2024 Winners and losers: Samsung

It's the time of the year to look back at our favorite brands and give our report cards. Samsung was the biggest smartphone maker in the world in 2024, which was a huge win. Its midrange and S series phones were very popular, but the foldables didn't have the best of times. Let's dig in.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy A16 and A16 5G

Samsung's entry-level Galaxy A16 and A16 5G are both tremendously popular and for good reason. Both phones have good displays, solid battery life, and 50MP main cameras. They also have IP54 dust and splash resistance. Starting at just under €200 they are already doing tremendously well in a number of markets.

Winner: Galaxy A55

Samsung's Galaxy A55 is the joint-most popular Galaxy in our database. It starts at about €320 and has flagship killer specs. It has a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, a 4nm chipset, a 5,000mAh battery, and IP67 water and dust protection. Its cameras are also capable.

It also has Samsung's proven One UI and a promise of 4 major Android updates - an unprecedented feat in its price range. This phone easily outsold any device not called an iPhone in most of Europe and North America.

Winners: Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy S24+

We argued in our Galaxy S24 FE review that the S24+ was arguably the better deal. But, the thing with Samsung and its unparalleled distribution network is that it covers so many markets that most of its devices end up finding their niche. So, it's either a non-issue or a win for Samsung. You're buying one of its phones anyway.

The Galaxy S24 FE and S24+ are very similar in specs with a slight edge for the Plus. Yet, both are highly capable flagships and share Samsung's stellar commitment to seven years of OS updates. Either is a safe choice if you're looking for a good upmarket smartphone from an A-list phone maker. And both will likely sell well.

Winners: Galaxy S24

Last year's Galaxy S23 was outsold by both the S23 Ultra and the S23+. This year the smaller Galaxy S24 outsold the Plus model. That's a win for Samsung and it means there's still hope for the compact phones of the world.

Winner: Galaxy Watch Ultra

Samsung's Galaxy Watch lineup is a bit confusing. There's the regular model, the Classic (with the rotating bezel), we had one Pro in 2022, and in 2024 we got an Ultra. A direct Apple Watch Ultra rival, the Galaxy Watch Ultra fills that spot for the Wear OS lineup and will likely be the Android default for a while.

It brings rugged credentials alongside an excellent smartwatch experience. And it has a unique design with a square body and a circular sapphire watchface.

Loser: Galaxy Watch7 (no Watch7 Classic)

But while the Ultra was a win, fans of the Classic model with a physically rotating bezel were left with last year's Galaxy Watch6 Classic as the only option.

The Galaxy Watch7 didn't bring much in terms of improvements over the Galaxy Watch6 - you have twice the storage at 32GB, and a 30% more efficient processor, but the displays are identical, and so are the health-tracking features.

Winners: Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and S10+

Samsung's top-tier tablets did well and Samsung maintained its second position in slate shipments only behind Apple. Its Galaxy tablets are versatile with superb Super AMOLED displays and S Pen support.

Loser: Galaxy Z Fold6

Samsung has enjoyed an unimpeded run with the book-style foldables in markets outside of China for a few years. But that's all changing and fast. Devices like the OnePlus Open and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold have wider cover displays than the Galaxy Z Fold6, making them better to use folded and challenge it on all fronts. But the Honor Magic V3 simply makes the Galaxy Z Fold6 look pedestrian with a far slimmer body and superior camera system.

Now that the competition is also catching up in the software department, Samsung needs to reenergize its Fold lineup and it needs to do it in 2025.

Winner: Galaxy Z Flip6

The Galaxy Z Flip6, on the other hand, stood out as meaningfully better than its predecessor. It improved upon the battery life and zoom shots and was the easier choice of flip-foldable in a lot of global markets this year. It sure helped that competition isn't paying as much attention to this segment just yet, too.

Winner: Galaxy S24 Ultra

Every year, Samsung's biggest winner is its Galaxy S Ultra and 2024 is no different. Samsung's most popular phone in 2024 and its most profitable, the Galaxy S24 Ultra added a 50MP 5x telephoto camera and the newest chipset. The changes proved all that was needed - the phone sold tremendously and is one of the most popular flagships in people's hands.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra isn't without rivals - Chinese flagships in the second part of the year have it beaten on the camera and battery side - but still few of those make it to the global markets to challenge Samsung.

Still, Samsung may need to step up its flagship game before it starts looking vulnerable like the Z Fold6.