjects, recomposing scenes) — "hit or miss — works well in some instances, not others."

One technical point worth knowing: most Galaxy AI features are processed in the cloud. That means the Exynos vs Snapdragon debate has almost no bearing on AI speed or quality for these tasks. This was confirmed in a live side-by-side comparison between an Exynos Samsung Galaxy S24 and a Snapdragon S24 Ultra.

The Case for Buying the Galaxy S24 Refurbished

Refurbished means professionally tested, cleaned, and reset — not second-hand. On refurbed, every Samsung Galaxy S24 comes with a minimum 12-month warranty and a 30-day return window. Battery health is disclosed before you buy, which matters here: reviewer Simple Alpaca noted in their 2026 review that "if you're getting an older phone, the battery may have degraded a little bit over time." Check the battery grade when comparing listings.

The longevity argument is unusually strong. Five years of major Android updates remain as of 2026, carrying the phone through to 2031. Simple Alpaca's reaction: that "can rival some flagships coming out now, which is kind of crazy." For a refurbished purchase, that kind of software runway is rare.

There is also a form factor argument. The S26 grew to 6.3". The Samsung Galaxy S24 at 6.2" and 167 g is increasingly rare for buyers who want a genuinely pocketable Android without giving up flagship internals. If compact is important to you, the window on this size in the S-series is closing.

The environmental case is just as compelling. Research by Fraunhofer Austria (verified to ISO 14040/14044 standards) shows that buying a refurbished Samsung Galaxy S24 instead of a new one SAVED:

83% CO₂ SAVED ↓ — 66.1 kg CO₂, equivalent to around 462 km not driven
87% virtual water SAVED ↓ — 24,693 litres, roughly 165 bathtubs
73% e-waste SAVED ↓ — 137.1 g of electronic waste not generated
64% critical raw materials SAVED ↓ — 35 g less critical materials used
96% conflict materials SAVED ↓ — 1.15 g less conflict-sourced raw materials

Step up to the Samsung Galaxy S24+ (84% CO₂ SAVED ↓, 88% water SAVED ↓) or S24 Ultra (86% CO₂ SAVED ↓, 89% water SAVED ↓) and the savings grow further.

Samsung Galaxy S24 refurbished from refurbed

More Samsung Galaxy models on refurbed

Galaxy S24+ — from €440

Galaxy S24 Ultra — from €550

Galaxy S24 FE — from €360

Galaxy S23 — previous-gen value

Samsung Galaxy S24 FAQ

Is the Samsung Galaxy S24 still worth buying in 2026?

Yes, for most buyers. Five years of major OS updates remain, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is still competitive with 2026 flagships in gaming benchmarks, and refurbished pricing from €350–400 on refurbed makes the value case strong. Best for: compact flagship seekers, budget-conscious gamers, and anyone who wants a phone they won't need to replace for years.

Snapdragon or Exynos — which should I choose?

Snapdragon if possible. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 variant (US and some Asian-market units) delivers around six hours of screen-on time reliably. The European Exynos 2400 is capable in daily use, but Sam Beckman tracked six months of real-world use and commonly ended days at around 20% charge. When buying refurbished, check the variant listed by the seller.

Does Galaxy AI still work in 2026?

Yes. Circle to Search, Chat Translation, Gemini, and the core AI features are all confirmed active in April 2026. The original "free until 2025" deadline passed without a paywall appearing. Long-term availability is still uncertain, but no restriction exists today.

What is the real difference between the Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24+?

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ starts from €440–490 refurbished — around €90 more than the S24. For that difference you get 45W fast charging (vs 25W), a 6.7" display (vs 6.2"), and a 4,900 mAh battery (vs 4,000 mAh). The main camera hardware is essentially identical across both models. If you rapid-charge during the day or run many apps simultaneously, the S24+ is worth the step up.

What is the Samsung Galaxy S24 battery life like?

Snapdragon variant: six or more hours of screen-on time — all-day for most users. Exynos variant: more variable. Sam Beckman tracked the Exynos S24 for six months and commonly ended days at around 20% charge. The 4,000 mAh battery is adequate but not the strongest in its class.

Shop the Samsung Galaxy S24 on refurbed

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is still a flagship-calibre phone at a non-flagship price. Professionally tested. Minimum 12-month warranty. Five years of software support ahead. Find your Samsung Galaxy S24 on refurbed and see current stock, battery grades, and pricing.

Find your Samsung Galaxy S24