Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: In-Depth Review on GSMArena

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is not just a smartphone; it’s a technological marvel that pushes the boundaries of innovation. Let’s dive into an extensive review, exploring every aspect of this flagship device, from design to user experience.

Camera Features

The camera hardware is the most significant change introduced by the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Although the primary 200MP camera and the ultrawide camera have not changed, Samsung has placed greater emphasis on the telephoto aspect and has replaced the previous 3x + 10x combination with a 3x + 5x combination. Although initially appearing as a step-down, Samsung contends that it is an improvement, and we concur, provided that the phone lives up to the promotional claims. Allow us to provide further details.

Samsung is releasing the Quad Tele system, which utilises AI-powered algorithms. Samsung can achieve optical-level quality at magnification levels ranging from 2x to 10x, as well as all intermediate levels, using only two telephoto cameras. Essentially, Samsung is not completely abandoning the 10x zoom feature. Instead, it employs adaptive pixel sensor technology, AI multi-frame processing, and AI super-resolution to achieve 10x magnification without any sacrifice in quality. In addition, the 50MP 5x telephoto camera incorporates a substantial 1/2.6″ sensor, which surpasses the size of the 10x telephoto camera from the previous year.

Based on our rough calculations, the combination of the sensor and aperture in this new 5X camera should be able to gather the same amount of light as the old 10X camera on the S23 Ultra when zoomed in at 10x. Based on our previous assessments of the S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, achieving comparable quality with a high-quality 5x zoom camera should not be overly challenging.

Furthermore, AI processing algorithms are utilised in virtually every situation, including video capture. Enhanced algorithms for reducing noise in the nose area have been implemented, and an intelligent system can accurately differentiate between the subject’s motions and those of the user recording the video. This leads to a more efficient elimination of noise.

In addition, the newly introduced 50MP telephoto camera features an OIS correction angle that is 2 times wider and pixels that are 1.6 times larger, resulting in improved capture of details in low-light conditions.

Design and build

At first sight, the design of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra appears to be mostly unaltered. The chassis maintains its rectangular form, including distinct angular corners, a curved side structure, and flat top and bottom surfaces.

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the S24 Ultra has been constructed using a titanium frame, which bears a resemblance to the iPhone 15 Pro series. The rear and front glass panels are made of the latest iteration of Gorilla Glass Armour, reputedly providing four times superior crack resistance compared to other aluminosilicate alternatives and boasting a 75% improvement in anti-glare capabilities compared to standard glass.

The front of the S24 Ultra is now entirely flat, with no curved side edges. This represents an unexpected deviation from curved screens, particularly considering Samsung’s role in pioneering them. Conversely, the business guarantees the thinnest edges to date. It has been confirmed that they appear noticeably slender in person.

The implemented design modifications and utilisation of novel materials result in an almost negligible effect on both weight and dimensions. The weight of the S24 Ultra remains approximately 230 grammes, although it has become somewhat smaller, now measuring 8.6 mm instead of 8.9 mm. It is not immediately perceptible.

The rear design remains largely unchanged, including vertically arranged cameras that are distinctly separated by discrete rings. The glass back has a matte finish and is entirely level. The available colour options include titanium black, titanium grey, titanium violet, and titanium ellow. There are fewer hues available this year compared to the previous year, but it is expected that there will be more paint jobs in the coming months.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs at a glance

• Dimensions: The body is 79.0×162.3×8.6mm and weighs 233g. It has a glass front and back protected by Gorilla Glass Armour, along with a titanium frame. The device is IP68-certified, making it resistant to dust and water up to a depth of 1.5m for 30 minutes. It also features a stylus with Bluetooth integration, an accelerometer, and gyro sensors.
• The display of the device is a 6.80-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. It has a peak brightness of 2600 nits and a resolution of 1440×3088 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 19.3:9 and a pixel density of 501 ppi. Additionally, it features an always-on display.
• The chipset used is the Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm), which consists of an octa-core processor with different clock speeds for each: 1×3.3 GHz Cortex-X4, 5×3.2 GHz Cortex-A720, and 2×2.3 GHz Cortex-A520. It also has the Adreno 750 GPU running at 1 GHz.
• Memory: The available memory options are 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, all with 12GB of RAM. The memory type used is UFS 4.0.
• Operating System/Software: Android version 14, One UI version 6.1.
• Rear camera specifications: The main wide camera has a resolution of 200 MP, an aperture of f/1.7, a focal length of 23mm, a sensor size of 1/1.3″, and a pixel size of 0.6µm. It features multi-directional phase detection autofocus (PDAF), laser autofocus, and optical image stabilisation (OIS). The telephoto camera has a resolution of 50 MP, an aperture of f/3.4, a focal length of 115mm, and a sensor size of 1/2.6″. It also has PDAF, OIS, and 5x optical zoom.
• Additionally, there is a second telephoto camera with a resolution of 10 MP, an aperture of f/2.4, a focal length of 69mm, a sensor size of 1/3.52″, and a pixel size of 1.12µm. It features dual-pixel PDAF and OIS and offers 3x optical zoom. The ultra-wide-angle camera has a resolution of 12 megapixels, an aperture of f/2.2, a focal length of 13mm, a field of view of 120 degrees, a sensor size of 1/2.55 inches, a pixel size of 1.4 micrometers, and features Dual Pixel PDAF technology for fast autofocus. It also supports Super Steady video stabilization.
• The front camera has a resolution of 12 megapixels and an aperture of f/2.2. It has a wide-angle lens with a focal length of 26mm and uses dual-pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF) technology.
• Video recording capabilities of the rear camera include 8K resolution at 30 frames per second, 4K resolution at 30/60/120 frames per second, 1080p resolution at 30/60/240 frames per second, 1080p resolution at 960 frames per second with HDR10+ support, stereo sound recording, and gyroscopic electronic image stabilisation. The front camera can record videos in 4K resolution at 30/60 frames per second and 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second.
• Battery capacity: 5000 mAh. Charging capabilities: 45W wired, PD3.0, touted to charge up to 65% in 30 minutes. Wireless charging: 15W (Qi/PMA). Reverse wireless charging: 4.5W.
• Connectivity options include 5G, eSIM, dual SIM support, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC.
• Additional features include an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint reader, dual speakers, Samsung DeX, support for Samsung Wireless DeX for a desktop experience, and Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.

In addition to these intelligent features, the Galaxy S24 Ultra receives significant enhancements, including a more luminous screen and a more potent Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor available in all markets. Furthermore, it substitutes the previous 10MP 10x telephoto camera with a more advanced 50MP 5x zoom module, ensuring magnification without any noticeable loss in quality, even at 10x. However, the other cameras remain unaltered.

Additional notable design modifications encompass the adoption of a novel titanium frame for the S24 Ultra and the abandonment of the curved screen. The current display features a flat design with narrower borders.

Hardware and software features

Although the main emphasis of this year’s Samsung is on software, specifically the AI-driven functionalities, there are a few notable hardware enhancements or modifications, depending on one’s perspective.

The most conspicuous improvement is the inclusion of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The processor will be standardised across all worldwide Galaxy S24 Ultra variants, and there is no need to reiterate the specifications as it is not the initial smartphone to utilise this particular chipset.

Regardless, one can anticipate enhanced overall performance, increased efficiency, and expedited computational capabilities for tasks involving artificial intelligence. The Adreno 750 GPU also exhibits enhanced ray-tracing capabilities, resulting in improved visual quality for gaming experiences.

To bolster the performance of this powerful chipset, Samsung has incorporated a vapour chamber on the Galaxy S24 Ultra that is 1.9 times larger than the one found on its predecessor. This enhancement enables the device to sustain higher clock speeds for extended durations without experiencing overheating issues.

The screen, although maintaining its size of 6.8 inches and resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels, has been enhanced to provide a brighter display. Samsung promotes a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, which is most likely attained when displaying HDR content.

Now that we have discussed the most significant modifications to the hardware, let’s shift our focus to the software. The fundamental feature of this year’s One UI 6.1, which is built on Android 14, is artificial intelligence (AI). Samsung refers to it as Galaxy AI, which serves as a comprehensive name, including all AI-related functionalities.

While many AI-driven features may resemble those found in Google Pixel phones, Samsung has included distinct functionality of its own. The Galaxy S24 phones are pioneering the feature of two-way live translation during talks, making them the first to offer this capability. They can translate conversations in 13 different languages right from the time of its release.

Like the Google Pixel, the S24 Ultra and its related devices possess the capability to perform real-time conversation translation and also assign speaker labels. The AI assistant can subsequently condense the transcribed material.

Samsung has a feature called Chat Assist that enables real-time translation of text. The feature is included in the pre-installed Samsung keyboard and enables the translation of text within messaging or social networking applications. Additionally, it will assist you in crafting text with a suitable tone based on the given context.

The Galaxy AI remains operational even when linked to Android Auto. Upon receiving a message, you have the option to have the voice assistant provide a concise summary of the message and propose appropriate responses based on the context.

The Galaxy S24 series is the pioneering line of smartphones that introduces the innovative feature known as Circle to Search. This function allows users to annotate certain objects on the screen, such as text or images, by circling, scribbling, tapping, or underlining them, and then performing a Google search. The functionality is operational in all applications. This is especially advantageous when utilising the S Pen on the S24 Ultra.

Conclusion

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is a technological marvel that pushes the boundaries of innovation. The flagship device features a 3x + 5x combo camera, allowing for lossless 10x zoom and optical-level quality. The Quad Tele system, powered by AI-powered algorithms, uses adaptive pixel sensor technology, AI multi-frame processing, and AI super-resolution to achieve this.

The 50MP 5x telephoto camera uses a larger 1/2.6″ sensor, providing equivalent light-gathering capability to the previous 10x camera on the S23 Ultra. The new 50MP telephoto camera now has a 2x wider OIS correction angle and 1.6x larger pixels for better detail capture in the dark. The S24 Ultra’s design remains largely unchanged, with a titanium frame and Gorilla Glass Armour glass sheets. The device weighs around 230 grammes and has a 6.80″ dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440x3088px.

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, an Adreno 750 GPU, and a 1.9x bigger vapour chamber for improved performance and efficiency. The display boasts 2,600 nits of peak brightness, likely achieved when playing HDR content. The phone also supports two-way live translation during calls, Chat Assist, and Circle to Search, making it the first to support these AI-powered features on a global device.

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