Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Quick Review
It is a device that has got the world’s attention now. It is making us realise the immense potential of generative AI when integrated with a device that can take it to the next level. OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently made a big statement. He said that today’s AI is much like the first mobile phone and he wants to make iPhone 15. The same can be said about smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra that are integrating generative AI into their devices.
While the phone can produce summaries in bullet points, translate text messages and calls in real time, transcribe voice notes, remove the occasional unwanted flower vase or lamp post from photographs and help you look for that leather jacket you saw that one time in YouTube Shorts. However, and this is a ‘however, more a however in italics (however), beyond a point, this all seems like a novelty that will eventually lose its charm. I’ve used this phone a 2 weeks now and I’ve used the Circle to Search four times. Galaxy AI has another feature that allows you to press and hold a video to make it slower.
Despite my repeated attempts to understand how these can add value to my content creation experience, I all but failed. As mentioned above, the smartphone also has an image editor that does a decent job at removing objects and shadows from images, resizing well-lit photographs and even creating 24-hour time-lapses of still photographs with a suitable soundtrack. Add a bit of complexity in there and the house of cards comes down crashing.
There are some AI-enabled features, however, that really took a burden off of my shoulders. Audio recordings of interviews and interactions were transcribed and converted into notes in an instant. Well, not an instant. The AI surely took its sweet time but it’s better than being at it for hours.
Not just this, this feature also works on the default web browser. Any article you read in the browser can be summarised for a quick and easy read. Now, this is a feature that I saw as something that has a real-world use and can be further improved for more precise results.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra camera is by far the best one I’ve seen in a mobile phone. The 200-megapixel Isocell sensor needs no introduction. The ultrawide sensor does exactly what is should, nothing more and nothing less. What really blew me away was the 3X and 5X optical zoom of the camera. Compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10-megapixel 10X zoom, Samsung has made the smart move of opting for a 50-megapixel 5X zoom instead. This change becomes evident in low-light conditions. Users also get the luxury of a 10X zoom which is wonderfully achieved by combining the 3X and 5X zoom capabilities.
The images are crispy, have great colours and just have a flagship feel to them. The videos aren’t too far behind either. With 4K 60 fps video at event 3X and 5X zoom, content creation is going to be fun if that’s something that matters to you. There’s also an option of 8K at 30 fps video that works at 1X and 5X zoom but I cannot imagine anyone using this format unless they specifically want 8K footage.
Samsung used grade 5 titanium in the Galaxy S24 Ultra in order to make it lighter and more durable. We have yet to do the ‘drop test’ but so far the device looks tough as nails. I received the Natural Grey titanium variant and unlike its Apple contemporary, this one has a slight golden sheen to it. Samsung definitely did its best to give its phones a very premium look this time around. I did see slight discolouration at the edges. However, this will become clearer in the days to come. Despite what the numbers say, the Galaxy S24 Ultra definitely felt lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. That being said, the weight isn’t something that would bother anyone. It needs some getting used to. However, after using it for more than a week, personally, it became the new normal.
The 2K QHD+ display does exactly what you pay for. It is much flatter than its predecessor. Personally, I feel this is much better in terms of overall usage as well. It has HLG, HDR10 and HDR10 support. Watching content on this device is a delight. I would also like to add that the flatter display gives a much better user experience.
Samsung’s OneUI 6.1 was hyped a lot before the launch of this phone and I see the reason behind it now. The interface is amazing and intuitive. It didn’t take me long to understand what’s what. There’s a lot to customise here. Wallpapers can be generated via AI, we have customisable widgets which include apps like clock and weather. Always on display is customizable as well. This includes the font style of the clock as well as the size of the clock.
The custom ‘For Galaxy’ Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offers the new Kryo CPU with a higher clock speed than the vanilla Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This allows it to handle heavy tasks with ease without reaching high temperatures. This was evident during gameplays of BGMI and Honkai Impact. Multi-tasking is bliss and there is no such thing as lag even while working on multiple apps at once.
Stay tuned for an in-depth review of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
