The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is here, as revealed at Galaxy Unpacked January 2024, and a wealth of AI features that make it one of the most powerful phones the tech company has ever released.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Ultra, it’s the highest-end model in the Galaxy S family, Samsung’s flagship range of smartphones. It comes with a much different chassis to the standard S24 and S24+, and an integrated stylus to compensate for the larger screen (it has one of the largest screens of any smartphone).
We’re going to explore the Galaxy S24 Ultra below, but you can read up on the Galaxy S24 and S24+ over here.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
This year was more of a software year for Samsung rather than a hardware year, although of the three phones, the Ultra received the most hardware changes. Similar to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, the Ultra is now made with a titanium chassis. The telephoto lens has also been buffed to 50MP (was 10MP), and the display is now flatter and has been switched to Gorilla Armor. Each model now also ships with 12GB RAM (no more 8GB RAM models), and the dimensions have changed ever so slightly. The S24 Ultra’s processor has been buffed to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra specs
- Size: 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm
- Weight: 232 grams
- Display: Dynamic AMOLED 2X 6.8-inch QHD+ display with a 1-120hz refresh rate, 3120 x 1440, Corning Gorilla Armour
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- RAM: 12GB
- Cameras: 200MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 50MP periscope telephoto, 10Mp telephoto, 12MP selfie, up to 8K video recording at 30fps
- Battery: 5,000mAh with 45W fast charging, 10W wireless charging
- Storage: 256GB (12GB), 512GB (12GB) and 1TB (12GB)
- Resistance: IP68
- Colours: Titanium Grey, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet and Titanium Yellow
Ultra gets even more Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is set to impress on every front. On the camera side, the Quad Tele system allows the phone to take high-quality snaps with a 5x telephoto zoom lens at 3x, 5x, and 10x zoom, with help from an adaptive pixel sensor. 100x Digital zoom has also been buffed with ‘Enhanced Digital Zoom’, as has image stabilisation, blur reduction, noise reduction for video, and nightography.
For cooling, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has received a vapour cooling chamber buff, with a 1.9 times larger chamber than the S23 Ultra.
All the improvements you’d expect, plus Galaxy AI
This year, Samsung has focused a lot on AI, which we’ve written about in a separate article. The most impressive feature is the Galaxy S range’s ability to translate languages while you’re on the phone, so you can naturally have a conversation with somebody who doesn’t speak your language, or vice versa. Another highlight was the AI image editing tools, which allow you to completely edit out shadows or reflections in glass. There’s also the ability to summarise internet articles with AI, translate webpages, circle objects to search with Google Lens, and tone suggestions for messages and notes. Read all about Galaxy AI here.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Price & Availability in Australia
Pre-orders begin from today (January 18, 2024) 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 pricing
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB: $2,199
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 512GB: $2,399
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 1TB: $2,799
Samsung Galaxy S24 features: what to expect
Below is just a snapshot of the features you can expect from the Samsung Galaxy S24 range, in line with rumours that we heard in the leadup to the device being unveiled.
Camera
Apart from Galaxy AI improvements to photo editing, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the only device that saw a camera buff, with a 50mp telephoto lens, up from 10mp on last year’s model.
Memory
Despite rumours that there would be a 16GB RAM option, there is no such model in the entire Samsung Galaxy S24 range. However, the Ultra no longer ships with an 8GB model, and now only the base model ships with 8GB of memory – as the Plus now ships with 12GB only, as does the Ultra.
Battery life
In line with rumours, the base Samsung Galaxy S24 shipped with a slight battery buff – 4,000mAh, up from 3,900mAh. The Plus also got a small upgrade, shipping with 4,900mAh, up from 4,700mAh. No changes for the Ultra.
Charging
Unfortunately, despite rumours, there have been no changes to charging this time around – ultra-fast charging is likely to still require a significantly high-wattage charger.
The cheapest Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra preorder plans
36-month plans
24-month plans
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Zachariah Kelly travelled to San Jose as a guest of Samsung.