The massive Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn’t disappoint.
But there’s nothing here that’s screaming, “Upgrade now!
Starts at $1,300
Pros
Cons
TheSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultrais big, beautiful, and a heck-of-a-lot-of smartphone.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, with the S Pen out and laid down.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Still, it will overpower people with my sized hands.
Its also about $100 more this generation, starting at $1,300 for the 256GB storage version.
The good news is that there have been some improvements to this years Ultra.
Galaxy AI removes those pesky boats from my shot. Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
You dont need Samsungs latest and greatest hardware to access that.
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Galaxy S24 Ultra Features
Its titanium, baby!
Im digging the titanium aesthetic thats taking over premium smartphones.
As a result, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is most certainly in a class of its own.
It has its own unique colorways, like Titanium Violet and Yellow.
Samsung offered Titanium Gray to Gizmodo for review.
The only parts of the Ultras frame that arent titanium are the volume rocker and power button.
As I mentioned, the Galaxy S24 Ultra can get warm if you stream an app like YouTube TV.
Ive also called in some cases to see if it exacerbates the toastiness.
There isnt much difference in heft or weight distribution from last years Galaxy S23 Ultraat least nothing discernably so.
Compared to theiPhone 15 Pro MaxandGoogle Pixel 8 Pro, its about an ounce more dense in weight.
The Ultra is the biggest smartphone you’re able to get without bringing home a tablet.
At the very least, the S24 Ultra feels easier to cradle because of its angular edges.
Im happy to see that Samsung has finallyditched the curves.
I didnt care for them on the Edge variants from the2010s.
Those same curves made theGalaxy S22 Ultrafeel like an unfinished equipment.
Samsung continues to offer IP68-rated water and dust resistance for its flagship devices.
Yes, I do take the smartphone into the shower.
Isnt it nice that I dont have to bathe with my intrusive thoughts?
Samsung made two minor improvements to the Galaxy S24 Ultras screen this year.
Im on the opposite end of the spectrum regarding smartphone displays.
Galaxy AI removes those pesky boats from my shot. Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Samsung has been the leader in this, particularly with its AMOLED displays.
Samsung continues to lead in this realm, particularly with its AMOLED displays.
The S24 Ultra outlasted its predecessor by nearly four hours.
This year, it is the third-best battery offering after the OnePlus 12 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Screen brightness does wonders for preserving a devices battery life.
A higher resolution sensor in the S24 Ultra replaces the 10-MP telephoto camera in the S23 Ultra.
Spot the difference! Image: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
I felt less pressure to stay still with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
I was especially taken by how far away objects are clearer once you pass the 5x mark.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy AI
Whats with all the AI tricks?
If I learned anything atCES, it was that AI has been weaponized for mass marketing.
I was half expecting that to happen with SamsungsGalaxy AI.
The only bummer is that youll have topay for some of the featuresafter 2025.
Circle to Search is one of the best new features for Android in a long time.
Circle to Search is the Google Lens feature for the current AI generation.
This isnt an exclusive Samsung feature, however.
Pixel users will also get the ability in the coming weeks.
How nice for Samsung to be the manufacturer to debut it all.
I havent had a chance to organically use any Live Translation features offered in the Samsung Dialer app.
But I did fake a phone call with myself and my elementary Spanish.
Unfortunately, Samsung cant translate Romanian, so I went for the only other language I know.
Live Translate currentlysupports 15 languages.
The Instant Slow-mo capability is one of my favorites.
You cant predict when the moment will happen.
Its so much better than recording everything in slow-motion video mode.
However, some folks might find this too much of a smartphone to carry daily.
Its cumbersome to do that with the Ultra because of its size!
Samsung has notably improved its camera algorithms over the years.
I still used the Galaxy S23 Ultra to take scenic shots of my long drives alone last year.
Want more of Gizmodos consumer electronics picks?
Check out our guides to thebest laptops,best TVs, andbest headphones.
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