OnePlus 12 vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Which smartphone is best for you?

This article is part of our series?Battle of the Brands, in which we compare category-leading products to their counterparts to determine which are actually worth your money.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra may be one of the best phones of 2024 so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to stiff competition. The OnePlus 12, the latest flagship from OnePlus, offers an impressive list of specs, a beautiful design and a starting price much lower than that of the S24 Ultra.

It’s easy to ignore the OnePlus 12 and decide that the Samsung phone is better simply because it’s from Samsung, but in using both phones for the past few weeks, I’ve been impressed with how close the experiences are to each other. Sure, the S24 Ultra does a number of things better than the OnePlus 12, but there are some key areas where OnePlus outshines Samsung and makes its lower starting price all that much more appealing.

So, should you buy the $800 OnePlus 12 or the $1,300 S24 Ultra? Let’s take a look.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. OnePlus 12 at a glance

Quick comparison

High-end designs with superior screen quality

Pick either of these phones up and you’ll be greeted by a glass and metal sandwich, like most modern flagship phones. To me, the OnePlus 12 feels much more comfortable to hold since OnePlus curved the glass on the sides and made it a bit more narrow than the S24 Ultra, which in comparison feels boxier and almost like a notepad. Neither of these devices are small, however, so if you don’t like big phones, your best bet is to consider something like the regular Galaxy S24 or the Google Pixel 8 instead.

The S24 Ultra looks basically the same as the S23 Ultra with its camera modules scattered around the top left corner, a huge screen with squared-off corners and flat sides. The OnePlus 12 is no stranger to copying its predecessor either, maintaining a similarly huge circular camera landing pad as the OnePlus 11 that, according to OnePlus, was inspired by luxury watches. The good news is that their designs are very different, so you’ll have no problem standing out regardless of the one you choose.

While they’re each made of metal and glass, the S24 Ultra is slightly more durable than the OnePlus 12. It has Corning Gorilla Armor on the front and back, a titanium frame along the sides and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 12 has slightly weaker Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front, standard Gorilla Glass on the back, an aluminum frame and an IP65 certification. These aren’t huge differences, but at least on paper, you’ll have less of a chance of your phone cracking or drowning if you get the S24 Ultra.

When it comes to display quality, I was surprised by just how close they are. Both Samsung and OnePlus use AMOLED panels for their devices, and they’re both big, sharp and ridiculously bright. The S24 Ultra gets a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 3120 x 1440 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and 2,600 nits of peak brightness. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 12 uses a slightly larger 6.82-inch screen with a 3168 x 1440 resolution, the same 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 4,500 nits.

That’s a huge boost in brightness compared to the S24 Ultra, and it gives you more headroom for environments that are particularly bright, such as a sunny beach. However, it’s worth noting that you’ll almost never go beyond 3,000 nits because of the way OnePlus has designed its system; while the screen can technically reach 4,500 nits, it’s basically impossible to hit that peak unless you’re running a test on it with a flashlight or something. And even then, only a portion of the screen will actually reach 4,500 nits, not the whole thing.

Still, the extra brightness gives the OnePlus 12 one of the best displays on the market. Its color accuracy, sharpness and implementation is virtually on par with Samsung, which is a difficult feat to achieve given how excellent Samsung’s phone screens have been over the years. I don’t think you’ll find fault with either of these panels.

Oh, and one more thing: If reflections bother you, go with the S24 Ultra. The new version of Gorilla Glass that’s used has a more robust anti-reflective coating on it, which helps to significantly reduce glare and reflections when using the phone in bright environments. Compared to the OnePlus 12 (and other smartphones, for that matter), it’s quite a big difference.

If you need the best cameras, go with the S24 Ultra

OnePlus has done a lot of great work to improve its camera quality over the past few years, and it’s inching closer and closer to being on par with Samsung. But while that may come at some point, it’s not the reality of the OnePlus 12 and Galaxy S24 Ultra, the latter of which is the superior shooter.

The camera specs vary between the phones. The OnePlus 12 gets a 50-megapixel main shooter, a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto with 3x optical zoom. Meanwhile, the S24 Ultra has a huge 200-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom and a second 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom. You won’t be limited with the hardware on either of these phones, but it’s clear that if you want the most camera chops, you’ve gotta go with the S24 Ultra.

From a quality perspective, the S24 Ultra also comes out on top. I don’t know what it is about the Galaxy S Ultra series, but compared to other S series devices, Samsung seems to process photos with more natural colors and a better balance of contrast and exposure. The results speak for themselves; photos are always solid and don’t look overprocessed whatsoever. At night, it’s a similar story, with each sensor able to pick up enough light to keep things somewhat natural while boosting certain aspects of the image to keep things visible. The photos feel similar to what I get on my iPhone, which I personally enjoy.

You also get plenty of features in the camera app, like Samsung’s signature 100x Space Zoom that blends digital and optical zoom for impressive clarity at long distances, a professional shooting mode and all the AI features you could ask for — from artificial frames in slow-motion video to moving objects around in your pictures after you’ve taken them.

OnePlus isn’t far behind. The main camera can take some excellent photos in well-lit conditions and holds up well at night, while the telephoto and ultrawide sensors produce similar results with slightly less detail and light intake when it gets dark. Technically speaking, the OnePlus 12 can zoom in closer than the S24 Ultra, thanks to 120x hybrid zoom, but every photo you take at that level will look like a watercolor painting.

There are some nice features in the OnePlus camera app like the Pro mode and various filters, but you won’t get the same AI chops as the S24 Ultra. If you like having access to those features, you’ll need to rely on whatever Google ships through its Photos app, which includes things like Magic Eraser.

Video quality is very similar between the phones; you can shoot at up to 8K and 24 frames per second on the OnePlus 12 and 8K at 30 fps on the S24 Ultra. But you’ll likely be recording in 4K most of the time, which, for all intents and purposes, looks good on each device. In addition, selfie quality is also comparable between the two, and I didn’t have any performance issues or other quirks when using either phone. Altogether, you’ll get solid cameras regardless of which phone you pick up, which isn’t always the case when it comes to OnePlus phones.

OnePlus has a key advantage when it comes to battery life

Both phones can last a long time on a charge, but the OnePlus 12 takes things to a new level. The 5,000mAh battery in the S24 Ultra has regularly lasted me a day to a day and a half, but the 5,400mAh cell inside the OnePlus 12 can get through two days with normal usage. That’s really impressive. OnePlus has done a lot of work to optimize performance and efficiency to get those numbers up, and the result is a phone that you can comfortably use without worry about battery life and easily get through 48 hours before plugging back in.

OnePlus is also ahead of Samsung when it comes to charging speed. With an 80W SuperVOOC charger included in the box, the OnePlus 12 beats the S24 Ultra’s measly by comparison 45W charging to a pulp. The OnePlus phone can also wireless charge at 50W (assuming you have OnePlus’ SuperVOOC wireless charger), dwarfing the 15W wireless charging speed of Samsung’s device. Even reverse wireless charging is faster on the OnePlus at 10W versus 4.5W.

It’s worth noting that these two phones were neck and neck on our battery test: Both devices endured a whopping 25-plus hours of 4K video playback, with the OnePlus 12 outlasting its rival by just a few minutes. But if you want the biggest capacity battery and fastest charging speeds possible, the OnePlus 12 has some key advantages over the Galaxy S24.

Similar performance, different software situations

In keeping with typical flagship smartphone fashion, the Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12 both ship with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. In this case, it’s the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which also received some special optimizations for the S24 Ultra.

Despite those optimizations, the chipset performs equally well on each device; performance is solid day in and day out, with everything from your X feed to the latest update for Call of Duty: Warzone performing exceptionally well. You also get up to 12GB of RAM on the S24 Ultra and 16GB on the OnePlus 12, so you can multitask to your heart’s content. Storage is also plentiful; both can be configured with up to 1TB of storage, if for some reason you think you need that much space on your phone.

In the software department, the Galaxy S24 Ultra ships with Samsung’s One UI 6 while the OnePlus 12 gets OxygenOS 14, both of which are based on Android 14. Beyond aesthetics, the software experience feels similar since they’re both Android phones and share the same approach of “throw everything in but the kitchen sink.” This gets you features like advanced multitasking, thorough customization and display configuration. It’s a bit overwhelming, but that’s classic Samsung/OnePlus behavior.

The real difference between the S24 Ultra’s and OnePlus 12’s software is AI. Samsung has leaned heavily into AI to help its software stand out, with features like Circle to Search, live translations during phone calls, Chat Assist for composing messages and Super HDR for better photos.

The OnePlus 12 has none of these features in comparison, at least in the United States. Over in China, you’ll find features like an AI summarizer for phone calls, an AI-backed photo editor and Breeno Touch, which lets you select things on your screen to show more context (sort of like Circle to Search). It’s possible that these features will roll out to the OnePlus 12 in the US, but for now, they remain exclusive to China.

You’ll also get fewer updates on the OnePlus 12. OnePlus is only promising to support the device with four years of major upgrades and five years of security patches, while Samsung is promising seven years of updates for the S24 Ultra. If you plan to use your phone for more than five years, the S24 Ultra will be the better investment.

S Pen or alert slider?

It goes without saying that the Galaxy S Ultra is the best smartphone with a stylus. Samsung is famous for its S Pen that was originally part of the Galaxy Note line, having since been merged with the regular Galaxy S series and continuously providing an excellent writing and drawing experience. It’s smooth and responsive, and it comes with a ton of neat features that make it well worth using. I’m personally fond of the ability to take notes while the display is asleep; I use it all the time when I test a new Ultra phone from Samsung.

The OnePlus 12 obviously doesn’t have a comparable stylus, but it does retain a feature many users of OnePlus phones swear by: the alert slider. It’s one of the most unique hardware characteristics in the smartphone world, allowing you to toggle between silent, vibrate and ringer all without having to unlock your phone. And now that the iPhone has switched to an Action button for the Pro series, the OnePlus 12 is the only flagship smartphone with such a feature.

While these don’t seem like definitive selling points at first, for some people, they certainly could be. You’ll just have to figure out where you land.

It’s easier to buy a Samsung phone

This one may be obvious, but it’s worth pointing out that in the United States, it’s way easier to buy a Samsung phone than a OnePlus phone. With any Samsung phone (S24 Ultra included), you can walk into any carrier’s store and buy one outright, buy one on a contract, lower the price with a trade-in and more. You can also order one directly from Samsung, purchase one in installments through Best Buy, pick one up at Amazon and so on.

With OnePlus, you only have three avenues: OnePlus.com, Best Buy and Amazon. They’re easy places to navigate, of course, but there are plenty of people who would prefer to just buy a phone through their carrier, which is impossible when it comes to the OnePlus 12. There was a time when you could get a flagship OnePlus phone from T-Mobile or Verizon, but that ship has sailed. You’re now left with the option to buy one unlocked … and that’s it. (At least you can still pay for it in installments.)

Buying your phone through your carrier will also give you easier access to support. If something goes wrong on your S24 Ultra, you could always walk into one of your carrier’s stores and ask what’s going on. With OnePlus, you have to rely on the company’s own support system through their website, and if there’s an issue with your device, it could take weeks until it’s resolved if you wind up having to send it to them for investigation.

Bottom line

The Galaxy S24 Ultra will be a popular choice among many consumers, but if you’re looking to save some cash on your next flagship smartphone purchase, the OnePlus 12 is a solid alternative. With good camera quality, long battery life, excellent performance and the brightest smartphone screen I’ve ever tested, the $800 OnePlus 12 is an immensely appealing device.

Of course, if you like having the best cameras you can get, the convenience of the S Pen or prefer Samsung’s software and design language, the S24 Ultra won’t disappoint. Just know you’ll be shelling out — at minimum — $500 more for the Samsung. Guess that’s just the cost of a stylus in your phone nowadays.