Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review – Another remarkable flagship from the house of Samsung!

The Samsung Galaxy S Ultra line has always been a titan in the smartphone arena, pushing boundaries and redefining what a flagship can be. But with each iteration, the question arises: is the new model a groundbreaking leap forward, or simply a well-refined evolution? This is where the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes in. We have spent weeks exploring every new feature, testing its processing prowess, and capturing stunning shots with its refined camera array. So does the S24 Ultra truly earns its “Ultra” moniker? Dive into our in-depth review to find out.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra retains its status as a high-end phone, both in terms of its size and its luxurious appearance. However, compared to last year’s model, it has become slightly lighter. The back cameras are now larger, and the display is flatter, with a curved structural frame that creates a slimmer surface area. These subtle changes are important as they improve the overall grip of the phone when held in one hand and enhance the experience of using the S Pen. The phone is also built to be durable, with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Armor protection on both the front and back, which helps safeguard it against accidental drops and scratches. Additionally, the new Titanium frame adds to its durability.

Samsung has also introduced new color options for the S24 Ultra, mostly centered around Titanium. The Natural Titanium shade we are reviewing here has an understated look. In terms of the phone’s layout, the power button and volume rockers are located on the right side, while the left side remains empty. The loudspeaker grill and USB Type-C port are situated at the bottom, and the secondary microphone is located at the top. The shape of the S Pen remains unchanged, featuring a flatter clicker and offering a satisfying fidgeting experience.

Overall, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a large phone, and those who prefer a more compact and manageable flagship may want to consider the Galaxy S24 instead.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features one of the most impressive displays currently available on any phone. While the phone now has a completely flat panel, which lacks the wow factor of curved panels, this is the direction the company has chosen to move forward with, despite popularizing curved displays in the industry. The display still measures 6.8 inches with a QHD resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate, providing a smooth and fluid viewing experience for animations, scrolling, video games, and videos. The display also boasts thin bezels that are equally slim on all sides.

The colors on the display remain vibrant, and there are various preset profiles available to adjust the saturation or tint according to your preferences. In addition, Samsung has introduced Adaptive Color Tone, a feature that uses the front and rear cameras to analyze ambient lighting conditions and adjust the screen’s colors accordingly, making images look more natural.

Another area where the company has made improvements is brightness. With a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, the Galaxy S24 Ultra performs well in bright light conditions and is in line with the competition from Chinese players. While it may not have the highest peak brightness on the market, the average brightness and HDR performance are among the best in the industry. Additionally, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is equipped with an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner for added security.

The star of the show, however, is the new Gorilla Glass Armor protection debuting with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Samsung claims that it is four times more scratch-resistant than other protective glasses. The Gorilla Glass Armor also features an anti-glare coating that reduces reflections by up to 75% compared to previous Gorilla Glass iterations.

Software & UI

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by the One UI 6.1 operating system, which is based on Android 14. While the standout feature of the software experience is its AI capabilities, One UI 6.1 also brings several other improvements. The UI itself is sleek, with smooth animations and transitions throughout. Notable additions in One UI 6.1 include an enhanced Always On Display and widget support, Super HDR for better image viewing in the gallery and on Instagram, Quick Share, and more. Additionally, Samsung has committed to providing Android, One UI, and security updates for up to seven years. This move by Samsung is commendable as it allows users to keep their devices for longer without worrying about outdated software.

However, there are still some issues with bloatware and notifications that need to be addressed. Fortunately, most of the apps can be uninstalled, and the improved Expert RAW support has been carried over from previous builds. The Gallery app has also been enhanced, offering improved search capabilities, Shared Family Albums, automatic shadow and reflection removal, and more.

Samsung has also delved deeper into AI features with what they call the ‘Galaxy AI’. Some of these AI functions can be processed on the device itself, while others require an internet connection to work. The full list of AI features is extensive, but we have only highlighted the most popular options here. These include Circle to Search, which is similar to Google Lens and can be used on any screen. Other features include real-time voice and text translation, AI Summarize, grammar correction within the keyboard, generative photo and image editing, and more.

Performance

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is equipped with a specialized version of Qualcomm’s latest processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, which promises even higher clock speeds than the standard chip. Additionally, Samsung claims that the chip comes with an improved GPU that is the world’s fastest mobile graphics in a phone. These promises seem to be supported by the phone’s performance in various benchmarks, indicating that the Galaxy S24 Ultra outperforms other flagships and even the Galaxy S24 and S24+ models that use the company’s in-house Exynos 2400 chip.

In AnTuTu benchmarks, the phone scored an impressive 17,49,851 points, while Geekbench 6’s single-core and multi-core tests yielded scores of 2,230 and 6,826 points, respectively. These scores are slightly lower than those obtained by other flagship phones using the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which may suggest that Samsung intentionally reduced performance to address heating issues. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s performance in daily use is also noteworthy, with the phone being highly responsive and smoothly navigating the UI when using the app switcher and switching between open apps.

In terms of graphics performance, the phone can run most games at the highest possible resolution without any visible stutters or frame drops. The Galaxy S24 Ultra achieved a score of 65fps in GFXBench’s Car Chase test and about 72fps in the 3DMark Wild Life tests. Furthermore, the phone’s larger vapor chamber cooling area appears to have paid off, as the phone did not experience any noticeable performance dips or overheating issues, even when subjected to intensive tasks.

Overall, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s impressive benchmark scores and everyday performance suggest that Samsung has succeeded in delivering a phone that can handle even the most demanding tasks with ease. The phone’s specialized Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip and improved GPU seem to have paid off, and the larger vapor chamber cooling area ensures that the phone can maintain its performance without overheating.

Camera

The camera setup on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is quite similar to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, with the main difference being the switch to a 5x optical periscope telephoto lens from a 10x periscope camera. Aside from that, you still get a 200 MP main camera, a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, a 10 MP zoom camera with a 3x lens, and a 50 MP zoom camera with a 5x lens. The phone also features a 12 MP selfie camera with an 80-degree field of view.

Samsung’s camera app is filled with features, including the Expert Raw mode, which is now located under the “More” tab in the camera app. Additionally, there is a new Astrophotography mode that allows for stunning night sky shots. While the multitude of toggles, modes, and adjustments in the camera app may seem overwhelming, there is a learning curve that enables users to capture excellent photographs.

During daylight, the main 200 MP camera generally produces high-quality images with minimal oversharpening but slightly enhanced colors. If natural colors are preferred, it is advisable to disable the AI Scene Optimizer feature. The Galaxy S24 Ultra excels in low-light photography, capturing detailed images with good dynamic range. The dedicated night mode utilizes AI to capture the best possible images. The 12 MP ultra-wide and telephoto cameras capture well-balanced images with appropriate dynamic range, vibrant colors, and sharpness.

Selfies taken with the Galaxy S24 Ultra appear crisp and clear, with good subject separation when the Portrait mode is not used. When the Portrait mode is employed, edge detection is excellent. In low-light conditions, the camera still manages to capture high-quality selfies with good details and accurate edge detection.

The video capabilities of the Galaxy S24 Ultra have also been upgraded. The new, wider optical image stabilization (OIS) system ensures stable, high-quality recordings with maintained sharpness and quality. Additionally, users can now capture 4K videos from all lenses, which was not possible with the previous model.

Battery

The Galaxy S24 Ultra maintains the 5,000 mAh battery found in its predecessor, the S23 Ultra. The battery life on the Galaxy S23 Ultra was already impressive with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Expanding on this, the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers similar performance with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

In our testing, the battery lasted up to two days with moderate use, and even with heavy use, it lasted over a full day. Charging speeds on the latest Ultra model remain limited to 45W. The battery charges up to 60-65% in 30 minutes and reaches 100% in approximately 65 minutes. While this is fast, Samsung should consider upgrading to at least 65W charging at this stage, which is an industry norm these days. Samsung also needs to enhance wireless charging speeds, which have been stuck at 15W.

Verdict

The Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t simply an evolution; it’s a refined revolution. Yes, it’s large and bold, but the weight loss and design tweaks have made it more comfortable than ever before. The display is now flatter and brighter, a true masterpiece. And the cameras? They capture moments so realistically that you’ll believe you can even smell the virtual roses. This phone is powerful enough to fuel your wildest creative bursts and capture stunning memories, all encased in a luxurious, titanium-clad shell. Sure, the price tag may give you pause, but consider it an investment in a powerhouse that seamlessly integrates with your life, thanks to Galaxy AI. To sum it up, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is not just a phone, it’s a statement.