Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a telephone that seems to do it all , with a in high spirits - remainder display , various cameras , excellent battery biography and unique GenAI capability – but all that technical school comes with a very high-pitched asking cost .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Almost a year after its initial sacking , the Galaxy - powered Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra remains one of the good smartphones on the market .
While the Galaxy S24 Ultra may not lookthatdifferent from theGalaxy S23 Ultraat a glance , a handful of new and updated feature of speech , along with new GenAI - powered tool , breathe new life into the top - end Samsung flagship , keeping it raw and exciting amidst increase competition from the likes of theGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLandHonor Magic 6 Profor thebest phoneandbest Android phoneof 2024 .
After drop a few weeks with the new top - end flagship , I ’m convert that Samsung has crafted something wonderful for smartphone force users .
Design
Samsung is n’t divert too far from the esthetic of the past few generation of Galaxy , particularly when it comes to the Ultra model that essentially keep back the same looking at as 2021’sGalaxy S21 Ultra . Still , there are a few meaningful changes on offer here .
The raw prostrate 6.82 - inch show is the most instantly noticeable , a modification from the curved panel in premature generation . While it may not sound like a big change , it make a big impact on the look and feel of the phone while also expanding the digital canvas for all your S Pen scrabble and note - taking . I favor flat screens for useableness , but you may sense differently .
Along with a monotone screen , Samsung has reduce both the bezel and the centrally - target camera cutout to maximize CRT screen existent estate . This will be noticeable when next to theS23 Ultra , but even without the side - by - side comparing , there is a really mellow - end look to the screen .
Samsung is also the first maker to make use of thenew Gorilla Armorthat ’s 4x strong than previous iterations of protective glass while foreshorten reflection by 75 % , which should bring sum heartsease of mind when using the glass slab .
Another noteworthy change with the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the stuff it ’s made from ; like Apple , Samsung has made the jump to Ti with the top - close smartphone .
Combined with the satin finish the metallic element provides , it feels dainty and rich in the hand while provide a bit more bag than the glistening finish of late simulation . It is not any calorie-free though , a large marketing point for Apple ’s switch to the material for theiPhone 15 Promodels .
The color options are a small more dull than late generations , with grey , violet and yellow options across the dining table , along with single orangish , green and blue chromaticity available directly from Samsung itself .
Changing gears a piece , Samsung has also duplicate down on its environmental effort with the S24 chain with elements like recycled cobalt in the stamp battery , recycle rare world elements in the talker and more , and the box is 100 % recycled paper promotion that can be recycled all over again !
Screen and S Pen
It ’s amazing how alter something small can have a drastic impact , but that ’s exactly what has happened with the Galaxy S24 Ultra ’s transition from a curving to a matted presentation . It fathom like a minor variety , but the phone experience completely different and morecompletethan its predecessor , no doubt helped by imposingly slender uniform bezels that add to that premium all - filmdom look .
It ’s an exquisite 6.82 - inchAMOLEDscreen , boasting return mellow - end technical school favourites let in anLTPO - enabled1 - 120Hz refresh rate – though this is now standard across the S24 range – along with a QHD+ resolution .
There ’s also a massively boosted 2600nits maximum brightness that makes the phone a breeze to use even in bright San Francisco sunlight , while also having a positive knock - on gist onHDR10+content playback . It ’s not quite the bright around , but you ’ll be heavily - pressed to notice a difference in most scenarios .
technical school spec aside , the showing is just arresting in quotidian use . The pixel - packed resolution birth crisp visuals whether you ’re gaming or watching a movie on Netflix , with vibrant colours that make liveliness like Marvel ’s What If ? pop on the screen .
The transition to a insipid display also benefits the S Pen , which as usual , is hidden away within the chassis of the earphone , available with a press of the top . It basically intend that there ’s a more or less larger canvas for you to doodle on , with none of that screen tangible estate blow on curve edges that you could n’t write on before .
away from that , the S Pen experience is consistent with previous entry in the Ultra collection . It offer a top - ending writing experience with no noticeable penitentiary - to - screen lag with a 2.3ms response meter that remains among the libertine around .
It also comes with a handy button that doubles up as a distant television camera shutter , which brings me nicely onto …
Cameras
There has been a bit of disceptation with the S24 Ultra ’s photographic camera frame-up this yr , and it essentially boils down to the fact the 10MP 10x periscope crystalline lens has been reduced to 5x .
However , with an increased 50MP adaptive pixel sensor , big pixels and 2x extensive OIS , the quality of image easily surpasses those of the previous multiplication at the 10x mark . It also allows the S24 Ultra to furnish optical - timbre zoom from 0.6x through to 10x , make it the most versatile roving shooter from Samsung yet .
The new 50MP 5x periscope crystalline lens allows for much good performance between 5x and 10x with quality not that far from what you ’ll find from the principal crystalline lens , allowing you to freely zoom in and out without worry about degrading effigy timber .
It ’s slap-up not only for portrait photography but for any content you want to get a little closer to – building in the distance , a coolheaded car driving by and the corresponding – with great clarity , precise colours and a balanced dynamic range .
The 5x sensor delivers lower tone shots at extreme rapid growth levels ( think 30x onward ) but given that most people will utilise 5x-10x fashion more than 30x-100x , I think it ’s a middling trade - off .
Elsewhere , the camera experience remain solidly flagship - level – if not a little conversant .
The Galaxy S24 Ultra ’s main 200MP snapper is just as capable as it was a year ago – and considering it delivered some of the good results around , that ’s not that forged . The S24 Ultra can capture a stunning shot with little try , with simulacrum unremarkably packed with detail , vibrant colours ( sometimes too much ) , and especial dynamic range .
That ’s just as true in low - luminousness conditions , with Samsung continuing to deliver some of the best small - light performance around , even compared to the likes of thePixel 8 ProandiPhone 15 Pro Max . It ’s not quite on the same layer as the 1 - inch sensor of theVivo X100 Pro , but it ’s notthatfar off either .
That somewhat extends to the twinned OIS - enable zoom lenses , though with narrower aperture , effect wo n’t be on quite the same level as those from the primary sensor . The ultrawide notably struggles at night , however , with visible distortion from light informant like street lamps in sample shots .
The ultrawide does an otherwise solid Book of Job when not taking photos at night . It ’s not as especial as the other lenses with a moderately received specification of 12MP and f/2.2 , but it takes expansive shots nonsuch for architecture and mathematical group selfies , and there ’s not much in the way of edge overrefinement here either .
The 10MP 3x OIS - enabled telephotograph , now with a much less nerve-wracking chore of only managing 3x-4.9x zoom , remains a substantial hitman with colours and detail ordered with that of both the primary lens and the 5x periscope lens that makes it a great go-between between the two .
For me , though , it ’s the ProVisual Engine ’s new AI - power photo redaction tools that are most exciting . Heading into the Gallery app after flick a few photos , I was present with bespoke edit suggestion base on each shot .
you’re able to also use Google Pixel - esque eraser features to transfer distractions from images with decently accurate generative filling , and using Generative Edit , you’re able to ready a corrupt image and have the phone fill in the blanks from the borders .
you’re able to even move the subject of the pic for good framing , with the phone pick in the blank from the image with varying results , and you’re able to turn even 30fps videos into super slow - mo picture with a pat of the screen too .
This wo n’t be anything new to you if you ’re a Google Pixel user – most of these have been long - time features of Google ’s AI - pore smartphone range – but it ’s the first time we ’re see them from other Android manufacturers , and it urinate Samsung ’s top - end camera phone even more capable .
The best part ? Samsung ’s AI focus does n’t terminate with camera editing technical school .
Performance and Galaxy AI
The main equipment driver behind the Galaxy S24 Ultra ’s newfangled AI - power photo editing tools isGalaxy AI , an all - cover umbrella terminal figure for a bunch of new GenAI - powered tools usable on the S24 compass .
That starts with the phone ’s keyboard , with a new Galaxy AI image that , when tapped , provides the power to not only rewrite what you ’ve pen to change your tone ( conventional , friendly , social - media - focused , etc ) but translate it to 13 languages , which should avail sweep over the language roadblock we sometimes face .
That also stretch to the Phone app with live translation , allowing you to discourse in your aboriginal tongue and have the phone reply in the recipient ’s oral communication . It ’ll also exhibit a text transcript of the conversation in literal time .
My personal favourite is the AI - powered Notes app , which can transcribe and translate a conversation in real fourth dimension – with the ability to tell the difference between different speakers – and then automatically resume the transcription in hummer point grade . It ’s not always everlasting , but it ’s still close enough to be utile , and you may tap any percentage point in the summary to hear the relevant division of sound recording to confirm too .
The latter is also available in the Samsung Internet app , allowing you to rapidly summarise immense clump of textual matter into bite - sized ones , though I still favor the Google Chrome experience overall .
Crucially , everything I ’ve mentioned here all pass off on - twist , meaning it ’s both fast , negating the need for an active internet joining , and it ’s more privacy - friendly too . It may not be the AI - powered phone of the future , but these are exciting first steps , and Samsung stay one of few manufacturers to really make use of reproductive AI at an OS level .
That ’s all possible via the employment of theSnapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy , a customs duty interpretation of Qualcomm ’s top - end 2024 chipset , along with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and between 256 GB and 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage reckon on the variate you go for . However , there ’s no microSD card one-armed bandit , so you ’ll have to choose cautiously .
Generative AI capabilities aside , the Galaxy S24 Ultra is as rapid as you ’d expect , both in benchmark testing and existent - world habit . It easy contend with some of the most powerful smartphones , including theAsus ROG Phone 8 professional , though its QHD+ resolution impede graphical public presentation compare to FHD+ alternatives .
Crucially , the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra feels , excuse the wordplay , ultra - firm in everyday utilization . Apps afford instantly , delay open for longer in the background and the earpiece can power some pretty damn gamey - closing roving games including both Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile . However , it can get a picayune raging over extended time period of utilisation .
It ’s also worth noting that the S24 Ultra is the only model with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 , with the regular S24 and S24 Plus lark about an Exynos 2400 for Galaxy chipset in Europe . Those in the States , however , will get the 8 Gen 3 across the range .
Samsung claims that the two chipsets are near - identical both in terms of ecumenical functioning and AI artistry – though how true that is remains to be seen . It ’ll certainly be interesting to benchmark the regularGalaxy S24andS24 Plusin the coming hebdomad to see how they compare to this Snapdragon - powered brute .
Software
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra descend run Android 14 with Samsung ’s OneUI skin on top . While I ’m not usually a huge fan of custom Android skins , Samsung ’s OneUI 6 is one of few to turn my head – and for good reason .
The latest version of OneUI stick in a range of tweak and new feature to the Samsung experience that give it a much - want refresh . You ’ll find a redesigned apprisal shade with a better quick scene layout and small tweaks like the ability to get at the full quick preferences menu with a swipe down from the good - handwriting corner – à la iPhone .
speak of iPhone comparisons , OneUI 6 also reserve for LTPO - enabled smartphones – including the S24 kitchen stove , as well as last year ’s S23 Ultra – to provide a true always - on display , with notification , thingumabob and even your wallpaper visible .
I also like that Samsung has n’t locked its widget stacking potentiality to first - company widgets like Honor ’s MagicOS and OnePlus ’ OxygenOS . That intend you may add multiple first- and third - party place filmdom widgets into one space , and nobble between them to get at them when needed .
There ’s alsoGoogle Circle to Searchfunctionality thatwasexclusive to the Galaxy S24 at its reveal but has since made it to Pixel phones via an update . So it ’s not even exclusive by the time the speech sound is available to buy …
Technicalities by , Circle to Search is an amazing feature I ’ve used much more than Google Lens . Essentially , you’re able to tap and hold the family clitoris on the phone and then scribble or rotary over something you ’d like to find out more about . This can be on any app , any internet site , any time , and it wreak incredibly well for most research .
That ’s specially true of landmarks – I ’ve got right result from plenty of images I ’ve searched , down to a rather hidden interior shot of King Cross St. Pancras . sure enough , it wo n’t work for everything , but it ’s clap - on most of the time .
Individually , these features ( and plenty I ’ve not mention here ) may not be game - changing , but collectively , they hand over a refreshed , more helpful experience than those that do before it .
What ’s also squeamish to see is Samsung contend with Google ’s upgraded Pixel 8 software hope , offering seven bone upgrades and seven years of security spell that ’ll see it through to the release of Android 21 .
Battery life
There ’s a style arising from the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 gimmick on the marketplace : they ’re incredibly barrage efficient . That ’s just as genuine of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra as theOnePlus 12 , with no qualms about fork over a full mean solar day of shelling life with some succus left in the tank to dispense with .
I went all - out and enabled optional setting like the QHD+ declaration , 120Hz refresh rate and prototype sharpening tech during examination , as well as make the AOD always on , and I ’d still get to bedtime after a 16 - hr day full of texting , gaming and plenty of scroll on TikTok with around 50 - 60 % leave behind . In fact , a full time of day of TikTok doomscrolling only drained 4 % stamp battery . Do with that info what you will .
Over the preceding few weeks , I ’ve found that the phone will provide around 7 - 8 hours of screen - on time per explosive charge , which is pretty damn exceptional and way longer than the vast majority of people will use their headphone for on average . My shelling anxiousness has been altogether alleviated with this phone , and that ’s a very nice feeling indeed .
The 45W charging may not be the fast around , and the fact that there is n’t a courser in the box think of you very likely wo n’t be charging it with a 45W charger , but it is worth investing . Using a compatible 45W USB - blow charger I had lying around , the Galaxy S24 Ultra regained a full heraldic bearing in 71 minute , strike the 50 % mark in 26 minutes .
Sure , that ’s quite a bit dim than tight - charge caption like the OnePlus 12 , achieving 100 % explosive charge in 26 minute , but that ’s still pretty firm if you ask to get a last - minute of arc top - up .
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Should you buy it?
With a high-pitched - end display , capable television camera , brawny operation and fantabulous battery life , the Galaxy S24 Ultra ticks most of the correct loge .
The Galaxy S24 Ultra might offer it all , but it has a gamy - end £ 1,249/$1,299 price tag to match . Plenty ofcapable agiotage phonesdon’t cost quite as much .
Final Thoughts
Though it may wait standardized to its predecessor , several meaningful change keep the Galaxy S24 Ultra an interesting option for the 2024 market .
That ’s down to a combination of unexampled and onetime suspects . The S24 Ultra ’s tv camera setup is more versatile than ever , even with a supposed downgrade from 10x to 5x on the periscope front . It is casual to charm bully photos on the S24 Ultra , and you do n’t take to interest about zoom downgrading overall range quality for the most part .
There ’s also the large 6.8 - inch AMOLED blind that ’s extend from matte to curved with this year ’s role model , and though it sound like a small modification , it has a expectant impact on not only how the telephone set looks and feels in hired hand , but how you use it – specially when paired with the S Pen .
It ’s Galaxy AI that really shines though ; for the first prison term , Gen AI - powered features like voice dictation , real - time translation and photo editing feature of speech are available on a non - Pixel smartphone , making the S24 Ultra more up to than ever . Even with improved AI smarts from the likes of Google with thePixel 9 Pro XL , Galaxy AI still shines .
couple with true all - day battery life , seven year of OS upgrades and top - level workaday performance , it ’s hard to see why you ’d opt for anything else at this point in 2024 . The only hangup persist the price , starting at an eye - watering £ 1249/$1299 which makes even premium option like theiPhone 16 ProandOnePlus 12look all the more tempting .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every mobile phone we look back exhaustively . We use manufacture - stock test to liken feature film properly and we use the earpiece as our main gadget over the reexamination period . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to refresh a Cartesian product .
regain out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
Despite offer 45W libertine charging , the Galaxy S24 Ultra does n’t send with a charger .
Yes , with IP68 dust and urine trade protection , it should live in 1.5 m of piddle for up to 30 minutes .
Samsung is matching Google ’s extend seven days of OS upgrade with the S24 range .
Test Data
Full Specs
