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| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: The Ultimate Android Phone? |
| Feature | Description | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,199 | - | Higher than the S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| CPU | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Ultra-fast performance; beats the iPhone 15 Pro Max in some benchmarks | AI features can cause performance delays |
| RAM | 12GB | Enough for multitasking and gaming | - |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Plenty of space for photos, videos, and apps | - |
| Display | 6.8 inches QHD+ AMOLED (1-120Hz) | Bright, sharp, and smooth; adaptive refresh rate saves battery | Big and heavy; not easy to use with one hand |
| Galaxy AI | A suite of AI features that enhance productivity and creativity | Practical, intuitive, and fun; Circle to Search, Chat Assist, Live Translate, and more | Some features are hidden in menus; some features are not very useful |
| Cameras | 108MP main, 50MP 5x telephoto, 12MP ultra-wide, 40MP selfie | Sharp main camera; versatile shooting modes; AI photo and video editing | Less detailed 5x telephoto camera; not as artistic as the iPhone 15 Pro |
| Battery life and charging | 5,000 mAh; 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless | Long-lasting endurance; lasts more than a day with intense use | Charging speed is not very fast; no charger included in the box |
| Software | Android 13 with One UI 4.0 | 7 years of software and security updates; Samsung DeX mode; S Pen support | Bloatware and ads; cluttered and confusing menus |
Design and Display
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a big and heavy phone, measuring 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm and weighing 227 grams. It has a metal frame and a glass back, with a matte finish that resists fingerprints and smudges. The phone is also IP68 rated, meaning it can withstand water and dust exposure. The phone has a USB-C port, a SIM card slot, a microSD card slot, and a speaker at the bottom, and a power button and a volume rocker on the right side. There is no headphone jack, but Samsung provides a pair of USB-C earphones in the box.
The phone’s display is one of its main attractions. It is a 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED panel, with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels and a pixel density of 515 ppi. The display supports HDR10+ and has a peak brightness of 1500 nits, making it very bright and vivid. The display also has an adaptive refresh rate, which can range from 1Hz to 120Hz, depending on the content and the battery level. This means that the display can adjust its smoothness and save power at the same time. The display also has a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera, and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the screen.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display is one of the best in the market, offering a sharp, smooth, and colorful viewing experience. However, the display is also very large and not easy to use with one hand. You may need to adjust your grip or use the one-handed mode to reach the corners of the screen. The display also has a slight curve on the edges, which can cause accidental touches or reflections.
Performance and Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is the latest and most powerful processor from Qualcomm. The chipset has an octa-core CPU, with a prime core clocked at 3.0 GHz, three performance cores at 2.5 GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.8 GHz. The chipset also has an Adreno 730 GPU, a Hexagon 770 AI engine, and a Spectra 680 ISP. The phone has 12GB of RAM and comes in three storage options: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The phone also supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and GPS.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers ultra-fast performance, handling any task or game with ease. The phone can multitask and switch between apps smoothly, and run demanding games at high settings and frame rates. The phone also supports Samsung DeX mode, which allows you to connect the phone to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and use it as a desktop computer. The phone also supports the S Pen, which is sold separately, and lets you write, draw, and control the phone with a stylus.
The phone’s performance is also enhanced by a suite of AI features, which Samsung calls Galaxy AI. These features include:
- Circle to Search: This feature lets you circle any word or phrase on the screen, and search for it on the web, Wikipedia, YouTube, or Google Maps.
- Chat Assist: This feature lets you reply to messages quickly, by suggesting relevant responses, emojis, stickers, or GIFs.
- Live Translate: This feature lets you translate any text or speech on the screen, in real time, using Google Translate.
- Smart Rotate: This feature lets you rotate the screen automatically, based on the orientation of your face and eyes.
- Smart Crop: This feature lets you crop any image on the screen, by detecting the main subject and removing the background.
- Smart Collage: This feature lets you create a collage of multiple images on the screen, by arranging them in a grid or a frame.
- Smart Video Editor: This feature lets you edit any video on the screen, by adding filters, effects, music, stickers, or text.
The Galaxy AI features are practical, intuitive, and fun, and can make your life easier and more enjoyable. However, some of these features are hidden in menus or require extra steps to activate, and some of them are not very useful or accurate. The AI features can also cause performance delays or glitches, especially when the phone is running low on battery or memory.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery, which is the same as the S23 Ultra. The battery life is impressive, lasting more than a day with intense use, and up to two days with moderate use. The phone also supports 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, which lets you charge other devices with the phone. However, the charging speed is not very fast, compared to other flagship phones, and Samsung does not include a charger in the box. You will need to buy a compatible charger separately, or use an old one.
Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a quad-camera setup on the back, and a single camera on the front. The rear cameras are:
- A 108MP main camera, with an f/1.8 aperture, a 1/1.33-inch sensor, optical image stabilization (OIS), phase detection autofocus (PDAF), and laser autofocus (LAF).
- A 50MP 5x telephoto camera, with an f/3.5 aperture, a 1/2.8-inch sensor, OIS, PDAF, and LAF.
- A 12MP ultra-wide camera, with an f/2.2 aperture, a 1/2.55-inch sensor, and dual pixel autofocus (DPAF).
- A 3D ToF (time-of-flight) camera, which measures depth and distance.
The front camera is a 40MP selfie camera, with an f/2.2 aperture, a 1/2.8-inch sensor, and DPAF.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s main camera is sharp and detailed, capturing stunning photos in various lighting conditions. The camera also has a 12x digital zoom, which lets you zoom in on distant objects without losing much quality. The camera also has a versatile shooting mode, such as:
- Pro mode: This mode lets you adjust the ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus, and exposure manually, and save the photos in RAW format.
- Night mode: This mode lets you take bright and clear photos in low-light situations, by combining multiple frames and reducing noise and blur.
- Portrait mode: This mode lets you take photos with a blurred background, by using the ToF camera and the AI to create a bokeh effect.
- Panorama mode: This mode lets you take wide-angle photos, by stitching together multiple shots.
- Single Take mode: This mode lets you capture multiple photos and videos with one tap, by using the AI to select the best shots and apply filters and effects.
The phone’s camera also has AI photo and video editing features, which let you enhance your photos and videos with various tools, such as:
- Photo Eraser: This tool lets you remove unwanted objects or people from your photos, by using the AI to fill in the gaps.
- Photo Enhancer: This tool lets you improve the quality and clarity of your photos, by using the AI to adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness.
- Photo Style: This tool lets you change the mood and tone of your photos, by using the AI to apply different styles, such as vintage, retro, or artistic.
- Video Stabilizer: This tool lets you reduce the shake and jitter of your videos, by using the AI to smooth out the motion.
- Video Director: This tool lets you create professional-looking videos, by using the AI to add transitions, effects, music, and text.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s cameras are impressive and powerful, offering a lot of options and features for photography and videography. However, the cameras are not perfect, and have some drawbacks, such as:
- The 5x telephoto camera is less detailed than the main camera, and can produce noisy and blurry photos when zooming beyond 5x.
- The ultra-wide camera has some distortion and vignetting at the edges, and can struggle in low-light situations.
- The selfie camera can produce soft and unnatural photos, especially when using the beauty mode or the portrait mode.
- The cameras can be inconsistent and unpredictable, sometimes producing amazing shots, and sometimes producing mediocre shots, depending on the scene and the settings.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a remarkable phone, with a lot of strengths and few weaknesses. It has a stunning display, a blazing-fast performance, a long-lasting battery life, and a versatile camera system. It also has a lot of AI features that can make