Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Despite the significant upgrades in the S24 and S24 Plus, the Ultra remains the top-of-the-line offering from Samsung due to its optimized Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, titanium frame, and powerful quad-lens camera, albeit at a higher cost.

The Samsung Unpacked event unveiled the Galaxy S24 smartphone series, showcasing advanced features such as enhanced battery life and artificial intelligence capabilities, cementing the series in general as being some of the best options for smartphones available on the market at present.

The Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra are all high-quality Android phones with new AI capabilities. However, these new features still need to be refined and there’s a gap to bridge to match the capabilities of Google’s Pixel phones.

The S24 Ultra stands out among the three models, offering a stylus, a titanium frame, and stronger display glass.  

The AI features include Browsing Assist that summarizes online content, Chat Assist integrated into the keyboard for content editing in various styles and tones, and translation tools in the phone app that provide live translations of multiple languages and dialects.

The Galaxy AI editing tools aim to simplify and streamline photo editing. Features like Edit Suggestions, Generative Edit, and Instant Slow-mo help analyze and enhance photos, fill in blank spaces using AI, and convert videos into slow-motion clips without the need for a dedicated camera mode.

Samsung’s Notes app incorporates Transcribe Assist for translating, transcribing, and summarizing work, with the added feature of improving S Pen users’ handwriting.

The Circle to Search with Google feature allows users to generate relevant Google search results by circling on-screen content.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has introduced new AI features that greatly enhance user experience compared to its predecessor, the S23 Ultra.

For those seeking the pinnacle of Samsung’s offerings, the Ultra is the ideal choice.

• It delivers impressive performance.
• It offers longevity in battery life.
• It has excellent screen quality.
• Its software is fun and smart, and offers a long-term software update plan of seven years.
• Its cameras are versatile and can handle various shooting conditions.

• It still lacks in terms of smart features.
• The absence of a 10X optical zoom is noticeable.
• Its design may come off as mundane.
• There is a price increase on the Ultra model without clear justification.
• The Samsung keyboard is not user-friendly and might not be appreciated by all users.

The Galaxy S24 lineup comes with slimmer bezels for larger displays without enlarging the phones.

The S24 Ultra features a boxy design due to its S Pen.

The S24 Ultra measures 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 inches.

The Ultra model’s glass durability is commendable as it withstands scratches until level 7 and deeper grooves at level 8, which is a significant improvement towards sapphire or transparent aluminium display hardness. This factor significantly enhances the attractiveness of the Ultra model.

All S24 models have back panels crafted from Victus 2 glass.

It’s framed in titanium for enhanced durability without added weight.

The Ultra’s screen is made of Gorilla Armor, which is touted to be four times more scratch-resistant than Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and reduces screen glare.

The back of the S24 Ultra has Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the front features a new Gorilla Armor glass that reduces reflections by up to 75%.

The S24 Ultra has a titanium frame, and its matte rails give it a distinct look.

The S24 Ultra now comes with a titanium frame for improved durability and resistance against dents.

It has a Gorilla Glass Vitus 2 back and a new Gorilla Armor front that reduces reflections by up to 75%, is four times more scratch resistant, and uses 25% recycled materials.

The S24 Ultra has a screen size of 6.8″.

The largest model in the series, the S24 Ultra, stands at 6.8 inches.

All the devices have an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.

The S24 Series possess IP68 water resistance.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra weighs 8.2 ounces, similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The S24 Ultra’s titanium frame doesn’t significantly reduce the weight of the phone, shaving off only one gram compared to its predecessor, the S23 Ultra.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra, with its titanium-themed color palette to complement its new metal frame, offers colors such as Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow. Exclusive colors available only on Samsung’s official website include Titanium Green, Titanium Blue, and Titanium Orange.

The new Samsung phones offer a variety of color options, including yellow, orange, green, and purple, particularly for those purchasing directly from Samsung.

All models come in four colors, with three more exclusive ones in the Samsung Store.

The devices are available in four main colors – black, gray, violet, and yellow. The S24 Ultra’s colors are all named titanium. Some exclusive colors like blue, orange, and green are only available directly from Samsung’s website.

The Ultra’s more squared-off corners provide a better media viewing experience.

Exclusive to the Ultra model is the S Pen stylus, a carryover from the Galaxy Note series. Unfortunately, the stylus isn’t compatible with the S24 or S24 Plus models.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra AI features can be fully utilized with the S Pen on the large 6.8-inch display.

The S24 Ultra is unique in its offering of the S Pen and associated features such as sketching, writing, taking notes, and many other S Pen functionalities which are standard with the Ultra Series.

Chat Assist enables users to generate text for emails and messages.

One AI feature is ‘Circle to Search’ which allows users to encircle a section of an image and conduct a Google search.

Another notable AI feature is Generative Edit, which enables users to edit images.

There is also Live Translate, which enables users to translate voice calls in real-time.

Transcript Assist is an AI feature which enables users to transcribe voice memos and notes.

The new AI Zoom feature on the Galaxy S24 Ultra enhances the clarity and detail of long-distance shots by filling in areas that are blurry or out of focus.

Samsung’s Chat Assist function, which works on its keyboard, offers the ability to alter the tone, spelling, and grammar of your messages. It’s beneficial for quick text adjustments or casualizing some texts.

Google’s Circle to Search, making its debut on these phones, allows users to run a Google Search by circling anything on the screen. It may struggle with identifying celebrities but is otherwise efficient. The added bonus of not having to exit an app to perform a search is appreciated.

The S24 series also offers a smart software feature called Generative Edit, which enables users to resize subjects and adjust their position in the frame, with AI filling in the gaps. This feature is similar to Google’s Magic Editor.

Samsung’s new devices feature a Pro Visual AI Engine, providing advanced AI photo editing options. Users can take an image and utilize the Samsung Gallery for editing suggestions such as reflection removal, portrait mode conversion, and generative edit features, comparable to those on the Pixel 8 Pro devices.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra tops the range with a 5,000 mAh battery, which based on previous models like the S23 Ultra, might translate into impressive real-world battery life.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts a more advanced quad-lens camera array on the back, featuring a 200MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 50MP telephoto lens, a 10MP secondary telephoto lens, and a 12MP front camera.

The Ultra’s camera system offers several benefits, notably the “Quad-Tele System” for high-quality optical zoom at various magnifications and 100x enhanced digital zoom.

All three models in the Galaxy S24 series offer Super HDR for more realistic previews, with additional support for cameras in third-party social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera remains at 200MP, however, the telephoto module has been upgraded from 10MP to 50MP with 5x optical zoom, enabling clearer and more detailed photos, particularly in low-light conditions.

The S24 Ultra also has a 12 MP selfie camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, a 200 MP primary camera, and a 10 MP three times zoom telephoto camera. However, it also features a new 50 MP periscope zoom camera that provides up to five times optical zoom, up to 10 times lossless zoom, and up to 100 times space zoom.

The new 50 MP periscope camera can take in 160% more light and has two times wider OIS, making it better for low-light conditions.

All three models in the S24 series support Qi wireless charging at speeds up to 15W, though this method is expected to take longer than wired charging. Samsung has not yet disclosed specific recharge speeds for the wireless option.

The S24 series support wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, enabling them to charge other wireless-compatible accessories like Galaxy earbuds or even another phone.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra will come with a specially optimized Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip globally, promising enhanced AI processing capabilities.

In the US, all three models are equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. However, in other parts of the world, the S24 and S24 Plus models use the Exos 2400 chip. Some users may be disappointed by this, favoring the Snapdragon chip instead.

The Snapdragon H Gen 3 processor powers the S24 series, ensuring top-notch performance.

The S24 series are equipped with the latest Wi-Fi 6E, ensuring extremely fast connectivity in all scenarios.

The entire Galaxy S24 range, including the Ultra, will feature flat AMOLED

The Galaxy S24 phones all have displays with 2,600-nit peak brightness.  

The Galaxy S24 series features a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra showcases a 6.8-inch QHD+ resolution display.

The S24 series boasts AMOLED screens with rich colors, crisp details, and high brightness levels. The flat display of the S24 Ultra in particular is a standout.

All three models feature variable refresh rates from 1 Hz to 120 Hz for battery efficiency.

The S24 Ultra, due to its high brightness display and reduced glare, is significantly more visible in bright situations and more pleasant to view.

The S23 Ultra features a Super AMOLED 2 display, a peak brightness of 2600 nits, and a fast refresh rate of 120 HZ, same with its counterparts.

The S24 Ultra comes with the same default Full HD resolution as its variants, but it can also be adjusted to Quad HD in the settings, which is presumably designed to balance between resolution and battery life.

The most noteworthy upgrade in the S24 Ultra is the anti-reflective technology, which significantly enhances the display’s visual quality.

The S24 Ultra will feature 12GB of RAM.

The S24 Ultra is equipped with a base 12 GB of RAM.

All three devices feature the same Gen 2 Qualcomm 3D Sonic sensor, which has been unchanged for a few years but performs well.

Built-in fingerprint sensors in the display are standard for the S24 series.

The Samsung Notes app uses AI to format unorganized words into a well-structured page with proper formatting and bullet points, providing a user-friendly note-taking experience.

Samsung’s default recorder app now offers real-time transcriptions, similar to Google’s Recorder app. It also includes speaker labels for improved transcription clarity, although these are not always accurate.  

The software on the S24 series will be updated for seven years, matching Google’s offer on its Pixel 8 series, one of the longest software support durations available for a smartphone.

The S24 series are also equipped with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos sound.

• The Galaxy S24 Ultra is priced at $1,299.
• It boasts a larger 6.8-inch AMOLED, QHD+ flat screen, with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
• It features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor with 12GB of RAM.
• It has storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.
• It comes with a powerful 200MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto (5x optical zoom), and 10MP telephoto camera (3x optical zoom) on the rear, and a 12MP front camera.
• It features a larger 5,000 mAh battery, with 45W charging speed.
• Its overall dimensions are 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 inches, with a weight of 8.22 ounces.
• It comes in Titanium orange, titanium green, titanium blue, titanium yellow, titanium black, titanium violet, or titanium gray.

• The premium model, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is priced at $1,299.
• It offers a larger 6.8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, with 1440 x 3088 resolution, a maximum brightness of 2600 nits, and 120Hz refresh rate.
• It features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor.
• It comes with a 5,000mAh battery, with a fast charge of 65% in 30 minutes.
• It comes with 12GB RAM.
• It offers storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.
• The main camera has a 200MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, and 50MP telephoto capabilities, with a 12MP front camera.
• It can capture video at 8K at 24/30fps, or 4K at 30/60/120fps.
• It also runs on Android 14.
• It comes with an IP68 water resistance rating, and Gorilla Glass Armor with titanium frame.
• It comes in Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, or Titanium Yellow.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra will come with storage options of 256GB and 512GB, with a 1TB storage variant for premium users.

The S24 Ultra offers storage ranging from 256 GB to 1 TB.

A 1TB storage variant is indeed available for the S24 Ultra.  

The S24 series run on the latest One UI 6.1 interface with Android 14, providing identical software features across the board.

The Ultra also boasts a vapor cooling chamber that’s 1.9 times larger than the previous model, aimed at enhancing performance and managing heat from the titanium frame.

Video recording capabilities include 8K at 30 frames per second and 4K at 120 frames per second, accessible in the pro video mode. However, these are not standard features. The devices also have a new instant slow-mo feature. By long pressing a video in the gallery, the AI will generate intermediate frames to slow down the video.

Battery life of the S24 Ultra is commendable, lasting more than a day with average use and still managing to have significant power left after heavy use, more than the base S24.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra benefits from enhanced 45W charging speeds, capable of restoring 65% of battery life in just half an hour.

Samsung asserts that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will provide a more powerful CPU, GPU, and NPU, leading to enhanced efficiency, superior AI features, and unparalleled gaming performance, including smoother gameplay, better lighting, and improved ray tracing.

Display performance, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, is smooth, but the phones can heat up during intensive tasks.

The Ultra’s camera system promises better low light images due to larger pixels and wide Optical Image Stabilization, reducing noise and compensating for unintentional movement.

The video performance of the S24 series is excellent, with the Instant Slow-Mo feature being a standout. This feature allows users to create slow-motion clips from any video in the Gallery app, which is a useful tool for social media sharing.

The S24 Ultra boasts a 200-MP sensor for its main camera. It also has a 5X optical zoom replacing the 10X zoom, which, although offers sharp images, doesn’t match up to the image quality and color balance of the S23 Ultra. Nonetheless, the 5X zoom is still superior to the 5X zoom on the Google Pixel 8 Pro.

In terms of the ultrawide feature, the Pixel 8 Pro surpasses the S24 series, offering sharper details and more natural colors. However, the S24 series has an edge with a slightly sharper 3X zoom and superior selfie cameras.

The S24 Plus boasts the best pixel density, having more pixels per inch than the Ultra.

The chipsets for the S24 and S24 Plus in the EU is a drawback, as they are equipped with Exynos, unlike the S24 Ultra which retains the Snapdragon.

Despite the varying battery sizes, the S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra all demonstrated similar battery performance in tests.

The Galaxy S24 comes with 256GB and 512GB storage options and 8GB of RAM, while the S24 Plus offers the same storage options but with 12GB of RAM. The S24 Ultra offers 12GB of RAM with storage capacities of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.

The Ultra being exclusively equipped with the Snapdragon processor gives users an indication about the performance capabilities of the Exynos 2400, that being the Exynos all but guaranteed to be inferior in most if not all aspects of performance.

The S24U model, equipped with Snapdragon, is more expensive than the other S24 models.

The base and plus S24 models in Europe have Exynos chipsets, while the Ultra comes with Snapdragon.

The anti-reflective feature of the S24 Ultra is impressive, but the aluminium look of the S24 Plus is preferred by some, and this in addition to the fact that Samsung has reintroduced 2K displays in models lower than the Ultra variant makes the S24 Plus a good option.

The S24+ offers excellent value for money with similar specifications to the Ultra, except for the camera. It’s lighter, has a more comfortable design, and is $300 cheaper.

When compared side by side, the S24+ looks quite similar to the S20 FE and the iPhone in terms of form factor and size. Despite having a screen size only 0.1″ smaller than the Ultra, the Ultra’s screen appears considerably larger.

The decision between the Plus and the Ultra is tough for some users. The Ultra’s camera is superior, but its larger size makes it uncomfortable to hold. The Plus, on the other hand, is easier to handle but doesn’t offer as powerful a camera.

The S24 Ultra falls short in terms of screen-to-body ratio when compared to the Note 20 Ultra’s 6.9 inches, 116.7 cm2 (~91.7% screen-to-body ratio) versus 6.8 inches, 113.5 cm2 (~88.5% screen-to-body ratio).

The fairly recent S23U is priced the same as S24 and thus cheaper than the S24 Ultra, making it questionable why one would choose either unless they prefer a smaller phone, in which case the cheaper S23 base model is a similar and arguably better option.

The bezel on the S24U is perceived as unattractive compared to the S23U.

Although the removal of rounded corners on the S24U is considered an improvement, the flat screen and bezel make it look outdated. The design of the S23U is preferable.

The major attraction towards the S24U over the S23U is the rumored flat screen, which is preferred over the edge screen on the S23U. An additional appealing feature is its brighter display.

Another deciding factor for upgrading to S24U versus the S23U is the availability of the latest Android OS out of the box with an additional year of support.

The desire for the better SD8G3 processor in the S24U over the S23U chipset is also a reason to consider upgrading.

The color choices for the S24 series are perceived as dull, limited to black, white, gold, and a very dark shade of green or blue. The absence of vibrant colors like green from the S22 series and lavender pink from the S23 series is notably missed.

It’s stated that all Ultra models use the SD chip globally, while the base and + models will use Exynos variants depending on the location.

The Pixels phones are commendable but may be perceived as deficient in terms of software. Their SoC is also less potent compared to other flagship models. Despite the allure of pure Android, OneUI offers a variety of engaging features.

Samsung has introduced three new phones in the Galaxy S24 series: Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra, with pre-orders available and release slated for January 31.

The belief is that the S24U will be equipped with a Snapdragon processor in all markets, while the S24/S24+ models will utilize Exynos in the UK.

The S24 Ultra is priced at $1300.

In the UK, similar to the US, there are beneficial trade-in deals. Instances have been noted where an S23 Ultra was traded in and along with the current promo, a 512GB S24 Ultra was procured for only 400 dollars.

However, these lucrative deals may not be as prominent in other markets. In some countries, the maximum trade-in value for an S22 Ultra on any of the S24 series is 460€, which is not as enticing as the US or UK deals.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a standard 12GB RAM. It starts at $1,299 for 256GB storage, with higher storage options of 512GB and 1TB available at an increased cost.

There is a common frustration among users about brands associating smaller phones with lower specs. They would prefer compact phones without having to compromise on the technical specifications.

There is a demand for both Apple and Samsung to produce smaller, sleeker phones with high-end specs similar to those of the Pro Max and the Ultra, catering to users with smaller hands.

Some users find the Ultra uncomfortable to hold due to its boxy design and larger size, which is attributed to the inclusion of the S pen and additional cameras. The S pen is seen as more of a gimmick, with little usage beyond the initial week.

Samsung’s Chat Assist function’s “professional” tone may be overly formal, and the usefulness of the “social” tone, which adds hashtags, is questionable.

Despite combining top-notch Android hardware with Google’s smart features, the S24 series still falls short of the day-to-day software features offered by Google’s Pixel phones. Additionally, the $1,300 price tag of the S24 Ultra is hard to justify.

Despite Samsung’s spam protection feature, the phone still receives numerous spam calls. This contrasts with the experience on Google’s Pixel phones, which effectively block spam and robocalls with the Call Screen feature.

Samsung’s keyboard, particularly its swipe typing and voice typing, lacks accuracy and functionality. It fails to add punctuation during voice dictation and often misinterprets dictation inputs. These issues detract from the smart capabilities of the phone.

The S24 series comes with a multitude of smart software features, including Call Assist [Live Translate] for real-time translations during phone calls. However, this feature may lead to confusion if not properly managed and its translations, while similar to Google Translate, may not fully capture the intended message. Nonetheless, it can be a handy tool for travelers.

Although the S24 series supports Qi wireless charging, the absence of the new Qi2 charging standard is disappointing as it would have allowed the use of a MagSafe-like system and a range of magnetic accessories.