The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was seemingly rushed to market to snatch the branding crown of the first artificially intelligent injected phone in the market for 2024, but what was under sold by the company is the maturity of its design and ecosystem after fifteen years of toiling.
I was given a chance to review the S24 Ultra thanks to AT&T and after a couple of months with the device, it’s clear that, while AI was the trending brand word Samsung chose to market its latest phone with, this phone is less of a mind reading personal assistant and more of a luxury car you lust after, designed to get you from point A to point B in style.
Specs
| Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
| Battery | “5,000 mAh¹ Power to last through your day” |
| Wireless Power share | Yes |
| Storage Options | Internal memory & storage: 12GB RAM / 256GB, 512GB, 1TBᵏ ⁷ |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy |
| RAM Options | 12GB |
| Pen Compatibility | Integrated |
| Cellular & Wireless | 5G |
| Ultra Wide Camera | Yes |
| Resolution | Rear: 200MP Wide, 12MP Ultra-Wide, 10MP Tele 3x Zoom, 50MP Tele 5x Zoom. Front: 12MP |
| Aperture | “Dual Aperture Rear: 200MP (f/1.7), 12MP (f/2.2), 10MP (f/2.4) 50MP (f/3.4) Front: 12MP (f/2.2)” |
| Flaw Detection | Yes |
| Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner | Capacitive FP |
| Display | “6.8“ 6.8” Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display⁶” |
I know the cell phone to car analogy was played out back during the iPhone 4 days, but it feels more resonant today as MSRP’s creep up to downpayment levels and the amount a branded features resemble window tags.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is true to its name, maintaining an Ultra-sized pocket presence, Ultra-sized weight in the hand, Ultra-premium materials used in constructions, Ultra-long list of Settings and Features, as well as an Ultra-sized price tag that edges out many high end Ultrabook PCs on the market.
Ironically, the feature-sell for the S24 Ultra this year is the only thing that isn’t Ultra for the phone, and that’s the marketing of AI by way of pre-generative and machine learning algorithms.
During the unveiling of the S24, Samsung used the term AI no less than 30 plus times to describe some nifty, but very circumstantial use cases to justify its 2024 upgrade that included Circle to Search, Translation, Photo Editing, and more.
However, during my long-term review of the S24 Ultra, it’s the more concrete work Samsung put into the phone and its ecosystem I used more day to day and appreciated.
What Works
I’m not one for benchmarks, so I’ll try and explain as simply as possible what works and doesn’t work for me when using the S24 Ultra, and what things may be comparable to other devices such as the Fold 5, Pixel 8 Pro, or my wife’s iPhone 15.
The Design (4/5)
Easily the S24 Ultra is the best in-hand-feeling device on the market. Yes, the iPhone 15 uses Titanium in cool weightlifting technology to lighten the overall feel in the hand for users, but it’s more than the density of the S24 Ultra that wins top marks from me.
Samsung seems to finally be over its ten-year-long love affair with edge screen technology and has resorted to an completely flat panel on the S24 Ultra. The new flat panel pours into the slightly rounded frame of the S24 Ultra which offers a more of a contoured grip than the flat edges of the iPhone 15.
However, the rounded corners of the iPhone 15 preferable to the flat edges on the S24 Ultra. I’ve seen review after review knock the S24 Ultra for its flat corners digging into the palm of reviewer’s hands, but I tend to rest the phone on my pinky finger where the inside corner gently brushes against my palm more than digs into it.
I’m sure this pound and half phone has already accelerated arthritis in my hand.
Beyond the density of the phone, the overall cut and design of the device remains roughly unchanged from the S23 Ultra. Antenna bands, sim card slots, S-Pen hole, Power button, and volume rockers are all where users left them from the last phone.
The camera arrangement on the back is similar to the S23 Ultra and presents the same sort of wobble as its predecessor when on a flat surface.
What has changed is the matte finish used for the frame of the S24 Ultra which attempts to offer a bit more grippiness to the phone, but don’t be fooled, this phone is almost every bit as slippery as wet bar of soap.
I would recommend a phone case or skin be applied if you’re OCD about potential ding and scratches from accidental drops. Fortunately, a couple of dings is all I’ve encountered from a few nasty drops over the months without any suggested protection.
Display (5/5)
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s screen is a marvel of modern technology, a true testament to the company’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of what a smartphone display can do.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra sports a gigantic 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel1. This isn’t just any screen; it’s now the new standard bearer for smartphone screen technology. The display resolution is so sharp, with a pixel density close to or greater than 300dpi, that it creates its own visual styling when viewing content on comparative screens.
Combined with muted color tones and new anti-reflective coating, the S24 Ultra’s screen almost looks matte-like in nature.
One of the most significant upgrades is the variable refresh rate. It’s not just better; it’s smarter, adjusting dynamically to what’s on the screen to conserve battery life without sacrificing smoothness. The brightness levels have also seen a substantial improvement combined with the anti-glare coating, allowing for clear visibility even under the harsh glare of direct sunlight.
The screen is protected by the latest Corning Gorilla Armor glass, which is touted as the toughest smartphone glass yet. This means that the S24 Ultra’s display is not just beautiful to look at but also resilient against the trials of daily use. There are fewer visible micro abrasions than on the S23 Ultra, albeit I’ve had the S24 Ultra for less time.
However, I tend to not use cases or screen protectors with phones as well as often putting them in the same pockets as my keys when I hope out of my car for quick trips to the store, gas station, pharmacy, etc., and thus far the screen remains immaculate.
Samsung has pulled back on the saturation and contrast settings out of the box this year, opting for a more neutral color tones preconfigured. As with most Samsung devices, there are a myriad of ways to get back to color profiles that are more vibrant, deeper blacks, and the contrasts are much starker.
Samsung’s tweaking of the natural tone of the S24 Ultra’s display has been a point of contention for some. However, this more natural tone aims to reduce eye strain and provide a more accurate representation of colors, which should a boon for anyone who uses their phone for photography or video editing.
AI Integration: Here is one of the few times Samsung calibrates its new AI technology out of the box to elevate the set-up process for the user. The new AI features integrated into the display technology are automatically configured and designed to enhance the user experience. They can reactively adjust the color profile based on the content being viewed or the ambient lighting conditions, although there have been reports of occasional performance delays due to these AI enhancements.
I personally haven’t experienced any performance delays just yet, but it’s early in my time with the S24 Ultra.
Using the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s screen is like having a personal IMAX theater in your pocket. Whether you’re scrolling through photos, watching videos, or playing games, the experience is immersive and unparalleled thanks in part to its massive (and arguably unwieldly) size. The only downside noted by reviewers or Samsung Galaxy power users is that many of the new and great features are buried beneath layers of menus, which can detract from the overall user experience, especially if you want to turn them off.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s screen is not just an incremental upgrade as some reviewers have sold it as; it’s a bold leap forward. It’s a screen that doesn’t just display content; it enhances it, making most interactions a pleasure. It’s argubly the crown jewel of a phone that’s already brimming with top-tier features, and it sets a new standard for what we can expect from smartphone displays.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (5/5)
Similar to last years Snapdragon performance in the S23 Ultra, Qualcomm delivers another hit with its customized processor for the S24 Ultra.
Performance on the S24 Ultra is smooth and aided by some optimizations in Samsungs One UI 6.1 OS release. Animations are fluid, app tombstoning is seamless and for casual users, Samsung does a lot of heavy lifting when resting apps to optimize that 12GB of onboard RAM.
If you’re upgrading from an older Galaxy S device, Samsung has developed an app wrangling technology that’s present out-of-the-box that intended to keep old unused apps from drawing resources on the phone by pausing app updates, restricting permissions, and putting them in a deep sleep mode.
The app is functionally an icon in the app drawer until called upon for actual use. This carries both pluses and minuses for users. In a pinch, it could result in a frustrating “I forgot my password moment”, or it could lead to a realization that you’ve been transferring over an app whose utility died out years ago.
I know reviewers like to tout gaming performance, but at this point, most mobile games play how they are going to play. The performance of games on smartphones feels less about utilizing the amount of RAM and the SoC on a phone than they are about how well the developers maintain them.
With, my preferred stable of games that include Marvel Snap, Sims, Marvel Strike Force, Call of Duty Mobile, Hitman Go, Stardew Valley, and Pocket City all play just as well as they did before.
Battery (5/5)
Another unsung hero of the S24 Ultra is its battery life. Over the past two phone refreshes, Samsung has found its alchemy for great battery life on its Ultra phones.
The 5,000mAh pull their weight in the S24 Ultra and delivered true “All-day” battery life for me.
I gather a lot of reviewers measure their battery life by running benchmarks or screen time when pounding away at apps in constant succession to get to some of the numbers they reach.
I however measure my battery life by family trips, particularly to Disneyworld.
My family loves to visit the parks as they open which means our day typically begins anywhere from 6 to 7am and doesn’t end until close to midnight. The trips are usually without any reserved battery assistance, lots of videos and photos, mapping, music streaming (the girls like to sing while in line), and the occasional video watching if lines are too long.
I’ve taken the S24 Ultra on several of these types of trips over the past few months and each time, I’ve gotten back to our hotel, campsite, or Airbnb with at least thirty percent.
S-Pen (4/5)
The S-Pen as a staple of large screen Galaxy phones remains one of its distinguishing factors of a rapidly homogenizing smartphone market. The S-Pen is every bit capable and functional for the ardent stylus user, unfortunately, I don’t think I even scraped the surface of how much of a utility this 3oz piece of hardware is for most people.
I’ve used the S-Pen to sign my lease, initiate arguably the only relevant AI feature of the S24 Ultra in the Circle to Search trick, and take notes with Samsung Notes.
Otherwise the S-Pen remains housed in its little silo at along the side of the phone.
Speaking of which, Samsung Notes gets an honorable mention here as its continues to tie into OneNote which I’ve used for years and Samsung has improved its pen recognition to the point of almost encouraging S-Pen only use when jotting down quick shopping lists, dates, times, addresses, phone numbers, and To-Do’s.
The S-Pen and Samsung Notes is one of the only bright spots in the AI parade of features the company utilizes. Using machine learning Samsung has optimized the algorithm to recognize some of the most chicken scratch writing out there to translate into recognizable text and it’s beautiful experience. One worthy of encouraging more manual note taking often.
The scratchy writing paper sound when the S-Pen is in use is also a subtle nicety that won’t soon be forgotten by me.
Cameras (4/5)
With opting for a wider aperture over an extreme telephoto arrangement, images are a bit more detailed than their S23 Ultra counterpart. Samsung swapped out the 10MP and 10X zoomed telephoto for its new 50MP and 5X telephoto set up this year while also including a 1.6x larger camera sensor in its main camera allowing for an upgrade to a f/3.4 focal length rather than the previous f/4.9.
The higher resolution sensor really kicks in during evening shots as it captures a bit more of the surrounding light at a faster shutter speed.
And, the zoom is still fantastic, especially for someone who traffics in nose-bleed seats for concerts and shows.
I don’t tend to digitally crop my images all that much, but I’m told by my photographer wife the data the S24 Ultra captures is “perfect” for editing images later.
As with its screen tech this year, Samsung has also tweaked its image processing to represent more neutral color tones. However, a neutral color tone for a Samsung Galaxy captured image is still a few ticks away from the iPhone or the colder color profiles of the Pixel 8 Pro.
Nevertheless, it’s becoming harder to pick out a S24 Ultra shot from the other two devices as they all are starting to find a common underlying profile for image processing.
Video recording got a boost on the S24 Ultra where its 8K capture at 30fps, or 4K at 60fps is something that offers a great recording experience.
Qualcomm also helped the S24 Ultra capture Super slow motion, Portrait Video and regular video with less jitter, lag, and noise. It’s not a massive upgrade but will be noticeable for pixel peepers.
Generative Edit (4/5)
Another AI-led investment Samsung took was putting more of its algorithms into its Gallery App for photo editing. Unfortunately, I didn’t take full advantage of these features due to years of Google Photos inertia.
I want to preference that Samsung’s Generative Edit works as well as a the limitations of a smartphone will allow. While the phone boast 12GB of RAM, one of the most power ARM-based processors, and options for up to 1TB of storage, photo editors are still limited to a 6.7-inch screen and the use of a stylus or finger to create finer image edits on the go.
When I did try things like retouching an image after the matter, the Generative Edit feature was mostly a hit depending on each individual task. Sometimes, removing or relocating objects in an image worked like seamlessly and other times it looked like a child used a thumb to blotch a spot.
Where Generative Edit really excels is when attempting to do more than try and part the uncanny valley of photo realistic edits, meaning, when you get creative and start melding obviously foreign objects into photos.
Like Samsung’s Pen Up app which highlights the ultra-creative S-Pen users’ artwork, Generative Edit works well for people who know how to manipulate the machine learning to create entirely new images from base photos rather than trying to recreate a ‘perfect’ lived moment.
That is not to say that editing a smile, or shifting a tilted head or removing an obvious photobomb can’t be achieved, it’s just that the feature can be mildly frustrating for the Adobe Photoshop power users looks to recreate a similar experience with Samsung’s nascent Generative Edit feature, right now.
Ecosystem (4/5)
In the world outside of Apple’s walled garden, people are constantly told how cozy and intuitive the ecosystem is on a near constant basis. Furthermore, the ecosystem advantage Apple users perceive is echoed by reviewers when its constantly pitted against the seemingly makeshift attempts by competitors, despite years of evolution and refinement.
Samsung, and to a lesser extent Google, have taken strides to close the cicrle on their own ecosystem tie-in, and with the S24 Ultra, that ecosystem is thriving and every bit as competitive as Apple’s.
I happen to have the luxury of owning parallel android-powered Samsung products that are comparable to Apple’s that include a Samsung Galaxy Book 3, Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, Galaxy Buds 2, and now the S24 Ultra.
While you don’t need to own all Samsung branded devices, the barriers to entry when pairing, synchronizing, sharing, and transferring content from one to another is much lower than with the standard Windows to Android pipeline. Fortunately, Microsoft and Android OEMs are constantly working to thin the content membrane between the two platforms.
Pairing Galaxy Buds to the S24 Ultra is as simple as opening the earbuds case. Furthermore, Samsung has done a herculean effort in making their Samsung Cloud one of the most impressive cloud platforms around. Between being able to synchronize the exact layout of a previous phone, users can bring over their messages up until the last saved backup as well as keeping app downloads coordinated up to the day.
Samsung Pass is also another feature that just works well on the S24 Ultra. While its feature that spans across Galaxy devices, Samsung Pass just saves so much time with its autofill and near effortless application across browsers, apps, and games.
What Doesn’t Work
AI: The Not-so Smart Sidekick (3/5)
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is like that friend who insists on giving you advice even when you didn’t ask for it. It’s got AI features up the wazoo, but sometimes it feels like it’s trying too hard. Picture this: You’re typing a heartfelt message to your significant other, and suddenly the phone suggests, “How about adding a dancing banana emoji? It’ll really convey your emotions.” Thanks, AI, but I’ll stick to my regular smiley face, sans the cha-cha.
And then there’s the AI camera. It’s like having a photography guru in your pocket, whispering, “Hey, buddy, your composition could use a dash of Rule of Thirds.” But here’s the twist: Sometimes it nails it, capturing breathtaking landscapes and candid moments. Other times, it’s like a tipsy Picasso, turning your cat into a psychedelic art project.
In addition to the features fickler presence on the S24 Ultra, most are buried behind a wall of settings or are hidden behind unintuitive gestures.
For its part, Samsung does a lengthy walkthrough of the new features upon start up, but if you’re in a rush to get up and going with your new phone, may the gods help you with finding those features after the fact.
Once the obligatory video game like walkthrough is rushed or skipped once, there are no ways to get it back or resurface those vital steps to trigger many of the new AI features.
Your new best friends will be a Samsung support page, a Reddit thread and YouTube when it comes to figuring out the AI features.
When you have finally figure out where and how to trigger Samsung’s AI portfolio, you then have to somewhat train it.
Imagine this: You’re texting your French-speaking friend, and suddenly your phone whispers, “Fear not, mon ami! I shall translate your English musings into the language of love.” With the Galaxy S24 Ultra, chat translations are as smooth as a buttered croissant. No more copy-pasting text or deciphering cryptic emoji hieroglyphics. Just hit the “Chat translation” button, and voilà! Your messages transform into a linguistic tango.
However, the reality is more like a loosely related translation that offers the ‘zest’ of what you’re intending mixed with tangentially related emojis. As a 42 year old man, I sadly traffic more in GIFs than I do emojis and neither are used to the same extend that Samsung’s AI would suggest I do.
If you happen to live in North America with most of your contacts also relegated to the same area, then the translation AI may never even come across your screen.
I do want to note that, over the course of time, the AI does get a bit better, and it’s always better to have and not need than to need and not have this feature. It’s just not the panacea of translation as we had hoped AI would be out of the gate.
Moving onto the biggest and relatively most used AI feature, Google’s Gemini powered Circle to Search feels more like a glorified image search but is still nice to have at times.
Ever stared at an object and wondered, “What on Earth is that?” Fear not, for Circle to Search is here! Draw a digital lasso around anything—a funky-looking fruit, a mysterious landmark, or your neighbor’s avant-garde lawn gnome—and watch the S24 Ultra summon Google’s wisdom. It’s like having a pocket-sized Sherlock Holmes who can identify obscure trivia faster than you can say “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
It’s perhaps Samsung’s most consumer-facing AI feature the company stacked in the S24 Ultra, however, it’s still a manual process that isn’t too dissimilar from normal Google image search.
Circle to Search is hidden behind a press hold gesture at the bottom of the phone, if you remember to use it at all. Perhaps, its saving grace is that it can be applied retro actively to images captured.
So, images captured in screenshots and by the main camera when out and about, can later be analyzed which is great for those of us who only remember to search when presented with the object in question, right in front of their face.
At the end of the day, you may actually be better off not getting to accustomed to the AI features as Samsung plans to pull the rug from under it users in 2025 when the company plans start charging for these quaint little quirks.
Eventually, Google will refine many of these features for their Google Pixel line up and those developments will eventually bleed over into the Android soup as a whole and be made available to all Android powered devices.
Holding off until these large language models, machine learning, and pre-generative platforms until they are fully baked into Android as seamless as something like the Now Playing feature for Pixel phones may not be a terrible thing as this point.
The Price (2/5)
It must be noted that for all the pomp and circumstance of the new S24 Ultra with its titanium framing, new Gorilla Glass Armor, anti-reflective coating, new camera lenses, larger screen size, and AI via Google’s large language model, that bucket list now cost an additional $100USD this year.
Samsung is now asking $1,299 for the S24 Ultra, and that is not a price most people won’t feel when purchasing this new phone. Whether it be an additional $10 to 15 bucks on their monthly financing of the phone through a carrier or simply the full $100 plus roughly eight additional dollars on the tax, that’s something that may not work for a lot of S-Ultra buyers this year.
The S23 Ultra was perhaps the best built phone Samsung has designed in the last six years and arguably maintains that title if you’re not interested in AI or the new display tech that the company’s provided this year.
So if you don’t want to spend the amount you would could spend on a mid-level too high end Ultrabook PC, on a phone, you can always seek some S23 deals, or keep your current phone for another year until S24 deal start cropping up.
Fortunately, for most, Samsung is addicted to sales of their flagships phones and often offers great trade-in value to get people on their latest device.
Verdict: Ultra or Just Extra?
(4/5)
In the grand smartphone opera, the Galaxy S24 Ultra takes center stage, belting out high notes and dazzling the audience. It’s got the stamina of a marathon runner, the flair of a Broadway diva, and the price tag of a small moon rock. Is it worth it? Well, if you want a phone that can double as a telescope, a personal trainer, and a fashion statement, go ahead and splurge. Just be prepared for those AI quirks, potential carpel tunnel from the weight and hand gymnastics due to the size, and the new base price of elite phones inching higher each year.
