The iPhone 15 Pro (and Pro Max) were launched by Apple to the general public on September 22, 2023. Just a few months later, on January 16, 2024, Samsung launched its flagship smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra. The iPhone Pro and the Galaxy are collectively among the most premium smartphone offerings on the market today. They both offer the bleeding-edge of today’s available technology.
I have had a good time (6+ months) with both the flagship offerings, the iPhone 15 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24. Spending this much time with a phone over a period of six months has given me a perspective on what the best of the iOS and Android worlds are about. During this period, I never used the two phones in tandem. I pick up one phone, use it for around a month, then replace it with the other, and replace it back with the previous phone a few weeks later, depending on my mood, my millennial jadedness, or my boredom. There is no methodology or system that decides when and why I change my phone. I switch when I want to, with no editorial pressure.
I follow this unsystematic system because my core motive is to get rid of any biases whatsoever. Even though I’ve belonged to the #pcmasterrace team for 15+ years, I still get accused time and again of being an Apple fanboy, only because of the praise I’ve handed down to some Apple devices (MacBooks, in particular) and services (Apple Music, Apple Arcade). I’ve also been accused of being a OnePlus fanboy, even though the Android phones I purchased for myself, and my family have always been a Samsung Galaxy or a Google Pixel. I understand that biases are very natural, human, and sub-conscious in nature, and it is close to impossible to be a victim of them.
Having laid out my methodology and approach for both of these phones, let’s get to the meat of my study.
iPhone 15 Pro – Pros
Better OS
iOS as an ecosystem is more clinical in execution than Android. Some could even say that it is more “human.” That really should be a given, considering iOS is designed by Apple in-house, as is the chip that powers it. Android, on the other hand, is made to work alongside a wide variety of hardware, from low-end to flagship processors, from phones with 3.5mm outlets to phones with USB C outlets. There is just so much variation in the Android hardware ecosystem that it is difficult to get a seamless experience across all the devices, like it is possible on iOS.
Faster Gaming
The iPhone 15 Pro is hands down the best gaming phone on the market right now, apart from its elder brother, the 15 Pro Max. Gaming on an iPhone 15 Pro means you’ll never experience any frame drops, even during long sessions. This performance has partly to do with the Bionic A17 processor, but more than that, we believe it is the OS optimisation. Apple’s framework and top-to-bottom uniformity make it easier for developers to leverage the power of Apple’s hardware. The same is not true for Android.
Better Display
The iPhone 15 Pro features an LTPO OLED panel that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, or as Apple calls it, “ProMotion.” Both the S25 and 15 Pro screens are largely similar; only the iPhone beats the S24 in terms of pixels per inch (461 ppi against 416). That is more than a 10% difference in pixel density. The iPhone display also executes HDR content better than the Samsung. It supports HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. The iPhone 15 Pro has a brighter display too, peaking at 1786 nits versus the Galaxy S24’s 1401 nits. Both devices have great screens; the iPhone 15 Pro’s display is just slightly better than the Samsung Galaxy S24.
A better point-and-shoot camera
Image Credit: Apple
Phone cameras have become so advanced. Take a look at what Google has done with its Pixel 8 or Samsung with its S23 and S24 series. These devices have some serious lens technology and shine in almost every situation. There is a caveat, though. To get the best pictures, one needs to tinker around with the lens settings: ISO, exposure, colour temperature, etc. On an iPhone 15 Pro, all you need to do is point and shoot, and you get great-looking photos. Very few people actually have a technical understanding of advanced camera settings, so they seldom take advantage of the camera technology available in Galaxy phones. iPhone users don’t have that problem. The system is designed to produce breathtaking pictures without the need to even be aware of the settings.
A better low-light camera
Once again, taking great low-light pictures requires some knowledge of the camera settings. The iPhone 15 Pro automatically switches to night mode when it detects low light and produces exceptional photos without overexposing any details. Maybe the Samsung S24 can take better low-light pictures, but it requires some fiddling in the settings. The S24’s night mode does well in low-light conditions, but there are traces of overexposure even today.
Better for video shooting
The iPhone 15 Pro’s cinematic and action modes have set a benchmark in filmmaking. YouTube is crowded heavily with movies shot exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro. That’s because it’s a great phone for shooting videos. Apple’s HDR implementation trumps that of any other phone manufacturer. The S24 might offer 8K video recording, which the iPhone doesn’t, but the overall presentation on an iPhone 15 Pro is much more sublime.
More Efficient
The iPhone 15 Pro uses Apple’s in-house-developed A17 Bionic processor. This processor has superior performance and efficiency, which translates to better heat and power management, smoother games, and, overall, more snappiness. Also, Apple’s chip performance doesn’t degrade with time, as is the case with most Snapdragon and Mediatek mobile processors. The Galaxy S24 Plus and Ultra have better battery life than the iPhone 15 Pro, but that is only because they physically have significantly larger batteries than the iPhone 15 Pro. Efficiency-wise, the ARM-based Apple line of chips has set the industry standard.
Better Speakers
The iPhone 15 Pro, just like the Samsung Galaxy S24, has dual stereo speakers. Sure, the S24 can get louder than the iPhone, but the 15 Pro’s speakers have much more detail, sound richer, and have more bass. The Galaxy S24’s speakers tend to have an ear-piercing effect when running at high volumes. This problem has plagued Galaxy phones since time immemorial. Even the call quality on the loudspeaker of the iPhone 15 Pro is aeons better than the Galaxy S24.
Apps run better
Due to congruence in Apple’s ecosystem (processor, operating system, and device hardware), apps in general run much smoother than the Galaxy S24. Just use Instagram simultaneously for 20 minutes. No matter how fast a Qualcomm chip is, you will find the occasional hiccup (drop in frames) and loss of snappiness. The same cannot be said for Instagram’s performance on the iPhone 15 Pro. The app runs so smoothly and snappily; the difference alone makes it worth buying an iPhone over the Galaxy S24 if you want the most clinical app performance.
Works seamlessly in the Apple Ecosystem
This is one aspect where Samsung has been playing catch-up with Apple but is nowhere nearby. If you invest in the Apple ecosystem and use a MacBook, Apple Watch, and AirPods together, you will be blown away by how seamlessly the ecosystem works together. We have described the way the ecosystem works in this article. When you experience it for the first time, it truly feels like magic.
MagSafe
You won’t believe just how handy Apple’s MagSafe wireless charging technology is. Samsung does not have any competition for this. The iPhone 15 Pro, once on the MagSafe charger, turns into a completely different device. It becomes a legit bedside clock, and it uses the phone’s sensors to give a very human-like clock experience. When you switch the lights off, the clock dims. When you switch the nightlights on, the clock brightens only marginally. When you shut your eyes, the clock switches off. If you wake up in the middle of the night and look at the phone, the clock turns on. Now that is almost human-like. What an application for using MagSafe chargers!
Samsung Galaxy S24 – Pros
Runs cooler
The Apple A17 Bionic chips have a tendency to run hot. A lot of iPhone 15 Pro users have reported heat-ups, even when not using demanding apps. When the iPhone 15 Pro was launched, the phone stayed consistently warm, even when browsing the internet or scrolling through social media. Subsequent upgrades by Apple have improved the situation, but you will barely find the Samsung Galaxy S24 heating up unless you are using demanding applications or playing demanding games. For the majority of the other parts, the Galaxy S24 phones stay cool as cucumber.
Reverse Wireless Charging
You won’t believe how many times this feature has been the saving grace, reviving phones of friends and family when on the go. If your phone supports wireless charging and you’re out of battery, you can use the Samsung Galaxy S24’s reverse charging technology to draw power to your phone. The charging is slow, but it works.
Charges faster
The Samsung flagships have been leading in this aspect since the smartphone wars began. The Galaxy S24 can charge from 0 to 100% in a total of 65 minutes. The iPhone 15 Pro does the same in 95 minutes, which is around 40% slower than the Galaxy. The S24 can also charge to 80% within 40 minutes, while the iPhone takes 60 minutes to breach that mark.
Conclusion
With the pros of the iPhone 15 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 laid out, we hope we can aid your buying decision. Both phones are great, no doubt. They offer the best in today’s day and age, but there are some things that one phone does better the other. If that is your criteria for selecting a phone, well, you know what your answer is going to be. However, if you the kind of buyer that will stick to one camp regardless of the pros and cons, congratulations, you’re the person the smartphone industry needs!
iOS as an ecosystem is more clinical in execution than Android. Some could even say that it is more “human.” That really should be a given, considering iOS is designed by Apple in-house, as is the chip that powers it. Android, on the other hand, is made to work alongside a wide variety of hardware, from low-end to flagship processors, from phones with 3.5mm outlets to phones with USB C outlets. There is just so much variation in the Android hardware ecosystem that it is difficult to get a seamless experience across all the devices, like it is possible on iOS.
The iPhone 15 Pro’s cinematic and action modes have set a benchmark in filmmaking. YouTube is crowded heavily with movies shot exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro. That’s because it’s a great phone for shooting videos. Apple’s HDR implementation trumps that of any other phone manufacturer. The S24 might offer 8K video recording, which the iPhone doesn’t, but the overall presentation on an iPhone 15 Pro is much more sublime.
This is one aspect where Samsung has been playing catch-up with Apple but is nowhere nearby. If you invest in the Apple ecosystem and use a MacBook, Apple Watch, and AirPods together, you will be blown away by how seamlessly the ecosystem works together. We have described the way the ecosystem works in this article. When you experience it for the first time, it truly feels like magic.
You won’t believe just how handy Apple’s MagSafe wireless charging technology is. Samsung does not have any competition for this. The iPhone 15 Pro, once on the MagSafe charger, turns into a completely different device. It becomes a legit bedside clock, and it uses the phone’s sensors to give a very human-like clock experience. When you switch the lights off, the clock dims. When you switch the nightlights on, the clock brightens only marginally. When you shut your eyes, the clock switches off. If you wake up in the middle of the night and look at the phone, the clock turns on. Now that is almost human-like. What an application for using MagSafe chargers!
