The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a ‘money is no object’ device. Functionally trying to be everything all at once, with a giant screen, a stylus, a massively powerful hardware set, and an array of cameras that leaves many phones in the dust, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the most expensive handsets you could buy today.
Don’t get it twisted; this is Samsung’s flagship among flagships, the height of its ‘Galaxy S’ range, and so it’s emblematic of Android’s best software and hardware. Other contenders would be the Google Pixel 8 Pro (which starts at $500 cheaper), the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (a gaming-oriented smartphone), and Samsung’s own Galaxy Z Fold 5 (which is less a flagship and more an expensive, experimental gimmick), but while Samsung remains the most popular Android phone maker, the ‘Ultra’ is the most powerful option for fans.
But the walls feel as if they’re closing in a little on Samsung with the Ultra; this year’s Galaxy Unpacked was fairly software-heavy, with AI-powered features toted as the headline act. The only hardware updates the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra received over the Galaxy S23 Ultra were a telephoto camera buff (50mp, up from 10mp), a more powerful processor, a flatter display, and no more 8GB models (all models are now 12GB). There hasn’t been a ‘big thing’ this year, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. Maybe the Ultra just needs to keep the crown.
But has it even done that? Let’s see. I’ve spent the past 5 days with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (and will likely spend a lot more time with it), here’s what I think.
The most ‘Ultra’ you can get
Let’s run through the specs. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is kitted out with 12GB RAM, behind a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor (one of the most powerful processors you can get in a smartphone today). It’s huge, with dimensions of 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm (232 grams), and is fitted with an AMOLED 2X 6.8-inch QHD+ 3120 x 1440 display with a 1-120hz refresh rate. All of this is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, with the option of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage, encased in a titanium chassis.
It’s a blisteringly powerful device. I haven’t seen this thing skip a beat in the four days that I’ve been using it. Fast, gorgeous, and extremely easy to use, this is one of the best-feeling Android phones I’ve ever reviewed (not ‘the’ best, as I’d find it hard to beat the Google Pixel 8 Pro).
The device performed fairly well in our battery test, where we pit phones against the runtime of Avengers: Endgame at maximum volume and brightness, streaming from Disney+. In the first hour, it dropped to 92 per cent, then to 81 per cent in hour two, then 69 per cent in hour three (it beat out both the Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max in this test). A day of casual use from 100 per cent brings the phone down to about 72 per cent battery.
For gaming, I played Call of Duty Mobile, and it did the job well. The large, sharp screen makes the device feel like more of a PSP or Nintendo Switch than many other Android devices, and I loved how effortlessly playing at maximum graphics at 120hz was for this device. I do think Samsung is underperforming on the gaming front at the moment, considering Apple is bringing console games to iOS devices, but this probably isn’t a big deal for many people.
The device does, however, get warm under load. During the battery test, the phone was quite warm by the end of the film. Additionally, when taking the photos in the cameras section of this review, the phone had a habit of heating up. I would recommend a case, as its hot metallic body may be unpleasant.
On the productivity side of things, which you can’t ignore considering the Galaxy Note DNA in the device, the S24 Ultra excelled. While I don’t consider myself an artist and don’t feel qualified to explore the art capabilities of this device, I was able to do a fair amount of work with just this phone and an internet connection. The entirety of Friday’s edition of 5 Things was written on the phone, and for reading articles online, the S24 Ultra’s huge screen was extremely useful. I especially like that Samsung has shifted away from a waterfall display to a flat display (backed by a powerful new ‘Corning Gorilla Armour’ design) – the phone just feels so good to hold and look at.
So that’s most of what I can say on the hardware side – it’s a very capable phone. But, what about the AI?
OK, let’s talk AI
If you’ve been paying attention the Galaxy S24’s launch, you’d know that Samsung’s been spending the most time talking about AI features, from live translations to photo editing.
Chat Assist, Interpreter, and Live Translate were not features I used very much during my time, but I was impressed by what I experienced with the Live Translate feature at Unpacked.
The best feature, in my opinion, is Circle to Search. This ability, activated by holding your finger down on the home button at the bottom of the screen (or the long line that supplements the home button on phones with gestures enabled) allows you to search anything on your screen with Google, words or text, by circling it. It rocks.
Generative edit was, in a sound, eh. It has all the same quirks of AI image editing where it’s better at removing rogue objects where there’s a clear, single-colour background, but anything more than that and it looks like a bad Photoshop job. This image of a hotel below, for example, includes a rogue object on the right side. Editing it out, the AI doesn’t know how to make windows or fill in the walls with the same level of detail as the rest of the walls.
It’s just alright. I don’t think I’ll ever use it except in very rare cases. Honestly, there was nothing wrong with slightly cropping the original image.
Additionally, there are certain AI features that I did not like – in particular, Note Assist. This feature either generates text for you in your notes or summarises text on websites (including my own articles, but not articles locked behind paywalls). It’s very disturbing and prone to errors, and we’ll spend more time on it in a separate article.
There’s also instant slo-mo (which slows videos down with AI-filled frames), and Super HDR (which upscales previous photos), two features that casual users may love, but I didn’t spend much time on. Transcript assist is also a neat feature, functioning as Samsung’s answer to the Pixel Recorder app, but I haven’t had much time to play around with this just yet beyond some hands-on at Galaxy Unpacked.
All those cameras count for something
Samsung tends to add more vibrancy to its photos, whereas a phone maker like Google would rather add more true-to-life colouring. This gives Samsung an advantage in some capacities, such as when taking macro photos or night photos, but it can also make things look washed out and over-edited. Let’s do some side-by-sides with the Pixel 8 Pro, Google’s best Android smartphone.
Starting with a wide-angle photo.
Now a macro.
Now another macro.
Maximum zoom out.
Now 30x zoom in (the maximum for the Google Pixel 8 Pro).
The S24 Ultra can zoom into 100x, but the picture quality isn’t terrific.
Now a selfie test on a 32-degree day (you can see Samsung’s beautification at work here, versus Google’s true-to-life approach).
Some night comparisons.
That same shot from the beginning, but at night.
And how about a low-light selfie?
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra seems to have the advantage of showing more detail, but it achieves this alongside a focus on beautification. I like the natural shots that Google produces with its Pixel phones, but I appreciate the extra detail Samsung offers with the Ultra in many of these photos, such as the photo of the spider, the night selfie, the train station, and the macro shot.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra?
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is for power users who want the best, and while this is certainly it for Android users, I think many casual users wouldn’t mind a less expensive model – such as the Galaxy S24+ (which has many of the same camera specs), or the $500 cheaper Google Pixel 8 Pro.
I’ve come around to Samsung’s design and operating system, and this is among the best experiences I’ve had on an Android device. I love its shape, I love its design, and I love that it can keep going in many ways that other phones can’t.
But $2,199 is a high barrier of entry, and for people wanting a brilliant smartphone experience on a budget, it’s difficult to recommend the Ultra.
Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra have begun, and the devices will be available from February 7. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will sell the device attached to phone plans, while the phones will also be available from Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi, along with from Samsung directly.
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB: $2,199
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 512GB: $2,399
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 1TB: $2,799
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia
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Zachariah Kelly travelled to San Jose as a guest of Samsung.
This article has been updated since it was originally published.