Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Top Smartphones Compared

We compared the Oneplus 12 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to see how the two Android phones stacked up against each other.

Those are big words, and any other year, Oneplus might have been laughed out of the building. But the Oneplus 12 is definitely no slouch when it comes to specifications, camera, display and design. On the flip side, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the very best smartphone that Samsung offers, with powerful cameras, great AI features and a tight integration with Google. With that much of a price difference, it’s worth asking the question which of these two phones are the best? So I decided to find out.

OnePlus 12

Great battery life and super fast charging
Strong processing power
Fun (though divisive) design
Great cameras

Four years of OS upgrades are no longer the standard
No AI features
No extra flashy features

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Price: $1,300 and up | Display: 6.8-inch, Dynamic AMOLED, 1-120 Hz adaptive, 1,440 x 3,120 resolution | Brightness: 2600 nits | RAM: 12 GB | Storage: Up to 1TB | Battery: 5,000 mAh | Camera: 200MP (main), 12MP (ultra-wide), 10MP (3x optical zoom), 50MP (5x optical zoom), 12MP (front) | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Snapping photos with one of the best cameras you can get on a phone
Multi-tasking and S Pen precision
Getting the most out of AI enhancements

You already have the S23 Ultra
You have a budget

Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Display

The part of the phone you look at the most is the display, so it makes sense to start there. Put simply, the displays on both of these phones are marvelous. The LTPO Dynamic AMOLED displays are stunning on both phones, and both phones sport the same size display.

One of the key differences you’ll find is that the display on the Oneplus 12 is curved on the edges while the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is flat. This means the Oneplus 12 can register phantom touches, particularly while gaming, which is not ideal.

The display on the Oneplus 12 also has a peak brightness of 4,500 nits which is ridiculously bright and almost double that of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 2,600 nits. In reality though, both screens are super bright and easily readable even in direct sunlight. So, I found practically no difference there in real-world testing.

One key difference between the two phones is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a completely flat display, whereas the Oneplus 12’s is curved on the edges.

But each phone has a differentiator: The Oneplus 12 comes with Aqua Touch technology which basically means that you can use the screen when it’s wet. The most common situation you’d use this feature is when you’re trying to use the phone in the rain. You can tap and type on the screen like normal, which would otherwise be frustrating.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S24 comes with an anti-reflective coating that does exactly what it sounds like. The screen isn’t as reflective of light. The result is, when you’re using dark mode or watching a movie with dark scenes, you’ll be less distracted by reflections on the screen.

Both of these features are handy, though I have to give the nod to Oneplus in this case. Using your phone in the rain is not uncommon, so being able to actually use it is a definite plus, especially when you find yourself in adverse conditions.

Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design

If you liked how the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra looked, you’ll like how the Galaxy S24 Ultra looks because there are very few differences between those three models. Oneplus has also settled into a design language with its gigantic camera island on the back that has also been present on three generations of phone. So, neither company is really going to the design well much anymore.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers a more understated design compared to the Oneplus 12’s marble-like design.

Where the Oneplus has an advantage is in the snazzy colorway, which is designed to look like the marble floor of a bank or other pretentious building. It’s polarizing—you either love it or hate it, and there’s really no in between. Meanwhile the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is much more understated look.

However, Samsung is keeping up with modern flagships by incorporating titanium into its design which is strong and light, even if the rest of the design is, for lack of a better word, basic. If you want to set your phone down on a table and have it match every other phone on the table, get a Samsung. If you want it to stand out, go with the Oneplus.

Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Battery

If there is a category where Oneplus is going to absolutely destroy the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, it’s in the battery technology. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra performs very well in battery tests, especially against its various competitors, but the Oneplus is the runaway champion. That’s not only because the phone is an easy two-day phone with medium usage, but also because of the 80 W charging that it brings to the table. Not only does Oneplus ship a super-fast charger in the box, but that charger will completely power your Oneplus 12 from 1% to full in under 30 minutes.

In practical terms, what this means is if you don’t want to, you don’t have to charge your phone overnight (which is bad for battery health anyway). Rather, keep the phone off the charger until you’re about to head out the door and only then, plug it in. In the 20 minutes it’ll take you to put on your shoes, find your keys and wrangle your teenager out the door, your phone is up to 80%, if not more. It literally changes your relationship with your battery for the better, and that cannot be understated.

Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: AI Features

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a powerhouse when it comes to AI features. Of course, it’s also subjective as to whether you find these features handy or not. But the fact is: The Oneplus 12 doesn’t have any specifically built-in AI features while the Samsung has a boat load. On your Samsung phone (the whole S24 line, not just the Ultra) you can use AI to search based on an image on our screen, fix up your writing, translate phone calls in real time, summarize web pages and more.

Most notably, on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, you can perform a task called “Circle To Search.” When you long-press on the home button (or the gesture bar) you can circle anything on your screen and the phone will initiate a search for that item. That works if you’re reading a recipe, looking at a pair of shoes or admiring a landmark. This all happens without leaving the app you’re in, which removes four steps you’d otherwise have to take to do the same thing. That’s pretty powerful, but it’s also worth mentioning that these same features also came to the Pixel 8 Pro, so these features are not unique to Samsung phones. But, the Oneplus 12 simply can’t do any of that.

Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Cameras

Cameras are another close competition between the phones, but Samsung has a few advantages, and for a couple of key reasons. First and most notably, Oneplus is the first smartphone to use Sony’s new LYT-808 sensor. It’s a great sensor, but it’s also a first-generation sensor. The result is a small step back, particularly in night-time photography from the Oneplus 12’s immediate predecessor, the Oneplus Open.

Meanwhile, Samsung is using a new sensor as well, replacing the S23 Ultra’s 10x telephoto sensor with a new 50 MP 5x optical sensor. The result is, you can take slightly better photos at 10x resolution in low light conditions as compared to the previous generation.

The camera on the Oneplus 12 is good, but the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s is better.

Oneplus’s telephoto sensor is 64 MP, which allows the phone to zoom in to 6x optical zoom by cropping in on the sensor, and it’s very good. In fact, it’s hard to decide whose optical zoom sensor is superior because of their similarities. Meanwhile the 200 MP main shooter on the S24 Ultra really puts the Oneplus 12’s sensor to shame, especially in those same low light conditions. This is a close battle, but Samsung definitely has the edge here.

Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Price And Availability

But there there’s arguably one of the most important factors—price. It’s true, there is a $500 gap in between the phones, but when you factor in Oneplus’ offer to, “trade in any phone in any condition,” the difference is actually $600. You can almost buy two Oneplus 12s for the price of a single Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. That’s a significant savings for a phone that compares pretty favorably to the other in most categories.

Meanwhile, you can walk into most carrier stores and pick up a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra that day and finance it on a payment plan, or pay the $1,300 up front—and that’s for the lowest storage capacity, 256 GB. Most carriers offer payment plans, so you can opt for that instead to ease the cost. So sure, you’re paying almost double the price, but it doesn’t have to be all at once.

Oneplus 12 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Which Should You Buy?

The Oneplus 12 is a great phone in every way, but so is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Both phones compare favorably to each other, but in most ways that count, the Samsung phone edges out the Oneplus phone. But the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn’t beat the Oneplus 12 by as much as their respective prices imply, and that is a huge consideration. It’s almost embarrassing how well the Oneplus 12 holds up against its competitor. You can get 90 to 95% of the phone for almost half the price.

But on the other hand, you might simply want the better phone of the two. That’s the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra—and is great news for Samsung. What’s not great news is that this competition is a lot closer than the company would prefer. Samsung has been resting on its laurels for a few years now, and that will no longer suffice. When it’s time to write similar article about the best Samsung phone and the best Oneplus phone next year, well, it could get really interesting.

My Expertise

I’m a Chicago-based freelance reviewer and have been writing about consumer electronics for over a decade with a particular focus on mobile phones and cellular technology including the birth of 5G. I’ve also tested most foldables on the market over the last several years, including Samsung’s latest flagship, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

When I’m not testing the latest and greatest flagship phones, I’m hosting the Benefit of the Doud podcast/YouTube channel with my co-host Clifton M. Thomas and editing technology news articles for SlashGear. In addition to Forbes and SlashGear, I have bylines at Android Central, Reviewed.com, Android Authority, Lifewire and more.