Samsung Galaxy S24: Prices, specs and availability in Australia
Galaxy AI steals the show as Samsung officially unveils the S24 series after months of hype.
The first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked for 2024 has launched us straight into the first major phone reveal of the year.
This time around, the focus isn't on a whole bunch of different announcements. Instead, Samsung's bidding on Galaxy AI and modest refinements on last year's models to gather a fan following for its flagship S Series.
Expect its AI to change the way you browse the internet, edit images, communicate with people in different languages and more.
The S24 Ultra will also become the first Samsung phone to feature titanium and is being bragged as a gamer's phone of choice with its console-like experience.
You can also expect up to 10x optical zoom, but that's predominantly with the help of AI.
Across all 3 models you'll see the design's been tweaked just a little bit to incorporate thinner bezels. Brightness has also been increased on the display for better outdoor visibility.
Samsung's also highlighted the lineup's Nitogpraphy potential in dim settings. I only got a brief glimpse of this, but the results looked stunning.
Samsung Galaxy S24 prices in Australia
Prices for the S24 series start at $1,399 and go up to $2,799.
As expected, the S24 Ultra has been hit by the biggest price increase. The 256GB model is $250 more expensive. The 512GB and 1TB variants will cost $150 more.
Samsung's also ditched the 128GB base model and instead, decreased the cost of the 256GB variant by $100.
And lastly, the S24 Plus 256GB variant is $50 more expensive compared to its predecessor.
Here's a full list of S24 prices in Australia:
| Model | Australian RRP |
|---|---|
| S24 256GB | $1,399 |
| S24 512GB | $1,599 |
| S24 Plus 256GB | $1,699 |
| S24 Plus 512GB | $1,899 |
| S24 Ultra 256GB | $2,199 |
| S24 Ultra 512GB | $2,399 |
| S24 Ultra 1TB | $2,799 |
Samsung Galaxy S24 availability in Australia
Pre-orders for the S24 series are underway as of 18 January 2024.
You'll be able to buy any of the models directly from Samsung or retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.
Alternatively, you can get it on a phone plan from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone.
The lineup will officially go on sale from 7 February 2024.
Samsung Galaxy S24 series: Specs and features
Here's a quick rundown of all the specs across all 3 models before we jump into exactly what was 'unpacked' at the event.
| S24 | S24 Plus | S24 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colours | Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet and Amber Yellow. Online exclusive colours: Sapphire Blue, Jade Green and Sandstone Orange | Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet and Amber Yellow. Online exclusive colours: Sapphire Blue, Jade Green and Sandstone Orange | Titanium Grey, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet and Titanium Yellow. Online exclusive colours: Titanium Blue, Titanium Green and Titanium Orange |
| Display | 6.2 inches | 6.7 inches | 6.8-inches |
| Dimensions and weight | 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm, 167g | 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm, 196g | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm, 232g |
| Camera | 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 50MP wide camera, 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, 12MP front camera with 3x optical zoom | 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 50MP wide camera, 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. 12MP front camera with 3x optical zoom | 12MP ultra-wide camera, 200MP wide camera, 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, 10MP front camera with 3x optical zoom |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 4,900 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| OS | Android 14, One UI 6.1 | Android 14, One UI 6.1 | Android 14, One UI 6.1 |
| Processor | Exynos 2400 | Exynos 2400 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
Galaxy AI takes the front stage at the S24 series launch
Samsung claims to be entering a 'new era of Mobile AI' with the unveiling of its S24 lineup.
On top of the list is the way it's using AI to improve communications. Spoiler alert: This will make travelling so much easier down the line.
- Live Translate: Have 2-way conversations (voice and text) in real-time with someone who speaks a different language. No third-party apps are required.
- Interpreter: Use a split screen view on your phone as live conversations get instantly translated for yourself and the person speaking with you. No mobile data or Wi-Fi is needed.
- Chat Assist: AI built into the Samsung Keyboard will help you write better messages. It'll tweak what you've written into various styles: conversational for a friend, polite for work-related matters or catchy for social media.
- Note Assist: You'll find this feature within Samsung Notes. This will take away the boring chore of creating templates, generating summaries and then formatting the notes in an easy-to-read manner.
- Transcript Assist: For voice recordings (even with multiple speakers), Transcript Assist will use AI and speech-to-text to transcribe the recordings for you and summarise them as well which is handy.
So far, 13 languages have been added to Google AI's database and hopefully we'll see more down the line.
Other funky AI-related features announced include Circle to Search (in partnership with Google). And it's exactly how it sounds.
You circle images or circle text to get more information. For example, if you've just taken an image of a flower you know nothing about, simply circle the flower and get more information on it.
Last but not least are Edit Assist and Instant Slow-mo. You'll find a 3-star icon on the corner of any picture you've taken. AI will offer edit suggestions and fix it up for you.
For example, it can resize certain parts of an image, edit out reflections or help fill in the borders when a picture is crooked thanks to its Generative Edit function.
With Instant Slow-mo, you can get AI to generate additional frames to slow down an action-packed film. It can even be something downloaded off the internet.
All of these features will resonate more when they're being used and of course, with any new tech or innovation there's likely going to be a teething phase. Overall, I reckon Samsung's given just enough to avoid making this a subdued unveiling.
Compare S24 pre-order deals from the major telcos to see which one is offering more bang for your buck.