Summary
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra..When you follow the smartphone scene as closely as we do, writers and readers , it’s easy to get pessimistic about where mobile is headed. To be sure, the S24 series looks a lot like its predecessors at first glance, but that’s only an issue if you plan to update every 12 months. Thoughts like artificial intelligence and a titanium frame may seem like faddish attempts to capitalize on the newest trend in technology, even slightly updated hardware may be revitalizing if better hardware and software are truly implemented. Just ask Google.
samsung galaxy s24 ultra release date 2024
With the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung, however, is going above and beyond. Even those switching from 2021 or 2022 phones may have a sense of déjà vu with this handset because its hardware doesn’t seem all that different from older models. It also raises the issue of whether the increased $1,300 asking price is truly justified given that some of those AI technologies are expected to make their way down to the Galaxy S23 Ultra from last year. To tell the truth, I’m not sure.
Network accessibility and availability It appears on all networks, everywhere.
Just much anywhere that sells cellphones has Samsung’s newest, oversized model. This applies to almost every carrier, from national options like Verizon or AT&T to MVNOs like Google Fi, in addition to merchants like Best Buy, Amazon, and Samsung’s own website. Bonus: It’s the only S24 series smartphone that doesn’t use Exynos processors. If you live outside of the US, you can probably get it at the electronics store of your choosing.
All you have to do is budget for the upgrade to titanium this year. With its $1,300 starting price, the Galaxy S24 Ultra only becomes more costly when you want to add extra non-expandable storage. In the end, the 1TB variant of this phone will cost an astounding $1,660, even if you may get a free storage increase during the presale period. For just an additional $80, Best Buy is currently offering the 512GB Galaxy Z Fold 5, and as the year goes on, I anticipate seeing more sales of this kind. It’s harder than ever to ignore the seductive song of foldables when costs are this high. In case you decide to get this phone, here are the greatest offers currently available for the Galaxy S24.
Technical details
CPU: Galaxy models using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM: 12 MB
Keeping in store
256, 512, or 1 terabyte
Energy source: five thousand milliampere-hour
Switches: USB-C interface
Workplace Program: Using OneUI 6.1 on Android 14
primary camera: f/2.2, 12 MP
rearview mirror: 400MP, f/1.7 primary; 12MP, f/2.2 wide-angle; 10MP, f/3.4 telephoto (3x); 50MP, f/3.4 telephoto (5x)
Interconnectivity: UWB and NFC
Dimensions: 16.26 x 79.0 x 8.6 mm
colors: Yellow, Gray, Violet, and Black titanium, as well as gray titanium
Kind of display: LTPO AMOLED, 100–120 Hz
Bulk
233 g.
charging rate: 45 W analog and 15 W digital
IP Ranking: The IP68
price: 1,300 dollars
Stylus: Included was S Pen
Display measurements: 19.3:9, 6.8″
Display pixel count: 3088 by 1440
Options for charges: Reverse charging using wireless or wired
mobile connections: Sub-6, LTE, and 5G mmWave
WiFi availability: WiFi 7
Link: 5.3 Bluetooth
Samsung’s current mobile strategy seems to lean towards iteration and refinement over all else, making small changes generation after generation without shaking up its design. It’s far from the only company doing this — if anything, it’s become the norm — but I still think Samsung might be taking its safe approach a little too far. If you’ve seen any of the Ultra-branded Galaxy Note replacements over the past couple of years — or even practically any Galaxy Note device dating back to 2019 — you know what this phone looks like.
It’s a block of metal and glass, with a scattering of lenses in the top left corner. This year, however, the metal portion of the device includes titanium. I’m not sure there’s a big benefit to it over what Samsung previously used in its smartphones, though; the weight is nearly identical to the aluminum-clad Galaxy S23 Ultra from last year. Before I get too deep into a critique of the entire Galaxy design philosophy, though, let’s talk about what’s actually new.
The other significant change is that, although curved glass is still present on some phones (such as the OnePlus 12), Samsung has finally concluded that its ten-year experiment with curved glass was a failure and should be abandoned.
In addition to making it easier to use the S Pen all the way to the edge of the phone, this flat display feels fantastic in the hand and reduces the need to rely on a case to help prevent accidental taps. It truly makes you wonder why Samsung first abandoned the curves on the smaller Galaxy S-series phones.
There are bound to be a few more differences between the S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra—a new speaker grill along the bottom and a flatter S Pen cap, for example—but overall, not much has changed in terms of design, even for those coming from much older devices. Consistency isn’t a bad thing, but I personally think Samsung’s style lacks any kind of personality. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s random assortment of protruding lenses? Not so much. The iPhone’s Dynamic Island, formerly known as the notch, and the Pixel’s large visor-like camera bar are instantly recognizable smartphones.
The Samsung 6.8-inch AMOLED display, which peaks at 2,600 nits, is a sight to behold. Its 1-120Hz 1440p panel is a true gem. If that weren’t enough to compete with the ultra-bright displays phones like the Pixel 8 Pro are currently rocking, the S24 Ultra is also the first smartphone to use Corning’s Gorilla Armor, which works to reduce reflections without causing display distortion.
It’s difficult to quantify exactly, but it’s there; light reflection from the treadmill at my gym was still present, but it was much more subdued than on any other device that used Victus 2 glass. Whether you use it indoors or out, this is a huge improvement in quality of life, and going forward, almost all other smartphone OEMs should consider using this glass on their most costly flagship models.
The contents of the package plus additional hardware
Let’s play some catch, Samsung.
The pink background of the Galaxy S24 Ultra highlights the S Pen protrusion.
I find it extremely annoying that the SIM card tray on my unit sticks out slightly from the bottom of the frame, sticking out enough to dig into my hand to be noticeable, especially considering that this is a $1,300 smartphone, as we’ve covered. As such, I expect it to reach a level of fit and finish that is above what you’d expect from, say, the Galaxy A15 5G announced on the same day.
I understand that Samsung has quality control issues, but I’ve verified with at least one other reviewer that their SIM card tray is not flush with the phone. This kind of thing is borderline unacceptable at this price, and I would advise any potential customers to carefully inspect their units upon unboxing. I’m glad Samsung continues to use a SIM tray, even though some smartphone manufacturers have chosen to do away with them in order to lock users into an ecosystem.
From below, the SIM card tray of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is visible, protruding slightly from the casing.
Look near the location of that antenna line; it’s not easy to spot.
As always, Samsung nails the fundamentals: haptics, speaker quality, and button feel. To the best of my knowledge, none of those three areas has changed this year; all three were strong last year and are strong this year. While I still find Samsung’s speaker to be a little tinny at maximal volume, other than that, it’s a fantastic media device.
Likewise, with the S Pen, Samsung hasn’t really changed anything about it other than to make the cap a little flatter. It still protrudes slightly to make ejecting it easier, but it’s still a nice touch. If you already adore the S Pen, you’ll be glad to see it here; if not, you can reasonably ignore its existence.
I’m happy you inquired about what’s included in the box. For $1,300, you will receive the phone, a short charging cable, and a SIM tool. While I support environmental causes, I do believe that Samsung should allow customers to add a PPS charger at no additional cost when checking out. They won’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t continue to publicly criticize the company for this.
What is artificial intelligence on S24 Ultra?
Handled the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The star of the show this year is undoubtedly Galaxy AI, a platform that feels as deep and wide as a puddle, at least in its initial iteration. I won’t go into detail about each feature in this review because, like most companies, Samsung is still in the experimental stage of “AI-powered” features, throwing a lot of ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks.
And thus far, the tools that most closely resemble what Google is working on appear to have the best use cases. Take Circle to Search, for instance, which is already available on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro and bears the Google branding (though it isn’t fully branded as an AI application). Circle to Search isn’t a completely new concept; in fact, its results strongly resemble Lens, and the ability to search what’s on your screen is derived from Google Now on Tap, an outdated and abandoned tool that was formerly a part of Google Now.
Although it’s still in its early stages, it’s still better than both of its predecessors. While it may be awkward to tap and hold the gesture bar, once the mode is activated, searching for specific text or addresses can be quite helpful. While I wish the functionality of searching for context from images didn’t just open a new search window when I circle an image, like the Barbie poster, it does seem like a pretty handy feature when I get the hang of it.
However, most of the stuff here is limited to Samsung’s own apps, which, while reasonable, doesn’t mean I’ll use them more frequently. For example, I can’t stand Samsung Keyboard, which practically guarantees I won’t use Writing Assist for longer than the couple of hours I did post-unboxing. Likewise, most of the other stuff here falls into one of two categories: either I can see myself using it occasionally (Live Translate, Interpreter) or never (Browsing Assist, Chat Assist).
The company still has a long way to go before proving any of this is worth more than the cost of the hardware itself. What’s left are things like Note Assist, which can even convert handwriting into text and straighten it. It works relatively well, minus a few misspellings when attempting to recognize my chicken scratch. However, is this a feature that needs to be advertised as AI-powered? Furthermore, is this something you’d have to pay for in a matter of years, once Samsung decides that Galaxy AI is worth a monthly subscription?
The keypad on my Samsung device keeps formatting my text incorrectly.
Notes from Samsung are transcribed from handwritten notes.
Settings for the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s lock screen
In any case, One UI 6.1 is still a decent enough experience, though I’ve never really felt at ease here. It’s criminal that Samsung has refused to ship a vertical app drawer, and no, the Good Lock modification doesn’t count. The new always-on display is good, but there aren’t as many or as useful lock screen widgets as I’d like. Everything feels a little buggy and unfinished, from my missing cloud backup settings to the lock screen backdrop that changes randomly while I’m customizing my experience.
It’s understandable that Qualcomm hasn’t done too badly with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, as there aren’t many performance differences between it and its predecessor. Android users haven’t been able to play many of the really excellent games that have been released recently, but the S24 Ultra can handle what’s available on the Play Store with ease. In addition, I don’t think I’ve felt the phone get warm more than twice or three times in my first week with it.
A closer look at the lenses of the S24 Ultra.
To put it simply, I’ll say this: Samsung’s flagship camera still has issues with shutter speed and subject motion, especially in bright light. You can take some really amazing pictures with this phone, but it’s also likely to miss an opportunity to capture a moment that its closest competitors would handle with ease. I’m not sure if a subpar camera is worse than a subpar one, but it’s close. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is good at taking pictures of landscapes, sunsets, and quick strolls around the neighborhood, but it’s not as good at handling moving objects like kids or pets.
I have one image, in fact, that tells you everything you need to know about this camera system. There is a blurry picture of a bus slowing down to stop at a stop light, traveling no faster than 10 MPH and probably slower as it breaks. It was taken about an hour and a half before sunset. Beyond all of the AI features, the multiple lenses, the new pixel binning methods, beyond everything.
During a traffic halt, a bus approaching a red light.
It isn’t a difficult shot, and the fact that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is unable to capture it speaks volumes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have taken some great pictures with this phone, even when moving objects are involved. It’s the unpredictable and inconsistent nature of this camera that really makes it all fall short. Even though I have some better shots taken with this lens than with my Pixel 8 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, what good is it if the phone can’t keep up with the times when accuracy, speed, and clarity are crucial factors?
Taking use of the primary 200MP f/1.7 lens, the following samples are mostly self-explanatory.
Night mode is turned on and off in turn during the last four shots.
As for the new 50MP f/3.4 5x periscope lens, I think the big question going into this review was how it would compare to the 10MP f/4.9 10x zoom lens from last year. Generally speaking, I don’t have nearly as many complaints about this change as I’ve seen online; a 10x zoom is nice, but in practice, it’s often closer to subjects than I’d rather approach. If Samsung can achieve a similar 10x quality while relying on digital zoom for everything beyond 5x, it might become more practical in the long run.
So, did Samsung pull it off? Well, sort of. I personally like having the 5x lens because it saves me from having to take 5x shots from the 3x lens, but the 10x comparisons I took—again, outside in the daylight—are, at best, comparable, provided you don’t pixel peep. A few examples, however, showed the clear degradation that occurs when you go from a hardware-based solution to a software-based one because, as is often the case, the best photo processing tools are still unable to match a dedicated lens. It also significantly affects the appearance of 100x shots, though it’s a matter of personal preference.
First, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, followed by the Galaxy S23 Ultra
Although not exclusive to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung’s night photography — or nightography — abilities are still quite good as long as you don’t include too much motion in your images. In certain situations, I even liked pictures taken without Samsung’s automatic night mode turned on because the phone would often overexpose outdoor low-light scenes. Additionally, I don’t think the ultrawide or selfie cameras have been improved over the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but you’ll still find a few examples in this review.
Once again, vertical camera examples.
Regardless of its choice to maintain as much of the status quo as possible in terms of hardware, Samsung should be making progress in one area, and that is the camera. However, rather than making up for some of the shortcomings seen in the S23 series, nearly every aspect of this camera lineup remains unchanged in terms of hardware. Sure, there are a ton of AI-focused camera tools available, such as instant slow-mo and edit suggestions, but does it really matter when the Galaxy S24 Ultra now feels very much behind the competition in terms of output alone?
Speeds of charging and battery life
So excellent that testing is challenging
Top part of Galaxy S24 Ultra on blue backdrop
Possibly due to my growing tolerance for smartphones, but even with frequent use in my first week with the phone, I was unable to even close to draining the battery. On my busiest days, I was unable to get the battery down below thirty percent, no matter what I was doing with the device; on one day, I spent almost seven hours on the screen when using Wi-Fi to fiddle with apps, and on another, I spent almost four hours using cellular data and taking a ton of pictures and videos.
Nevertheless, these are great figures, meaning that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will probably last a few days for the majority of smartphone users. This is fortunate, as Samsung has decided not to focus on the S24 Ultra’s charging speeds for another year. The S24 Ultra, like many generations of hardware before it, supports 45W fast-charging through a supported (and sold separately) PPS charger. It can reach 50% charge in about half an hour before losing power.
That’s enough for a night out, but it’s not the kind of life-altering charging speeds you’ll find on devices like the OnePlus 12, and I think that’s a shame. Yes, faster charging times come with trade-offs, but I’d like to see the option to top off my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra much faster than this. Since I drive a OnePlus phone on a daily basis, I don’t think about plugging it in at night, and to be honest, that kind of freedom can really change how you use your device. Unfortunately, you won’t get that kind of freedom with Samsung hardware.
Prior to the Pixel 8 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was held
The mobile market has shrunk to the point where, barring a few, almost any flagship smartphone could be seen as competition for Samsung’s newest phablet. That being said, you won’t find many devices this powerful with a stylus integrated into the chassis, so let’s not focus on the productivity tools offered by the company, but rather on the experience as a whole: a large screen combined with every AI tool you could possibly imagine.
This one is easy: the Pixel 8 Pro. Its screen is almost as big and bright as that of the competition, it feels a little more comfortable in the hand because of its curved corners, and its camera is much more steady when handling motion. It also comes with the same seven years of OS support, which ensures a long lifespan, and that’s not even talking about Google’s AI features, which the company has been steadily adding to in the months following launch.
Naturally, there are differences between the two phones; the S Pen is excluded. The Google launcher is clear, but some users may find it a bit too basic and constrictive. The Exynos foundation-based Tensor chips contribute to the performance issues, but even with these caveats, the phone performs better than previous Pixel models without much effort. Furthermore, you can get Google’s best phone for $300 less than Samsung’s middle child.
In terms of raw power, the OnePlus 12 is another outstanding option. As our review discovered, it does away with all of the AI tools for a more minimalist smartphone experience. Its large battery, curved edges on the display, and eye-catching marble pattern on the green model all contribute to making this phone stand out from the competition. Its camera is also pretty decent, producing some pretty striking images thanks to Hasselblad color science.
Do you think you should purchase it?
Leaning beside an assortment of films is theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
You probably already know if you should use Samsung’s version of Android; nevertheless, there is enough about One UI that makes it stand out from the competition to keep many users within its ecosystem. Even though Samsung has shifted its focus to more mainstream consumers, removing features like the headphone jack and microSD card slot (you know the SIM card tray is next), so much about One UI feels like a power user’s dream; add the S Pen for good measure, and you’ve got a solid, if not ideal, package for a niche audience of Android enthusiasts.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a phone that will make plenty of people happy, but at $1,300, it needs to be just shy of perfect to get as strong of a recommendation as its less expensive competition, and I don’t think it lives up to that mark. The fit and finish feels a little lackluster this year, the AI features aren’t fully baked, and the camera performance is too inconsistent. Add to that a stale design that doesn’t catch my attention the way Google’s Pixel 8 Pro did last year, and it’s a tough bargain.
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