Skip to main content

The Galaxy S24 could crush the iPhone 15 in a really big way

You may think it’s a bit early to start dreaming of the Galaxy S24, but the rumor mill would happily disagree with you. New details about the S24 recently surfaced online, and if they’re true, the phone could have a surprisingly big advantage over the iPhone 15.

Per a report from the Chinese social network Weibo, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset is expected to have a 50% faster GPU compared to the one on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — the chip inside the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Why this is big news for the Galaxy S24

The back of the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Okay, but what does any of that have to do with the Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15?

The GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is already significantly faster than the GPU found on Apple’s A16 Bionic chip — what powers the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is almost certainly what’ll power the Galaxy S24.

We expect Apple to make GPU improvements with the A17 Bionic chip we’ll likely get in the iPhone 15, but if Qualcomm has really achieved a 50% year-over-year performance boost, Apple will need to make significant upgrades this year. It’s not impossible for the company to step up its GPU game in a big way, but Qualcomm may be stretching its lead further than what Apple can keep up with.

This could be huge for Samsung

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip
Qualcomm

It’s also possible that the Galaxy S24’s GPU could be even faster than the 50% performance boost being reported. As part of its growing relationship with Qualcomm, all Galaxy S23 models feature a customized Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip. One of the benefits of that customized chip is a faster CPU clock speed — 3.36GHz vs. the 3.2GHz you get on other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones.

Assuming this report on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is accurate, and assuming Samsung gets another “For Galaxy” chip next year, it’s not hard to imagine the Galaxy S24 dominating the iPhone 15 in the GPU department.

We still have plenty of time to wait before the Galaxy S24’s expected release in February of next year, but if this is how S24 rumors are kicking off, we aren’t complaining.

Editors' Recommendations

Joe Maring
Section Editor, Mobile
Joe Maring is the Section Editor for Digital Trends' Mobile team, leading the site's coverage for all things smartphones…
iPhone 15: release date and price predictions, leaks, rumors, and more
iPhone 15 render by 4RMD

As great as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are, they're both already a few months old at this point, and the rumors about the iPhone 15 are well underway. We still have several months before the iPhone 15 models drop, though, as Apple usually makes iPhone announcements in the fall. In other words, there's still a lot of time for more rumors to make the rounds -- and make the rounds they will.

We're keeping all of the reports and rumors of the iPhone 15 here in a single place for your convenience, but do remember to keep in mind that these are all still just speculation. Nothing is final until Apple confirms it during an official announcement. Still, a lot of the rumors give us an idea of what to expect each year, which is unfortunate if you like surprises. Here's everything we know about the iPhone 15 so far!
iPhone 15: models

Read more
5 things the iPhone 15 Pro Max needs to fix before I’ll buy it
iPhone 14 Pro Max in hand.

I’ve been using the top-of-the-line big iPhone for two years now. I shifted to the iPhone 13 Pro Max due to its amazing battery life – which inspired my favorite phone of 2022 article. I tried getting back to the non-Max iPhone 14 Pro, but I couldn’t stay long due to the weak battery life. Since then, I've shifted to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

After using the Pro Max iPhones for over 18 months, here’s what I think the next big Pro iPhone — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — must improve on to deserve the best phone of the year tag again.
The design needs a lot of work
Flat edges make the iPhone 14 Pro Max uncomfortable to hold. Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

Read more
Your iPhone could steal this Pixel Tablet feature when it gets iOS 17
iPhone 14 Pro with always on display no wallpaper or notifications

With iOS 17 coming in hot for its expected June reveal during Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, iPhone owners are anxious to hear about any big features coming with the update. According to Bloomberg, a major change is coming in the form of a complete interface overhaul for locked devices that effectively turns your iPhone into a smart display.

The new interface will supposedly display a plethora of information like the weather, push notifications, upcoming significant calendar dates, and more. Per the report, this new interface displays automatically when your iPhone is locked and laying horizontally with its screen facing up.

Read more