Doing (and costing) the most

Think of the greatest, most difficult Swiss Army Knife you’ve ever seen, one with extra instruments than you could possibly ever use. Now, give it a USB-C port, a stylus, and 4 cameras on the again. Congratulations, you’ve bought the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. That could be oversimplifying one in every of the most succesful Android telephones on the market, however the analogy isn’t too far off. Let’s get into our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra overview, and also you’ll see what I imply.

There’s just one place to start out with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and that’s with AI — Galaxy AI, particularly. It’s the principal occasion, the huge thought, no matter else you wish to name it. Samsung talked about the phrase a whopping 50 occasions throughout its first Unpacked occasion of 2024, promising a laundry listing of options to make your smartphone smarter and much more useful. Now, take that with a grain of salt as a result of we’re nonetheless very a lot in the experimentation section of on-device AI, however I’ve discovered just a few Galaxy AI options that ought to most likely stick round.

We’ll come again to the images options like Photo Assist (primarily Samsung’s model of Magic Editor) later, however there are many different methods to make texting, calling, and even note-taking simpler. One that I’ve been utilizing is Chat Assist, which lives inside the Samsung Keyboard. It reads by means of messages as you kind them, providing suggestions for spelling and grammar, however it may well additionally offer you different tones to attempt. Chat Assist has tones like Professional and Casual to be used with bosses and coworkers and a #Social tone, which hundreds your message with emojis and hashtags, like a tweet from again when X was Twitter.

As a author, I can often do with out Chat Assist, however the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Note Assist is a lifesaver. It covers just a few completely different AI options, together with the capability to summarize a webpage right into a extra concise set of notes, one thing I’ve sorely wanted whereas researching how on-device AI works. Note Assist additionally covers remodeling my horrendous S Pen handwriting into legible notes when I’ve to scribble out a fast reminder throughout a Zoom content material assembly.

Some of the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s extra refined AI options, nevertheless, are these co-developed with Google. Options like Circle to Search and the capability to generate wallpapers based mostly on just a few prompts are already accessible on the Pixel 8 sequence, and now they’re on Samsung’s newest flagships as nicely. Circle to Search works like Google Lens, although it’s a bit simpler to manage now you can select particular parts from a extra cluttered picture. Samsung’s generative wallpapers are the identical as these on the Pixel 8 Pro, proper all the way down to the listing of prompts you’ll be able to choose from, however they’re enjoyable both means.

Our Galaxy S24 Ultra additionally got here with Android 14 and One UI 6.1 out of the field. Samsung’s Android 14 expertise doesn’t really feel a lot completely different from its earlier setup, although it has just a few good tweaks. The fast settings menu has been slimmed down, shifting to smaller buttons that appear to drift above your private home display reasonably than block it out. Samsung’s color-coordinated theming is best, too, with extra app icons matching your background colour as a substitute of completely the first-party choices. The finest software program information is that the Galaxy S24 sequence is in line for seven years of upgrades — a strong bump from its earlier 4 years of Android variations and 5 years of safety patches, and one which places it again in keeping with Google relating to replace insurance policies.

Once you progress previous the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s AI-fueled coronary heart, you’re left with the cellphone itself. It looks like a Galaxy S23 Ultra with a bit extra polish throughout all features. The two telephones look virtually similar, with boxy corners, digicam rings that dot the satin-textured rear glass, and an S Pen that hides away alongside the backside edge. So, if you happen to like Samsung’s present flagship design, you’ll most likely discover lots to love about the up to date model. And but, these modifications provide simply sufficient quality-of-life enchancment to make them price mentioning.

For starters, Armor Aluminum is out, and titanium is in. Apple already switched from stainless-steel to titanium on its iPhone 15 Pro sequence, and now it’s Samsung’s flip. However, Samsung is upgrading its body for a really completely different cause. Whereas Apple made the change to avoid wasting just a few grams from its hefty Pro fashions, the Galaxy S24 Ultra adopted titanium purely for its improved sturdiness. It solely shaved a couple of gram off the weight of the earlier Galaxy S23 Ultra, however the titanium body has a slight texture, making it rather more snug in hand than the earlier mannequin. Oh, and the textured end is pleasingly fingerprint-averse, too.

Samsung additionally upgraded its top-tier flagship to the newest and best glass that Corning has to supply — as traditional. The sweeping 6.8-inch Dynamic 2x AMOLED is now fabricated from a particular low-glare sheet of Gorilla Armor, whereas the remainder of the Galaxy S24 sequence hangs onto Gorilla Glass Victus 2. We’ll have to attend and see if Gorilla Armor is the hardest glass that Corning has to supply, however the glare-resistant remedy is already a simple win for Samsung. It provides an evening and day distinction in the way it handles brilliant daylight in comparison with the earlier show, making it a lot simpler to make use of in broad daylight. The Galaxy S24 Ultra additionally tops out at 2,600 nits of peak brightness, which doesn’t harm its efficiency on sunny days.

Samsung’s last show modification might be the one you’ll discover first — it’s flat. The Galaxy S24 Ultra now matches its extra reasonably priced siblings by dropping the curved edges, so that you not have to fret about unintentional presses or squeezes. As somebody with smaller fingers, I welcome the change, as I can hold the body in a tighter grip whereas utilizing this beast of a cellphone with two fingers. Granted, the swap ends in barely extra noticeable aspect bezels, however I’d name it a good commerce.

Although its Galaxy AI options briefly contact on the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s fame as an influence consumer’s finest good friend, there’s much more to cowl in terms of efficiency. For starters, Samsung has lastly accomplished away with cut up ranges of RAM, placing all Galaxy S24 Ultra configurations on equal footing with 12GB as a substitute of limiting the base mannequin to simply 8GB. The elevated RAM pairs properly with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, an overclocked model of Qualcomm’s newest silicon to present Samsung the most energy attainable.

That additional energy interprets to a few of the finest benchmarking scores in an Android cellphone proper now. The Galaxy S24 Ultra topped every little thing however the iPhone 15 Pro Max in our Geekbench 6 run, got here up only a hair wanting the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro (in its high-performance X-Mode) in the graphically intensive 3DMark assessments, and topped the charts in our PCMark race. Samsung’s sturdy numbers have been much less inspiring throughout our stress assessments, tailing off to extra modest outcomes after just a few runs, however they have been nonetheless ok to remain forward of most opponents. Although the Galaxy s24 Ultra was left behind by the ROG Phone 8 Pro, it achieved its outcomes with out making an attempt to burn a gap by means of our desks, which means that you could possibly take pleasure in its efficiency, in contrast to the ASUS mannequin. Check out our devoted Galaxy S24 benchmarks article for a deeper dive.

Of course, none of this benchmarking efficiency means a factor if the day-to-day expertise suffers. Thankfully, we all know Samsung nicely sufficient to anticipate a consumer expertise matching its lofty lab numbers. I completely loved how the complete Galaxy S24 Ultra package deal got here collectively throughout my weeks with the cellphone, providing greater than sufficient energy for gaming, social media, and its generative AI options with out ever actually coming near the thermal troubles of Google’s early technology Tensor choices.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra landed proper between just a few of my busier intervals of labor journey, which means that it bought to be my journey companion reasonably than a enterprise accomplice, powering my GPS and Spotify playlist for a drive from Baltimore to Philadelphia and again. While in Philly for a good friend’s birthday, I put the Galaxy S24 Ultra by means of loads of work as a go-to digicam for each stills and movies and in addition used it to stream the divisional spherical of the NFL playoffs utilizing T-Mobile’s 5G community. Although the cellphone warmed whereas streaming the sport, it by no means reached a degree the place it was uncomfortable to carry, nor did I really feel like the battery drained too rapidly.

Mentioning the battery, it hasn’t modified. I can nonetheless push the 5,000mAh cell past a day of combined utilization, averaging a day and 1 / 4 to a day and a half earlier than I’ve to achieve for a charger. Of course, once I’m leaning on Samsung’s generative AI capabilities, the outcomes are barely decrease, nearer to a good day. And sure, it’s simple to toss out anecdotal battery outcomes, however the Galaxy S24 Ultra backs it up in the lab, too.

We put it by means of a battery stress check, which covers 4K video recording, 4K video playback, net shopping, and a simulated Zoom name, amongst different frequent duties, with the Galaxy S24 Ultra popping out forward of its predecessor almost throughout the board. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powered Samsung’s newest flagship to a forty five% enchancment in 4K video playback, in addition to smaller 16% bumps to gaming, net shopping, and video recording. There’s a very good likelihood that Qualcomm’s extra environment friendly chipset is to thank for a lot of of the outcomes, although its superior picture processing comes with a tradeoff of 33% decrease digicam efficiency. All of which means that sure, the Galaxy S24 Ultra provides higher battery life than its predecessor, and you need to simply be capable to push it previous a day of utilization, however you’ll wish to be aware of how a lot time you spend on every process.

When you inevitably want a charger, the Galaxy S24 Ultra nonetheless helps 45W wired — with a USB PD PPS charger — and 15W wi-fi speeds. It takes a hair over an hour to cruise from an empty battery to a full one with a suitable charger (no, there nonetheless isn’t one in the field), which is barely quicker than the earlier technology. Our wired charging check confirmed a last time of about 62 minutes for the Galaxy S24 Ultra in comparison with round 64 minutes for the Galaxy S23 Ultra — an enchancment, however a minor one.

By now, you’ve most likely picked up on the incontrovertible fact that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will get a whole lot of issues proper. It’s as highly effective as you’ll be able to ask for, delivers strong battery life and charging, and sports activities an upgraded body with more durable Corning Glass. However, all that success comes at a price — each literal and figurative.

The literal half of that price is available in the type of a $100 value bump unique to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It calls for an eye-watering $1,299 at the base configuration, whereas the top-tier model with 1TB of storage reaches all the approach to $1,659 — only a hair under the folding Galaxy Z Fold 5. Of course, value will increase occur, but it surely’s more durable to justify the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s bump if you break down what you’re getting — or reasonably, what others aren’t.

For starters, the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24 Plus get entry to the identical Galaxy AI options as the Ultra. That means you don’t must cross the $1,000 barrier to make use of Photo Assist, Chat Assist, or translate your cellphone calls from one language to a different in actual time. Those two telephones additionally get the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset in the US (or the Exynos 2400 in lots of international markets) and the identical seven years of software program updates. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is the just one to get a titanium body, however even that doesn’t matter a lot when you add a protecting case.

Even the earlier generations of Galaxy units will get entry to a few of Samsung’s finest AI options. The firm inadvertently let slip that Circle to Search, Live Translate, Note Assist, and Photo Assist could be coming to no less than the Galaxy S23 sequence, and also you received’t have to fret a couple of $100 value bump on any of them.

There’s room for the literal price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra to extend, too, with Galaxy AI options solely presently assured to remain free by means of the finish of 2025. That means, do you have to select to maintain your Galaxy S24 Ultra by means of the finish of its life cycle in seven years, you’ll most likely spend 5 of these years paying for the AI-powered options that you just already paid additional for. Of course, Samsung has but to element its plans for Galaxy AI previous the finish of 2025, but it surely has urged it would offset a few of the anticipated subscription charges by introducing extra new options — we’ll simply have to attend and see.

As for the figurative half of the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s price, it’s a large cellphone — there’s no means round it. Samsung’s 6.8-inch show may provide extra display actual property than anybody wants, but it surely comes at the price of being virtually unattainable to make use of one-handed. Granted, the presence of the S Pen suggests that you just’re not supposed to make use of one hand anyway, however most folks received’t use a stylus always. Pair that with the huge rectangular body with its perpetually uncomfortable corners, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra turns into a tricky system to pocket for the smaller amongst us. Honestly, I don’t at all times really feel like I’ve the pocket area for it, even when I wished to hold a cellphone this huge.

Circling again to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s AI options, simply keep in mind that we’re nonetheless in the comparatively early days of on-device capabilities. As such, a few of the options are nonetheless hit and miss, together with the real-time translations and the Photo Assist edits. While efficient for brief, casual chats, Samsung’s translations get tough round the edges with extra difficult sentences and topics. Not all of the Chat Assist suggestions are notably useful, both. The #Social tone, specifically, looks like an out-of-date throwback with an overabundance of hashtags and emojis that I’d have utilized in center faculty. Asking the Galaxy S24 Ultra to translate, transcribe, and summarize a protracted textual content may also push its gears to their restrict, typically bailing on the process midway by means of.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s digicam doesn’t look completely different from its predecessor’s, which is an effective factor. The Galaxy S23 Ultra earned its place as one in every of the finest digicam telephones we utilized in 2023 with a powerful mixture of long-range zoom and in-depth professional options, so it’s truthful to anticipate the Galaxy S24 Ultra to fit proper in the earlier cellphone’s place. It largely does — don’t fear — however there are extra modifications to speak about than people who meet the eye, together with many who happen after you press the shutter button.

We solely must spend a second or two on the {hardware} modifications, as there’s just one price mentioning. Samsung ditched its longstanding 10MP 10x optical telephoto sensor in favor of a shorter however greater decision 50MP 5x optical telephoto sensor. That means the Galaxy S24 Ultra provides full-resolution images at 5x zoom and applies a sensor crop for optical high quality pictures as much as 10x zoom, whereas the earlier Galaxy S23 Ultra used a mixture of digital zoom and post-processing for every little thing between 3x and 10x zoom. The new sensor additionally packs a wider most aperture of f/3.4 as a substitute of f/4.9, which permits extra gentle to achieve the sensor in addition to a shallower depth of discipline.

Outside the telephoto swap, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has the identical 200MP major sensor as its predecessor, full with a large f/1.7 aperture. It’s backed by 10MP 3x optical telephoto and 12MP ultrawide sensors, which stay unchanged from the earlier technology. The 12MP punch gap selfie digicam is unchanged, too.

Samsung’s default digicam app hasn’t modified, both — it’s nonetheless loaded with customizable taking pictures modes and a mountain of professional options. However, the little Galaxy AI emblem of stars pops up if you open your digicam roll or the Samsung Gallery app. It’s each the button you faucet on to start making AI-powered edits and the tiny watermark that reveals up as a reminder that Samsung’s algorithms performed a job in your edited shot. Oh, and no, you’ll be able to’t eliminate the watermark utilizing AI, however you could possibly crop it out of your shot — although that may additionally lower out the edits you so fastidiously generated. I’ll add some edited samples under, however first, just a few unedited pictures.

Samsung’s 200MP major sensor delivers glorious pictures in nearly any sort of brilliant lighting situation. Whether it’s the brilliant, sunny pagoda or the pair of flags in the shade, the Galaxy S24 Ultra captured loads of element and recreated correct colours — a welcome change from Samsung’s traditional love of reds and greens. The close-up picture of the balloons additionally reveals good textures on every, with some showing shinier, like the grey one to the proper, whereas others are extra matte. My portrait mode picture of a duck additionally reveals a lovely depth of discipline, conserving the duck in focus however not instantly eliminating every little thing round it with synthetic bokeh.

One facet of Samsung’s cameras that’s typically critiqued is its points with shifting targets, and sadly, that continues to be a problem right here. I received’t go into an excessive amount of element right here as my colleague Rita El Khoury has already accomplished that — try her deep dive into how the Galaxy S24 Ultra handles folks and pets for samples.

The change from a 10x optical zoom to 5x additionally works nicely for Samsung in brilliant daylight. Whereas the earlier Galaxy S23 Ultra would have required a substantial amount of post-processing for the 5x shot of the Domino Sugar manufacturing unit, the new digicam captures it at full decision earlier than binning all the way down to a 12.5MP last outcome. It picks up respectable particulars for being on the far aspect of a large harbor, with solely a slight shift in the colour profile the place the constructing displays on the water. Samsung’s 10x zoom shot makes use of a crop from the heart of the schedule, which isn’t fairly the identical as true optical high quality, but it surely’s a good commerce to get higher mid-range images. The manufacturing unit’s 30x and 100x zoom pictures are noticeably softer, with most of the brick constructing being lowered to purple and white rectangles — appropriate for social media to indicate off you can zoom thus far, however that’s about it.

Testing the Galaxy S24 Ultra at evening delivered maybe the most shocking outcomes throughout my time with the cellphone. I’m used to calling Google’s newest flagship the nighttime king, however the Galaxy S24 Ultra turned in higher coloration in my selfie, extra particulars above the water line in the ultrawide pattern, and far, significantly better particulars in the 5x zoom picture of Mr. Trash Wheel. The final of these three outcomes might be because of the greater decision telephoto sensor, however Samsung’s Galaxy AI picture processing shines throughout the complete slate of outcomes.

Now, the modifying check you’ve all been ready for… it’s good, however not nice. I expanded the picture of my espresso cup and shifted the angle to see how Samsung would deal with producing a part of my laptop computer, and it did simply nice. It recreated Apple’s Starlight end accurately however added a little bit of texture to the in any other case clean laptop computer and recreated the wooden grain of the desk as a sequence of traces. One of the extra spectacular particulars is that Samsung lower off the pot in the appropriate spot and accurately guessed the lighting by a window that wasn’t inside the body.

The pattern picture of my cat tells the same story — shut however imperfect. It largely erased my hand and my blue shirt, however reasonably than extending the blue of my pants off the aspect of the picture, the Galaxy S24 Ultra halted it early, making my leg look extra like a pillow than a human leg. Samsung didn’t hassle to generate the remainder of my cat’s paw, although the bokeh does a fairly good job of hiding what would most likely be a stunted paw in a clearer image.

I don’t have a lot to say about the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s selfie digicam, primarily as a result of it hasn’t modified since final 12 months. It’s nonetheless a 12MP punch gap, which stays a extra dependable wager than the earlier 40MP monster from just a few years again. Selfie cameras shouldn’t have to bin by default, particularly if you’re most likely not going to make use of the completed product for rather more than social media. Samsung hasn’t modified its video capabilities an excessive amount of, both, providing as much as 8K high quality at as much as 30fps when utilizing Pro Video mode or 4K decision at as much as 120fps.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung’s most refined extremely flagship so far. Its flat show does away with unintentional presses, whereas the titanium body is delightfully fingerprint-free, and it’s nonetheless robust to match the brilliance of Samsung’s high-end shows. The beast of a smartphone stays a dream for energy customers, too, with exceptional efficiency from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and several other Galaxy AI options stepping in to make calling, texting, and even note-taking simpler in your each day life.

We’ve come to anticipate greatness from Samsung’s Ultra 12 months in and 12 months out, and it continues to ship. The Galaxy S24 Ultra packs 4 extremely versatile rear cameras, providing a few of the finest zoom functionality you’ll discover on a flagship and a colour profile that’s slowly however certainly inching towards pure. Galaxy AI has a job right here, too, particularly when eliminating undesirable objects out of your pictures. Mix in an replace promise that after once more leads the Android class (or no less than ties with Google), and it’s simple to see the Galaxy S24 Ultra incomes a spot in your pocket for a very long time.

However, it’s simply as simple to cross over the Galaxy S24 Ultra as an improve you don’t want. Its $100 value improve is hard to justify when the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus didn’t get the identical remedy, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra appears to be lacking a killer cause to improve now that a lot of its cloud-based Galaxy AI options have already been confirmed as coming to the older Galaxy S23 sequence. Samsung’s titanium body isn’t vital, both, because it barely saves any weight, and also you’ll most likely overlook it’s any completely different from Armor Aluminum as quickly as you set your cellphone in a case.

If you resolve the Galaxy S24 Utlra isn’t for you, its finest different is only one step down the Samsung totem pole. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus ($1119.99 at Samsung) is the best member of the trio to suggest, providing the overwhelming majority of the Ultra expertise with out the full brunt of the excessive price ticket. It’s only a tenth of an inch smaller at 6.7 inches however packs a 4,900mAh battery and similar charging specs to Samsung’s most costly flagship. As talked about, the Galaxy S24 Plus additionally will get the identical slate of Galaxy AI options, which means you can circle to look, faucet into name or chat help, and edit your images with out the uncomfortable corners of the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s boxy body digging into your hand. You’ll must dwell with out the second telephoto sensor and the S Pen, however the financial savings are greater than worthwhile.

You may additionally resolve to skip Samsung’s Galaxy ecosystem altogether, wherein case it’s time to take a look at a few of the finest Galaxy S24 Ultra alternate options.

The first choice that springs to thoughts is Google’s Pixel 8 Pro ($999 at Amazon). Although priced in keeping with the extra reasonably priced Galaxy S24 Plus, the Pixel 8 Pro is a real Galaxy S24 Ultra rival. It beat Samsung to the punch with Magic Editor for images, its long-term replace dedication, and even the swap from a curved show to a flat one. Of course, the in-house Tensor G3 chip nonetheless doesn’t maintain a efficiency candle to Qualcomm’s highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, nor does the Pixel 8 Pro cost almost as rapidly as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Ultimately, although, selecting between these two could come all the way down to which taste of Android you like — Google’s gentle, stock-like expertise or Samsung’s heavier, feature-rich One UI.

Another wildcard price is the OnePlus 12 (on the product’s web site). It’s as soon as once more extra reasonably priced than the Galaxy S24 Ultra (most telephones are), but it surely packs a spec sheet that punches nicely above its price ticket. The OnePlus 12 stuffs a large 5,400mAh battery into its slim body, then backs it with 80W wired charging and eventually brings again 50W wi-fi charging after a number of years on hiatus. It matches the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset underneath the hood and both 12 or 16GB of RAM. The partnership with Hasselblad continues to repay for OnePlus, too, with a trio of highly effective, high-resolution sensors and a colour profile that’s come a great distance. That mentioned, the OnePlus 12 places the least emphasis on new AI-powered options, so it could be one to keep away from if you happen to’re trying to get generative.

Oh, and given the sky-high value of the Galaxy S24 Ultra with 1TB of storage, it could be price a foldable Android cellphone as a greater use of your cash. Both the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 ($1799.99 at Samsung) and OnePlus Open ($1499.99 at OnePlus) are glorious choices, with the former providing a lot of the identical software program options as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It received’t obtain as many updates, nor does it have the identical slate of AI options, but it surely permits you to customise the inner and exterior shows independently — one thing most foldable telephones ignore. The OnePlus Open is a type of foldables, but it surely makes up for the limitation with a way more usable cowl show and lighter total building.

Should you select to enterprise outdoors of Android altogether, Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max ($1199 at Amazon) is the one iPhone price contemplating. It’s the solely system to outpace the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in our Geekbench 6 scores, and Apple’s top-tier flagship stays the digicam to beat in terms of taking pictures smartphone video. It grabbed a titanium body earlier than Samsung did, and Apple has lastly softened its sharp iPhone edges, no less than a bit of bit. The iPhone 15 Pro Max set the authentic normal for software program replace commitments, and it continues to match Google and Samsung every time they enhance their promise. Of course, you’ll must get used to iOS and its quirks, however you’ll lastly present up as a blue bubble to your entire iMessage-toting buddies.

All advised, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a superb smartphone. It takes up the mantel of its predecessor and carries it additional, including a titanium body and several other Galaxy AI options to the combine whereas sustaining the already glorious digicam setup. It’s Samsung’s most full expertise so far, providing energy that may fulfill the most demanding of customers at a value that’s excessive sufficient to probably flip away virtually all others.