Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: The Best Phone Samsung Has Ever Made
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Now that the Samsung Galaxy S24 line of smartphones are available to buy, Samsung sent me a review unit of the S24 Ultra to use to see how it stacks up against past models, and to see if iPhone users like me could make the switch from Apple to Samsung.
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I made the switch from Android to Apple a few years ago and haven’t looked back. In fact, this is the first Samsung phone I’ve used for all of my daily tasks in years — I miss the customizability of Android, but found some of Samsung’s quirks annoying. However, after a few years away from Android, the S24 Ultra — which is available at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and Samsung.com — is the best Android smartphone I have ever used and has me really considering trading in my iPhone for good.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review
Here is my review of the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Smartphone, based on display and build quality, user experience, AI features, battery life and price.
Display and Build Quality
At a whopping 6.8 inches, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a massive phone and should only be reserved for people with larger hands, or people who need the extra screen real estate for productivity. I struggled using it with one hand, as I kept trying to balance the phone while extending my thumb to tap on apps and links. The phone is lightweight at just 8.18 ounces (or 232 grams). Like any premium phone, it feels good to hold, albeit a bit sharp with its squared off and pointed edges.
At times, I also had a tough time keeping the phone secure in my pant pockets. It sometimes peeked out when I stood up, or fell out altogether when I was sitting on a couch. It’s recommended that you use a phone case or a hands-free strap and holster when handling it because its pointed edges and titanium frame make it a bit slippery to handle.
As far as the display, the S24 Ultra’s Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a Gorilla Glass Armor front is pristine and clear with a small hole cutout for the front-facing 12-megapixel selfie camera. I found myself just staring at the phone for long periods of time. It was just so beautiful to look at and interact with, especially with two-hand use. Its 120Hz refresh rate made scrolling through websites and apps a joy with buttery smooth motion that felt quick and snappy. That’s thanks in part to the phone’s top-of-the-line Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 (Gen 3) chipset paired with 12GB of RAM and Android 14 (with Samsung’s One UI 6.1 user interface layered on top) inside.
User Experience
The experience in my day-to-day usage was fluid and stable with zero lag or hiccups. However, I found myself frustrated at times with Samsung’s quirks, namely when it came to unlocking the phone.
The S24 Ultra uses an in-screen ultrasonic fingerprint reader that’s located underneath its display. After initial setup with my index finger and thumb, the phone would only unlock about 15 percent of the time using the fingerprint reader. I chalked it up to user error and re-entered my fingerprints and still hand the same problems unlocking the phone. After a third time, it still wouldn’t register properly. I even cleaned the display and had the same outcome.
I had a bit more success with face unlock. I’d say the phone unlocked about 60 percent of the time using my face. But, conditions had to be ideal to get the phone to unlock. The room had to be well-lit, otherwise the phone wouldn’t unlock.
I had the most success unlocking the phone with a simple passcode with about a 100 percent success rate. Once unlocked, the experience was mostly seamless. Interacting with the display and apps were accurate and enjoyable with Samsung’s new AI features being very useful, especially for search and photo editing.
Samsung AI
For 2024, Samsung introduced a few new AI features for its line of flagship smartphones. “Circle to Search” is a quick and easy way to search for images or products without going to Google and typing out a description.
Just press and hold the home button and circle the image you’d like to search with your finger or the included S-Pen for a detailed search of what you’re looking for. This comes in handy if you see a photo of a pair of shoes or a hat you’d like to buy online. The integration is seamless throughout the entire phone and its apps, while the experience is frictionless from wanting to know something to having the answer in front of you in seconds without going to the Google app directly.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s AI photo editing tools allows you to quickly fix, straighten or remove objects in photos taken on the smartphone, or photos in the Samsung Gallery app. In my experience, the tool is easy to use, works in seconds and is worth the price of admission.
Just snap a photo, like this Crepe Lasagna from Rosticceria Evelina in Brooklyn or my adorable dog Joanie below, and then go to the Samsung Gallery app, tap on the Samsung AI button and use your finger or S-Pen to circle the object you’d like to remove from a photo and then tap the “Generate” button to watch it disappear. It works like magic.
Camera and Photos
Speaking of photos, the S24 Ultra has a ridiculously powerful and sharp quad-camera system on its rear with a 200-megapixel wide, 50-megapixel periscope telephoto, 10-megapixel telephoto and 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras working together to deliver clear, rich and very detailed photos. In addition, the camera system makes it possible to go from .6x to 100x zoom at a moments notice with surprising stability and clarity (see the photo comparisons of the Fulton Street G-train subway station in Brooklyn below).
The rear cameras can also capture video in 4K Ultra HD picture quality at up to 60fps. In my testing, videos were sharp and fluid with no stuttering or lag. Moreover, when you view videos in the Samsung Gallery app, you have the option to press and hold on the video file to watch your footage back in slow motion, if you want to watch moments in much better detail.
Battery Life
One of the best and most impressive things about the S24 Ultra is its battery life. In short: it makes other smartphones look weak. In my use, I got about four days and five hours (about 100 hours) from 100 percent battery life to zero with very casual use, including sending text messages, taking phone calls, listening to podcasts, light web browsing and snapping a few photos.
If you’re a casual smartphone user, then you can easily get just over 90 hours of use before you have to put it on a charging pad, or plug it into a wall outlet. However, that battery life decreases if you’re a more moderate or heavy user.
But at the very least, I got nearly three days of use out of the S24 Ultra with heavier use — like watching YouTube and TikTok videos, capturing 4K videos, hourly use of Slack and work emails, heavy web browsing, sending text messages, taking phone calls, recording interviews and playing a few mobile games — before I had to charge it again.
S-Pen
At the bottom of the smartphone, you’ll find the Samsung S-Pen hidden within its titanium frame. Just push in to eject the stylus for a way to take handwritten notes, jot down a few ideas or sketch out designs or objects.
In my use, the S-Pen was a nice addition, but not completely necessary for my use case — especially since it feels very flimsy and easily breakable. The experience doesn’t feel like paper, so writing with it makes it feel very slippery since you’re writing on a piece of glass, while it seemed more like an added value proposition add rather than a useful tool I’d use everyday for tasks and workflow. It’s nice to have, but not needed.
Price
Let’s face it. The S24 Ultra is expensive starting at $1,299.99. But, that price can easily balloon upwards of $1,659.99 if you go for more storage up to 1TB. Is it worth it? I’d say yes, if you want the top-of-the-line Samsung smartphone with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, which won’t see an upgrade for another year. With all of its AI features, premium display size, included S-Pen, quad-camera system and high-end specs, then it’s worth every penny, especially if you’re in Samsung’s ecosystem of devices.
But, you can still get most of those things at a much lower price with the S24 or S24+ — which starts at $799.99 or $999.99, respectively.
Samsung vs. Apple
Coming back to Samsung from the Apple iPhone, the learning curve from one operating system to another is pretty effortless, especially with Samsung’s Smart Switch app that transfers over your apps from your old device to your new one via Wi-Fi. But using the S24 Ultra while in the Apple ecosystem of devices is not preferable. While there are workarounds, the solutions just aren’t as seamless as using all Apple devices together.
But, there are certainly a few features included on the S24 Ultra that I really wish were available natively on the iPhone — namely Samsung’s AI features, like “Circle To Search,” the AI photos editor in the Samsung Gallery app and impressive camera with digital zoom.
Final Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has nearly everything going for it as a premium smartphone for the modern, digital age. The display is bright, sharp, crisp and pristine with smooth motion. Its camera system can snap clear and detailed photos up to a whopping 100x zoom. Its software and AI features are useful and functional, albeit quirky and annoying at times (do we really need three different email apps out-of-the-box?). The battery life is ridiculously long, especially for very casual users.
However, is it good enough to make the switch from Apple to Samsung? Yes and no. If you’re okay that the phone isn’t seamless to use with an Apple MacBook or a pair of Apple AirPods Pro, then yes. But, if you want your mobile devices to work with your laptop and accessories, then it’s a no. If you’re not willing to switch your whole digital life, then I’d still stick with the Apple iPhone 15 line.
From design to materials and camera system to AI features, with a few quirks aside, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best phone Samsung has ever made. If you have $1,299.99 and want the best Android smartphone for 2024, then this is the phone to get.
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