The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the main attraction of this year’s event

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the company’s new AI-powered flagship smartphone for 2024, and it has a lot going for it. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is more expensive at launch than last year’s Ultra, and the price difference will be felt more acutely. The Galaxy S23 Ultra was already jam-packed with features, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers nothing new or significant. It just got a little better in a variety of ways.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra embodies what it means to be Ultra, a phone that goes beyond the smartphone category. It has more features than any other phone and outperforms last year’s Ultra in every way. The Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts a longer battery life, faster performance, and superior cameras, but it comes at a higher cost. The new AI features are the only thing that can slow this phone down, aside from Samsung’s old and horrible software, which buys everything intriguing beneath layers upon levels of options and menus. When you see the Ultra in action, it’s worth the money, and some of the features are wonderful, but there’s more opportunity than ever for improvement at the top.

Price when reviewed: $1,149.99 | Check price at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra KEY FEATURES

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s key features are design, display, software, cameras, and performance. The Galaxy S24 Ultra appears identical to the S23 Ultra, but with so many features packed in, what could Samsung change without sacrificing something? Too bad titanium didn’t help Samsung lose weight. A large, bright, and gorgeous display that is crisp and responsive. The flat design aids writing, albeit the phone is more of a massive slab than ever. The S23 Ultra’s curved screen has been replaced by a flat 6.82-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen, which provides somewhat extra screen real estate for sketching with the S Pen. Samsung’s software has always been terrible, but each new feature adds to the complexity, and the interface has never been thoroughly cleaned up. Things are a mess, and One UI needs to improve because no one will notice how fantastic the phone is if it’s unusable. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung’s best camera phone overall, for any circumstance. You can find better photographs from competitors, but the Ultra is more dependable and adaptable than the iPhone, and it improves on last year’s S23 Ultra in significant areas. This is the first Android in a long time to outperform the fastest iPhone, so what are you going to do with all of that power? As long as you don’t mind waiting for AI functions, you can have fun with quick gaming and real-time photo editing. From real-time text and call translation to webpage summaries and photo editing, new GenAI-powered functions on the S24 Ultra are both fast and safe.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S24 ULTRA UNBOXING

Another boring unwrapping awaits, but the slimline packaging makes no promises. A SIM eject pin is still provided, however a statement in the instructions stating ‘insert a paper clip or an earring’ may replace it shortly. That, or e-SIMs.

The only other useful item in the box is a USB-C cable, but it only supports 3A of current, which may not be enough to deliver the claimed 45W of charging. We might rave about it later in the review.

CAMERA

• Improved image quality, even if the specifications are suspect
• The zoom lens provides less resolution, but it offers excellent color and range
• A collection of new AI-powered editing tools

The Galaxy S23 Ultra was our overall best camera phone last year, so rumors that Samsung will reduce optical zoom from 10x to 5x sparked much worry. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s outstanding feature was its 10x zoom, in addition to the 200MP sensor, two zoom lenses, 100x digital astrophotography, AI image enhancements, and other capabilities. Still, it’s unusual for Samsung to take a step backward, particularly in terms of specifications.

Let’s begin with the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 5x zoom lens. Samsung has not taken a step back, but rather a step sideways. The Galaxy S24 Ultra still offers the finest zoom camera available on a smartphone. It outperforms the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x zoom and the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x zoom by far. Most of the time, especially when you are fully utilizing the zoom feature.

When zoomed in at 10x or 100x, the Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers photographs with far superior color and dynamic range than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Whereas the original camera made photographs appear flat, the Galaxy S24 Ultra provides greater depth and darkness. You will not see a lot of detail. To improve overall image quality, Samsung has sacrificed fine detail.

It’s a good trade. The 10x and 100x zoom photos from the S23 UItra are horrible. Sure, you can make out some elements, but they are obscured by noise and blur, like a virtual chopped salad. On the Galaxy S24 Ultra, you won’t see as much, but you’ll be happy sharing shots that look like good photos rather than police-proof.

At 5x zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max outperforms the Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of image quality. Once you start using digital zoom, the Galaxy performs better. At 5x zoom, both cameras produced a nice landscape shot of a lighthouse. When I zoomed in 25 times, the Galaxy retained more detail and better color than the iPhone. The iPhone couldn’t zoom much further, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra could see enough detail from the Peck Ledge lighthouse, which is located a mile off the Connecticut coast, to count the stairs up from the dock.

Samsung has previously been chastised for using artificial colors in images, and it’s evident that the firm took this to heart and attempted to emulate the iPhone’s processing capabilities. Colors appear much more natural all around and are frequently cooler than overly warm iPhone photos, which throw a yellowish tint on some shots. Digital sharpening issues have been addressed, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra shoots shots with a decent degree of clarity, without the blurriness found on certain iPhone photos.

That doesn’t imply the camera is without flaws. Low light remains a concern, and other phones handle different night conditions better. The Google Pixel 8 Pro performs better at night for landscape and city images, and the OnePlus 12 outperforms Samsung in several mixed-light shots, like as photographing food in a dark restaurant.

Overall, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the greatest camera phone I’ve used in the previous year. It may not be superior in every way, but it regularly outperforms every other phone, whether you’re using an iPhone, a Pixel, or even a newer OnePlus phone with fancy Hasselblad processing.

Where Samsung shines is in its unique photos. If you need a close-up macro shot or an appetizing photo of your homemade pizza, the Galaxy has you covered. Selfies and portraits look terrific, with precise skin tones and enough detail to avoid seeming like a poser. In a picture shot, the phone easily captured my gorgeous dog’s furry ears and cropped them perfectly.

Samsung has made some advances in photo editing, but you’re better off using third-party applications, possibly even some obscure Samsung apps. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Gallery app now includes Generative Edit AI tools, which may resize and reposition things in your image or modify the background depending on the context of the shot. It’s a great trick, but I’m not sure it counts as photography in the same way that mixed-media collage does. If you use any AI trickery, however, Samsung will add a little watermark on your shot to alert viewers.

The Samsung Gallery app will propose photo adjustments such as eliminating reflections (above). The findings can be seen below:

If you miss the Google Pixel 8’s Photo Unblur function (which is highly desirable), you can get Samsung’s Galaxy Enhance-X photo editor from the Galaxy App Store. This little-known program provides a plethora of complex photo editing features, many of which are based on AI and machine learning. These capabilities aren’t as useful as Google Photos editing on a Google Pixel 8 Pro, but it’s interesting to see what Samsung’s software Skunkworks can come up with.

You can also use advanced photo editing tools such as Adobe Lightroom and SnapSeed. These apps function easily on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and I found it easier to edit images with the S Pen than with my finger.

I haven’t been able to test the AI moon photography features on the Galaxy S24 Ultra because it has been cloudy since I received my review device, but rest assured that I will be shooting for the moon as soon as feasible. Samsung claims that the AI on board will recognize things and then attempt to identify the subject to capture the best photo. We’ll see if the new phone can match the stunning astrophotography of last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

• Titanium has not made it lighter
• Flat 6.82-inch display
• Pixel-packed QHD+ resolution
• The lack of Dolby Vision support still stings

Samsung isn’t veering too far from the appearance of previous Galaxy generations, notably with the Ultra model, which virtually looks the same as 2021’s Galaxy S21 Ultra. Nonetheless, there are a few significant adjustments on offer here. The new flat 6.82-inch display stands out the most, as opposed to prior generations’ curved panels. While it may not seem like a significant adjustment, it has a significant impact on the phone’s appearance and feel, as well as enlarging the digital canvas for all of your S Pen doodles and note-taking. Flat screens are more usable in my opinion, but you may disagree. To maximize screen real estate, Samsung has reduced the size of both the bezels and the centrally placed camera cutout. This will be evident when compared to the S23 Ultra, but even without a side-by-side comparison, the screen has a very high-end look.

Samsung is also the first manufacturer to adopt the new Gorilla Armor, which is four times stronger than prior iterations of protective glass and reduces reflections by 75%, providing further peace of mind when using the glass slab. Another significant change with the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the material used; Samsung, like Apple, has switched to titanium for the top-end smartphone.

When combined with the satin touch of the metal, it feels solid in the hand and provides a bit more grip than prior models’ glossy finishes. However, it is not any lighter, which is a major selling point for Apple’s decision to use the material in the iPhone 15 Pro versions. The color options are slightly more muted than prior generations, with gray, violet, and yellow options throughout, as well as unique orange, green, and blue hues available directly from Samsung. Changing gears, Samsung has also increased its environmental efforts with the S24 line, including recycled cobalt in the battery, recycled rare earth elements in the speakers, and more, and the box is made entirely of recycled paper packaging that can be recycled again!

The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s screen is superb, comparable to what you’d expect from a high-end smartphone. It’s large, bright, and colorful, especially when utilizing the Vivid color tone option.

This display can be customized in a variety of ways, including adaptive brightness and color tones that detect ambient illumination and modify the display’s appearance. In strong, outdoor light, the display can reach a breathtaking 2,600 nits, which isn’t the best available, but you won’t need anything brighter.

Even more intriguing may be the Extra Dim option. The Galaxy S24 Ultra maintains good color accuracy even at one nit of brightness. That’s so dim that you could almost check your messages in a movie theater, but then you’d be an even bigger Ultra jerk. But you could.

There is an always-on display setting, but Samsung continues to produce its distinctive S-View cases, which provide a small window for time, weather, and notifications, visible through a wallet cover case. Even though we haven’t used them in a while, it’s a cool casing feature that Samsung hasn’t abandoned.

Could the Galaxy S24 Ultra display get any better? Absolutely. Phone displays can reach a refresh rate of 144Hz, which may be quicker than the human eye can see. It would be good if Samsung gave up the fight against Dolby Vision on its phone displays and televisions. If you watch a lot of Netflix, shows seem better on a monitor with Dolby Vision vs one without. Samsung’s failure to implement Dolby’s HDR video standard, although supporting Dolby Audio, appears to be a stupid oversight.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

• First Android in memory to outperform the iPhone in benchmarks
• Only delay comes with new AI functions
• Tops for gaming and productivity

The key driving force behind the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s new AI-powered picture editing features is Galaxy AI, a catch-all phrase for a slew of new GenAI-powered applications available on the S24 lineup.

That begins with the phone’s keyboard, which features a new Galaxy AI icon that, when tapped, allows you to not only rewrite what you’ve written to change your tone (formal, friendly, social-media-focused, etc.) but also translate it into 13 languages, which should help overcome the language barrier we all face.

That also applies to the Phone app, which supports live translation, allowing you to talk in your native language while the phone responds in the recipient’s language. It will also show a text transcript of the chat in real-time.

My particular fave is the AI-powered Notes app, which can transcribe and translate a discussion in real-time, distinguishing between different speakers, and then instantly summarise the audio in bullet point format. It’s not always perfect, but it’s near enough to be useful, and you can tap any point in the summary to listen to the relevant audio part for confirmation.

The latter is also accessible in the Samsung Internet app, allowing you to swiftly summarize large amounts of text into bite-sized portions, though I still prefer the Google Chrome experience overall.

Crucially, everything I’ve discussed here takes place on-device, which means it’s faster, eliminating the need for an active internet connection, and more privacy-friendly. It may not be the AI-powered phone of the future, but they are promising first step, and Samsung remains one of the few manufacturers to fully utilize generative AI at the operating system level.

All of this is possible thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, a bespoke version of Qualcomm’s top-end 2024 chipset, as well as 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, depending on the configuration you choose. However, there is no microSD card slot, so make your choice wisely.

Aside from its generative AI capabilities, the Galaxy S24 Ultra performs as expected in benchmark testing and real-world use. It readily competes with some of the most powerful smartphones, like the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, albeit its QHD+ resolution limits graphical performance when compared to FHD+ options.

Buy it if...

• The new display glass provides a better viewing experience, and the display itself is quite bright.
• With tougher materials and craftsmanship all around, the titanium frame feels great to the touch, and the target demographic will most likely like the return to a flat screen.
• The battery life is above average, and charging is faster than on Pixels or iPhones.
• The S Pen remains a unique proposition in 2024, as it has for many years.
• Exciting One UI with extensive AI, DeX support, and excellent networking options.
• The camera system remains as versatile as ever, thanks to an even more usable telephoto and overall better processing.

Don't buy it if…

• The display has issues that, while not obvious or fixable, detract from the overall impression.
• Charging speed is still behind the curve; the phone is finicky about adapters, and the included cord only delivers 3A.
• Illogical difference in image quality between 10x and slightly lower zoom levels.

FULL SPECIFICATION