Head to head
Apple iPhone 16vsSamsung Galaxy S24
The short answer
Choose the Galaxy S24 for peak brightness and video playback time. The iPhone 16 wins no row by a gap you’d notice. The iPhone 16 is £100 cheaper at UK RRP (£699 against £799). The Galaxy S24 gets security updates until January 2031; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 16, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2031–2035, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer.
- Released
- 2024-09-20endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £699Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Released
- 2024-01-24endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £799Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy S24 series, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2031-01-24endoflife.date — Samsung mobile, retrieved 2026-08-20
0 wins for iPhone 162 wins for Galaxy S243 gaps borderline3 differences you won’t notice£100 apart at RRP
Verdict: Galaxy S24 ahead on 2 rows, iPhone 16 on none
On the makers’ published figures, the Galaxy S24 wins on peak brightness (2,600 nits against 2,000 nits) and claimed video playback (29 h against 22 h). 3 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: battery capacity (4,000 mAh from the maker against 3,561 mAh from GSMArena) for the Galaxy S24, wireless charging (25 W from the maker against 15 W from GSMArena) for the iPhone 16 and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (7,558 against 5,965, both from Geekbench Browser) for the iPhone 16. The differences in weight, display size and fast charging are below the thresholds you would notice. Both state the same storage (base) and RAM. The other 39 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 16 better than the Galaxy S24?
On the figures, the Galaxy S24 is ahead wherever there is a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,600 nits (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 2,000 nits (Apple UK) and claimed video playback, 29 h (Samsung UK) against 22 h (Apple UK). The iPhone 16 wins no row by such a gap. That is a count of rows, not an overall score.
Which has the better battery?
The Galaxy S24, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 29 h (Samsung UK) against 22 h (Apple UK). The Galaxy S24 is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,000 mAh (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 3,561 mAh (GSMArena), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy S24 is lighter on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 170 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The Galaxy S24, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,600 nits (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 2,000 nits (Apple UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy S24 gets security updates until January 2031; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 16, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2031–2035, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer. Sources: dates from endoflife.date; Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The iPhone 16 is £100 cheaper at UK RRP (£699 against £799). Prices from iPhone 16: Apple UK store; Galaxy S24: Samsung Newsroom UK.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.