Head to head

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs iPhone Air

iPhone Air leads 8 to 3 on the 11 rankable specs, but Samsung Galaxy S24 costs $200 less.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Weight: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 167 g (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 158 g (5.57 oz) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Size: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 6.2 inches (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 6.55 inches (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Chipset: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
RAM: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 8 GB (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 12 GB (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Max optical zoom: Samsung Galaxy S24 lists 3x optical (30x digital Space Zoom) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 2x (sensor crop) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your phone.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 3 to 8

Buy the iPhone Air.

Leads 8 of 11 rankable overall specs; Samsung Galaxy S24 takes 3.
Weight: 158 g vs 167 g
Size: 6.55 inches vs 6.2 inches
Samsung Galaxy S24 is $200 cheaper. Pay the difference only if weight matters to you.

3 Samsung Galaxy S2411 rankable of 48 specsiPhone Air 8

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No stylusrow
No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No
No headphone jackrow
Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No
No charger in the boxrow
Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No
No microSD slotrow
Storage is fixed at what you buy.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S24 · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

6 of 6 differ

Weight

Samsung

167 g

Apple

158 g (5.57 oz)

Size

Samsung

6.2 inches

Apple

6.55 inches

Chipset≠

Samsung

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm)

Apple

Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)

RAM

Samsung

8 GB

Apple

12 GB

Max optical zoom

Samsung

3x optical (30x digital Space Zoom)

Apple

2x (sensor crop)

Capacity

Samsung

4,000 mAh

Apple

3,200 mAh

True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Upfront price + 3 years of consumables, fees & essential add-ons

Samsung Galaxy S24

Upfront list price$799

Essential add-ons (25W USB-C charging brick (no charger in box))+$25

3-Year Estimated Total$824

iPhone Air

Upfront list price$999

3-Year Estimated Total$999

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

Samsung: What to watch for

Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Apple: What to watch for

Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Samsung Galaxy S24$7993 wins

iPhone Air$9998 wins

Body Display Platform Memory Rear camera Front camera Battery & charging Audio Connectivity Features

43 of 48 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Body

leads 1-0

Body specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Dimensions	147.0 × 70.6 × 7.6 mm	156.0 × 74.5 × 5.6 mm
Weight	167 g	158 g (5.57 oz) (wins this row: lower)
Build	Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front/back, Armor Aluminum 2 frame	Titanium-aluminum hybrid frame with Ceramic Shield front and back
Water / dust rating	IP68 (1.5 m / 30 min)	IP68 (up to 6m for 30 mins)
Colors	Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow	Space Black, Cloud White, Sky Blue, Light Gold
Stylus	No	No

Display

leads 4-0

Display specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Type	Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X	Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion
Size	6.2 inches	6.55 inches (wins this row: higher)
Resolution	1080 × 2340 (FHD+)	2736 × 1260 (wins this row: higher)
Pixel density	~416 ppi	460 ppi (wins this row: higher)
Refresh rate	1–120 Hz LTPO	120 Hz (1–120Hz ProMotion)
Peak brightness	2,600 nits peak	3,000 nits outdoor peak / 1,000 nits typical (wins this row: higher)
HDR	HDR10+	HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield (front and back)
Always-on display	Yes	Yes

Platform

5 differences

Platform specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Operating system	Android 14, One UI 6.1	iOS 19
Software support	7 major OS updates + 7 years security patches	5+ years estimated (typically 6-7 years)
Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4 nm)	Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)
CPU	8-core (1× Cortex-X4 + 5× A720 + 2× A520)	6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency)
GPU	Adreno 750	6-core Apple GPU with ray tracing

Memory

leads 2-0

Memory specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
RAM	8 GB	12 GB (wins this row: higher)
Storage	128 GB UFS 3.1	256 GB (wins this row: higher)
Storage options	128 GB / 256 GB	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
microSD	No	No

Rear camera

leads 2-0

Rear camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Main	50 MP, f/1.8, 24 mm, 1/1.56", Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS (wins this row: higher)	48 MP Fusion (f/1.6, 26mm, sensor-shift OIS, 2x in-sensor zoom)
Ultrawide	12 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120°	None
Telephoto	10 MP, f/2.4, 67 mm, 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS	None (2x lossless crop via 48MP main)
Max optical zoom	3x optical (30x digital Space Zoom) (wins this row: higher)	2x (sensor crop)
Stabilization	OIS on main and telephoto lenses	Sensor-shift OIS on 48MP Fusion camera
Video	8K 30 fps, 4K 60 fps, 1080p 240 fps	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision HDR, Spatial Video

Front camera

leads 1-0

Front camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Selfie camera	12 MP, f/2.2, 26 mm, Dual Pixel PDAF	24 MP TrueDepth with Center Stage (f/1.9, autofocus) (wins this row: higher)
Selfie video	4K 60 fps	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision HDR

Battery & charging

leads 1-0

Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Capacity	4,000 mAh (wins this row: higher)	3,200 mAh
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet	25 W fast wired (50% in 30 min)	Fast charging up to 50% in 30 min
Wireless charging	15 W Fast Wireless	25W MagSafe / 15W Qi2
Reverse wireless	4.5 W Wireless PowerShare	4.5W wired reverse charging
Charger in box	No	No

Audio

1 differences

Audio specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Speakers	Stereo speakers tuned by AKG	Stereo acoustic transducers with Spatial Audio
Headphone jack	No	No

Connectivity

6 differences

Connectivity specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Cellular	5G (sub-6 + mmWave)	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave in US)
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1 wireless chip
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4
NFC	Yes	Yes (Apple Pay)
USB	USB-C 3.2 Gen 1	USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
SIM	Dual nano-SIM + eSIM	Dual eSIM (US model, no physical SIM tray)

Features

3 differences

Features specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S24, right column is iPhone Air.
Biometrics	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint + Face unlock	Face ID (TrueDepth camera)
Extra controls	Power and Volume keys	Action Button, Camera Control button
Standout features	Circle to Search, Live Translate, Note Assist, Samsung DeX	Ultra-thin 5.6mm chassis, A19 Pro chip, Apple N1 wireless chip, Camera Control button, Action button, Apple Intelligence

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

Samsung Galaxy S24 source iPhone Air source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

Samsung Galaxy S24

Compact Android powerhouse with 6.2-inch 120Hz LTPO display, 3x telephoto, and Galaxy AI suite.

Extremely lightweight and compact 167g pocket-friendly design
Dedicated 3x optical telephoto camera on a base model
Bright 2,600 nit 1-120Hz LTPO display

What you give up

Charging capped at 25W wired
Base model starts with 128GB UFS 3.1 storage

Full Samsung Galaxy S24 specs →

Pick this one if

iPhone Air

Ultra-thin 5.6mm premium smartphone featuring titanium-aluminum design, 6.55-inch 120Hz ProMotion display, and A19 Pro processor.

Ultra-thin 5.6mm lightweight design (under 160g)
A19 Pro performance and 120Hz ProMotion display
Sleek futuristic minimalist aesthetic

What you give up

Single 48MP rear camera without dedicated ultrawide or telephoto lenses
Smaller battery capacity due to ultra-thin chassis

Full iPhone Air specs →

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S24.

Leads 2 of 3 rankable photos specs; iPhone Air takes 1.
Max optical zoom: 3x optical vs 2x
Main: 50 MP, f/1.8, 24 mm, 1/1.56", Dual Pixel… vs 48 MP Fusion
It is also $200 cheaper.

Battery & updates

All-day battery, fast top-ups and years of software support

Too close to call on battery & updates from the spec sheets. Only capacity is rankable here.

Wired charging: 25 W fast wired vs Fast charging up to 50% in 30 min
Wireless charging: 15 W Fast Wireless vs 25W MagSafe / 15W Qi2

Games & video

Games and streaming: chip, refresh rate, brightness, speakers

For games & video, buy the iPhone Air.

Leads 3 of 3 rankable games & video specs.
RAM: 12 GB vs 8 GB
Size: 6.55 inches vs 6.2 inches
Samsung Galaxy S24 is $200 cheaper. Pay the difference only if ram matters to you.

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

Samsung Galaxy S24 spec sheet iPhone Air spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S24 ↗ · iPhone Air ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S24 or the iPhone Air?

Samsung Galaxy S24 costs $200 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the Samsung Galaxy S24 or iPhone Air?

Both has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

Which is better for photos, the Samsung Galaxy S24 or the iPhone Air?

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S24. Leads 2 of 3 rankable photos specs; iPhone Air takes 1. Max optical zoom: 3x optical vs 2x

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 48 specs tracked here, 37 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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