Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

4.5

Overall Score

4.5/5

The Good Stuff

• Impressive performance
• Impressive battery life
• Superb camera features
• Impressive durability
• Includes AI capabilities
• Gorgeous display

The Bad Stuff

• Heavier than S23 Ultra
• Need to find hidden AI features
• Some AI features are good & bad

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

“The new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is undoubtedly a premium smartphone with top-of-the-line specs, a stunning display, and versatile camera system… and it somehow continues to improve upon last year’s Ultra in every way.”

Forget your wish list, the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is it. Packed with features even the most demanding tech enthusiast craves, Samsung has seemingly built the ultimate phone. In ways both expected and surprising, the S24 Ultra solidifies its position as the undisputed king of smartphones, regardless of price.

Need unbeatable battery life? It outperforms the best iPhones and past Galaxy smartphones, easily lasting over a day under heavy use. Craving jaw-dropping photos? Despite spec sheet comparisons, the S24 Ultra captures superior pictures and retains its title as the most versatile camera phone.

While artistic types might lean towards the iPhone 15 Pro, you’ll capture stunning shots across all scenarios with the S24 Ultra.

But there’s more! Gamers rejoice! This phone is a champion, surpassing even the top Android competitors and rivaling the lightning-fast iPhone 15 Pro Max. With this to sink your teeth into, the new Samsung Galaxy Ultra could be the smartphone for you. If you still need convincing, come with me and  let’s see what this S24 Ultra has to offer. 

Specs

Sleek Evolution, Familiar Feel

Same phone, new paint? Not quite. While the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra resembles its predecessor, subtle upgrades hint at innovation beneath the familiar shell.

Deeper dive reveals delights. The mesmerizing, layered back glass adds depth, especially in the titanium grey finish. The violet option shines with its contrasting metal frame, showcasing Samsung’s attention to detail in materials and color harmony.

More than symmetry. Samsung prioritizes usability over absolute balance. Power and volume buttons on the same side minimize accidental screenshots, unlike some competitors.

Titanium whispers. Unlike the significant weight reduction in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the S24 Ultra sheds a mere gram. However, the clicky S Pen remains a highlight, combining fun with its surprising precision and Bluetooth remote capabilities.

Farewell curves, hello flat. The signature curved screen trend ends here, replaced by a flatter design that might feel sharp and big compared to the S23 Ultra’s gentler curves.

Overall, the S24 Ultra offers a familiar form with subtle improvements, but the true star remains the unique and versatile S Pen. While the flat design might require some getting used to, the focus on usability and hidden gem features like the clicky S Pen keep the Ultra experience refreshing.

Stellar Display

The S24 Ultra boasts a top-notch display, worthy of its flagship status. It’s huge, vibrant, and adapts beautifully to lighting conditions, reaching an impressive 2,600 nits in bright sunlight.

Extra Dim Mode: For midnight reading or discreet phone checks, the Ultra’s 1-nit brightness preserves good color while being cinema-level dim. No more fumbling with brightness settings in the dark!

Always-on Display and the Cool S-View Case: Stay informed with the always-on display, or opt for the unique S-View case featuring a window for essential info through a wallet-style cover. Samsung hasn’t forgotten this beloved feature!

Room for Improvement:

Overall, the S24 Ultra’s display shines bright, with unique features like Extra Dim Mode and the S-View case. However, missing out on higher refresh rates and Dolby Vision leaves a few stars dim on this otherwise stellar screen.

Unleashing the Power Within

Years of chasing have ended. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, powered by Qualcomm and Samsung’s collaboration, dethrones Apple’s Bionic chip for raw performance, even surpassing dedicated gaming phones like the ROG Phone 8 Pro.

What does this mean for you? Smoothness and speed in everything you do. Games like Call of Duty Mobile and Genshin Impact run flawlessly at max settings. Editing photos in Lightroom becomes a real-time experience.

But there’s a twist. While your fingers fly across the screen, the newly introduced AI features become the bottleneck. Composing text messages or editing photos with AI feels less like AI magic and more like waiting at a red light.

The irony is undeniable. Finally surpassing Apple in speed, Samsung bogs down the experience with AI tools that, unfortunately, don’t live up to the hype. Imagine writing suggestions appearing instantly like Lightroom adjustments, transforming AI from a frustrating wait to a seamless partner.

The S24 Ultra is undeniably powerful, but the true potential of its AI features remains untapped. If Samsung can eliminate the delays and make AI truly real-time, they might just have a revolutionary phone on their hands.

Until then, the speed crown comes with a caveat – waiting for AI that just can’t keep up.

Impressive Camera with Everyday Snaps to Epic Zooms

The camera system is where the S24 Ultra truly shines. The 200MP main sensor captures stunning detail, while the ultrawide and telephoto lenses offer versatility. The 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom bring distant subjects closer, although the latter’s quality suffers at extreme levels.

Concerns about the 5x zoom replacing the S23 Ultra’s 10x were unfounded. While the zoom jump isn’t as steep, the S24 Ultra boasts the best zoom camera on any phone. Yes, it sacrifices detail for better overall quality at high zoom levels, but those photos are now actually shareable!

Compared to iPhone: At 5x zoom, the iPhone wins, but the Galaxy shines beyond. At 25x, the Galaxy retains more detail and color. Plus, Samsung’s colors now feel more natural, avoiding the iPhone’s yellowish tint.

Low light is still a weakness. Pixel and OnePlus phones handle certain low-light situations better, like cityscapes and restaurant food. The S24 Ultra excels in interesting shots: macros, food pics, selfies, and portraits with accurate skin tones and detail.

New Generative Edit AI lets you resize/move objects or change backgrounds, but feels more like collage than photography. Photo editing: Third-party apps or obscure Samsung apps like Enhance-X offer advanced AI editing, but not as good as Pixel tools.

Lightroom and SnapSeed run smoothly for more control. Moon photography remains untested due to weather, but AI promises object recognition for optimal shots.

Overall, the best camera phone I’ve used in a year. While not dominating every area, it consistently outperforms rivals, offering more interesting shot options and AI tricks. Low-light needs work, but zoom and color improvements are commendable.

Galaxy AI is Here

The new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra packs a bunch of features, but navigating them is a challenge. Buried deep in settings, some AI marvels await, while others leave you scratching your head.

Finding these exciting AI features is like a scavenger hunt with 22 menus and confusing terminology. Samsung needs to streamline this! While pop-up suggestions occasionally help, they’re overshadowed by intrusive ads even on your brand new phone.

The AI translation feature is mind-blowing, like having a sci-fi Babel fish in your ear. Other features, like writing styles, are less impressive. Promised Shakespeare transformations never materialized, and the keyboard itself suffers from bizarre autocorrect issues.

Samsung borrowed some AI features from Google Pixel, but fell short. Voice transcription lacks the Pixel’s live functionality and accuracy. Image editing tools also miss the mark compared to Pixel’s unblurring and “Best Take” options.

One area where Samsung shines is DeX, transforming your phone into a Chromebook when connected to a monitor. This seamless work-from-anywhere solution is truly unique.

While Samsung promises seven years of updates, its AI subscription terms raise concerns. Could future features become paywalled, leaving your “future-proof” phone outdated? This asterisk needs clarification.

The author advocates for an Apple-like update strategy, where any non-hardware-dependent feature reaches all eligible phones. While iPhone XR lacks the new Dynamic Island, it received the iOS 17 feature “NameDrop.” Will the S24 Ultra enjoy the same parity in 2031 with Android 21?

Overall, the Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts impressive AI innovations, but accessibility and software quirks cast a shadow. DeX shines as a unique differentiator, but questions about long-term software support and feature fairness linger.

Whether this phone is a feature feast or frustrating fumble ultimately depends on your priorities and Samsung’s future actions. This paraphrase condenses the original text, retains key points, and highlights the pros and cons of the S24 Ultra’s features and software experience.

Longer Battery Life

Forget other phones, the Galaxy S24 Ultra reigns supreme in battery life. Our tests prove it, lasting a whopping 16 hours 45 minutes browsing web on 5G! That blows away the iPhone 15 Pro Max and even beats its predecessor by over 2 hours.

No magic battery size increase? Nope, Samsung simply optimized power management. You can tweak display settings, resolution, and performance for even more juice.

But here’s the frustrating part: finding intelligent power saving. Buried under 5 layers of menus, Samsung makes you jump through hoops. Adaptive Power Saving exists, but hidden like a treasure hunt gone wrong. Why Samsung, why?!

Charging is good, not great. 45W gets you to 50% in 30 minutes, full charge in 45 minutes, even faster than promised. However, phones like the OnePlus 12 charge much faster with 80W and even offer 50W wireless charging. The S24 Ultra only does 15W wirelessly, and finding wireless power sharing is an challenging adventure itself.

Bottom line, the S24 Ultra boasts unbeatable battery life, but software menus are a nightmare. Fast charging is decent, but competitors offer much faster solutions. If Samsung simplifies menus and improves charging options, they might just keep their battery crown.

The Verdict

The new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is undoubtedly one of the best premium smartphones right now, with top-of-the-line specs, a stunning display, and a versatile camera system. From looking at the screen, it looks stunning and feels smooth, and the photos and videos I captured are so crisp and detailed. Somehow it continues to improve upon last year’s great S23 Ultra in every way.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra explodes onto the scene, redefining what a “flagship” means. It offers everything other phones do, plus more, and pushes past its predecessor in every aspect. Battery life? Longer. Performance? Blazing fast. Cameras? Phenomenal. Though, be prepared to dig deep into your pockets for these extra upgrades.

The  sweet the AI features, however, come with a hitch. They’re impressive, even amazing at times, but buried deep under layers of outdated, frustrating menus. I had to dig deep into menus to get to the AI settings, which is quite frustrating. It’s a shame, because once you experience the phone in action, its potential shines.

While it deserves its high price, there’s undeniable room for improvement, especially when it comes to the software. If a top-tier smartphone is what you’re looking for, and have the funds, I recommend you get the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

If you have any comments, opinions, suggestions, you can leave then here below any time you wish. Do you think the new S24 Ultra will be the best of 2024? What is your experience with Samsung Galaxy smartphones? Do you want to switch from your existing S23 Ultra? Let’s discuss it here below. See you next time. 😀