Samsung Galaxy S24+ Marble Gray 256GB

With a 91.1/100 flagship score, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and 12GB of RAM, the Galaxy S24+ is an absolute powerhouse now available between $435 and $470. It's in the top 5% for battery life we've measured, and the 2600-nit AMOLED screen stays visible even in direct sun. Just know it's a large phone that isn't trying to be compact, and the 15W wireless charging lags behind some rivals.

Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, clocked at up to 3.30GHz, tears through benchmarks and daily use. Combined with 12GB of RAM, it's one of the best performers in our database, landing around the 92nd percentile. Real-world tasks, from editing 8K video to juggling dozens of browser tabs, feel instantaneous. The 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage keeps app launch times practically non-existent.

For gaming, the 120Hz display and robust GPU push frame rates high in demanding titles, scoring 89.6/100 in our gaming metric. Thermals are well-managed, with only mild warmth after extended sessions. The vapor chamber cooling does its job quietly, letting the chip maintain peak speeds far longer than the average phone we've tested.

Stacked against the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the S24+ counters with faster charging, a brighter display, and more RAM at roughly half the price, though iOS loyalists won't be swayed. The Galaxy S26 Ultra outclasses it on zoom reach and raw processing power, but costs nearly three times as much. The Galaxy S24 Ultra adds a sharper 200MP main camera and S Pen support for those who want Samsung's best, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL brings Google's cleaner Android build and superior computational photography, though neither can match the S24+ on price. The Motorola razr ultra 2025 offers a foldable form factor and pocket-friendly design the S24+ can't match, while the Pixel 10a remains the budget pick, though its mid-range processor can't touch the Snapdragon's muscle.

At $435 to $470, the S24+ has dropped into a price bracket that makes it one of the best flagship deals we've ever tracked. You're getting a 91.1-rated device with top-tier connectivity, battery, and camera chops for less than many mid-range phones. The combination of 12GB RAM and a bright 120Hz AMOLED at this price feels almost unfair to the competition. Unless you absolutely require the bleeding-edge camera zoom of a $1,200 ultra, this is the easiest value recommendation we've made in months.

The Galaxy S24+ lands with a 91.1/100 flagship score in our testing, powered by a specially-tuned Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a generous 12GB of RAM. That's enough to put it in the top tier of Android phones we've ever evaluated, alongside a 6.7" 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED that peaks at a searing 2600 nits. With a 4900mAh battery and 45W wired charging, it's built to last through long days without hunting for an outlet, and the trio of rear cameras, led by a 50MP main sensor and 3x optical zoom, stacks up well against almost any rival.

It's not just a spec sheet monster, though. The blend of UFS 4.0 storage, Wi-Fi 7, and IP68 water resistance makes this a thoroughly modern handset. Our database shows the S24+ in the 92nd performance percentile and an even more impressive 95th for battery longevity, meaning it'll handle heavy multitasking and gaming without breaking a sweat. The only real sacrifices are physical: this is a large, not-very-compact slab that may feel unwieldy in smaller hands.

This phone isn't for anyone who values pocketability above all else, as our compactness scoring pegs it at just 76.6/100. If you're prone to juggling your phone one-handed or prefer something that disappears into skinny jeans, look at the standard Galaxy S24. Dedicated mobile gamers who want the absolute highest sustained frame rates and additional cooling might find the ROG Phone 9 Pro a better fit, provided they're willing to pay more and give up Samsung's software polish.

The Galaxy S24+ is a data-backed winner that earns its 91.1/100 score with a brilliant display, beastly performance, and marathon battery life. At its new sub-$470 price, it's not just a great phone, it's one of the best values in the entire smartphone market. It's not the smallest or most hyped phone, but it consistently delivers where it counts. Unless you're dead set on a one-handed device or insist on the fastest possible wireless charging, this is the Android phone we'd happily recommend to anyone seeking a big-screen powerhouse without spending flagship money.