Samsung Galaxy S24 ultra - Fun Update

August 30, 2024

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Samsung Galaxy S24 ultra - Fun Update

2024 has seen Samsung launching a new Galaxy S flagship lineup. The Galaxy S24 Ultra went official on January 17, and it is undoubtedly the top-of-the-line model of the entire S24 series, boasting the best specs and features.

Same as in previous years, the Galaxy S24 Ultra carries the torch of the discontinued Galaxy Note series burning. It's the only model in the S24 series with an S Pen, and now, it has an improved design that's more suited to the iconic accessory.

Display

The Galaxy S24 Ultra represents a refinement of the S23 Ultra's design. It now has a flatter frame and a flat display with a slight chamfer that won't interfere with the S Pen

Most aspects of the Galaxy S24 Ultra's design are identical to the S23 Ultra, but there are two small tweaks that I appreciate.

The first is that, much like Apple did with the iPhone 15 Pro lineup, Samsung switched to using matte-coated titanium for the side panels, which is a nice improvement over the glossy side panels on the S23 Ultra last year. This change honestly makes the phone feel much nicer in the hand.

The second small change, which I equally appreciate, is that we finally have evenly sized bezels around the display. This was pretty much the only complaint I had about the design of last year's Galaxy S23 Ultra, so seeing Samsung finally address this made me super happy.

Galaxy S24 Ultra buyers can choose from seven color options. Four standards: Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow. All three colors are online exclusives. They are Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone Orange.

Specifications:

  • Body: 233 grams, IP68 rated, Titanium frame, S-pen support

  • Display: 6.8-inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O, Gorilla Glass Armor, Adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, Vision Booster, up to 2600 nits (peak)

  • Resolution: QHD+ (3088 x 1440 pixels)

  • Rear Camera: Quad (with LED flash)
    – 200MP primary lens, OIS, PDAF
    – 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 120º FOV
    – 10MP telephoto lens, 3x optical zoom
    – 50MP telephoto lens, 5x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom

  • Front Camera: 12MP f/2.2 lens

  • Chipset: Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)

  • Software & UI: One UI 6.1 on top of Android 14

  • Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1024GB 12GB RAM

  • Security: Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor

  • Battery: 5000mAh with 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging

  • Colors: Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, Titanium Orange 

Display

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a 6.8-inch  LTPO AMOLED 2X panel, display that boasts an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz and a maximum brightness level of 2600 nits, which is a significant upgrade from the previous generation's 1750 nits. It's incredibly bright, nearly 1000 nits more than last year, and even quite a bit brighter than the likes of the iPhone 15 Pro.

The new display also takes advantage of improved Vision Booster technology, a new Adaptive Color Tone feature for more natural color reproduction in varying lighting conditions, and faster touch response.

The Always On Display is vastly improved and can now share the lock screen's wallpaper and widgets. But it can be a great phone for all your casual YouTube watching and Netflix movies.

Camera

Samsung has once again improved the camera setup on the S24 Ultra, and with this, it's a multi-layered upgrade.

The hardware on the back isn't that different. You still get that crazy 200-megapixel main lens, but the telephoto periscope lens is a new and improved 50-megapixel shooter. There's also an additional 10-megapixel telephoto lens and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. The selfie sensor has a 12MP resolution and f/2.2. Inside the camera app, there aren't any new features. 

The zoom capabilities on this phone are really impressive. Zoom photos offer superior clarity at 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x magnification thanks to Adaptive Pixel Sensor technology, and boast 100x advanced digital zoom. And when using dual recording, users can capture video with two rear cameras simultaneously. And with the help of AI, it's also much clearer, even well beyond the optical zoom limits.

The Gallery app offers tools like generative editing, edit suggestions, Super HDR preview, and instant slo-mo playback for videos not shot in slow motion.

Software

The software on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is terrible. It has One UI version 6.1 with Android 14 update. It’s still very similar to past One UI versions—the settings menu looks nearly identical, and even the quick settings panel looks the same. 

Some other notable software features and enhancements that haven't already been mentioned in the categories listed above include:

  • Generative Wallpapers.

  • Circle to Search.

  • Chat Assist.

  • Live Translation in phone calls.

  • Interpreter.

  • On-the-fly summaries in Samsung apps.

  • Live transcriptions in Voice Recorder.

  • AI-powered auto-formatting in Samsung Notes.

Samsung promises seven OS upgrades and seven years of security patches for the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Availability and price

Samsung announced the Galaxy S24 Ultra on January 17 at Galaxy Unpacked 2024 in San Jose, California. The phone was scheduled to hit the shelves on January 31.

As for launch prices, The S24 Ultra starts at $1,299 for the 256GB model this year. It's $100 more expensive than last year, and if you want more storage, the 512GB configuration is a little over $1,400, and the one terabyte model is over $1,600.