Expert review of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- With Galaxy AI, you can edit your photos, summarize texts, and translate live phone calls.
- Thanks to the included S Pen stylus, you can edit photos and videos extra accurately.
- With the telephoto lens, you can zoom in 5 times without your photos becoming less sharp.
- This device doesn't include a charger, so you'll have to buy one separately.
- The 265GB storage capacity is large, but the 512GB or 1TB version is a better choice if you want to download many apps and series.
First impression
The new titanium casing gives the Samsung S24 Ultra a premium look and makes it feel sturdy. Other than that, the design looks a lot like that of last year's S23 Ultra. The S Pen stylus is built into the bottom of the smartphone. And in the box, I only find a manual and SIM needle in addition to the smartphone. So the device doesn't include a charger.
New: Galaxy AI
The Galaxy AI assistant is a new function on the Samsung S24 Ultra. It allows me to easily edit photos and texts. Galaxy AI automatically expands and fills in my photos, for example. In addition, I can easily move or remove an object from my photos. With the 'Circle to Search' function, I can easily look up something I see on the screen of my S24 Ultra. I can circle someone's sneakers in a series on Netflix, for example. Galaxy AI then looks up the sneakers for me, so I can see where I can buy them right away. Galaxy AI is a good addition to the Galaxy S series. And in my opinion, this is a good reason to choose the S24 Ultra.
Razor-sharp photos and videos
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With the 200-megapixel lens, I can see many details in my photos.
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Thanks to the telephoto lens with 3 times optical zoom, my photo isn't less sharp when I zoom in.
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Thanks to the telephoto lens with 5 times optical zoom, you can take a razor-sharp photo from the same place.
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With the wide-angle lens, you can easily capture a large building.
The cameras of the Samsung S24 Ultra are among the best of this moment. I can take razor-sharp photos with all 4 camera lenses. Thanks to the night mode, I can even do this in low light. I can use the telephoto lenses with 3 and 5 times optical zoom to zoom in from afar. Thanks to the optical zoom, my photos remain sharp. I can use the wide-angle lens to zoom out, so I can take a photo of a large object from up close. For example, I can easily take a photo of several buildings. And thanks to the 200-megapixel standard lens, I can see many details on my photos.
Useful S Pen stylus
The Samsung S24 Ultra includes a useful S Pen stylus by default, which I can store in the casing of the device. I find that the S Pen is mostly useful to edit photos and videos. I can select where to crop my videos or what to remove from my photos much more accurately. In addition, I can easily take notes with the S Pen. When I write something on the screen, the S24 Ultra automatically turns it into text. The S Pen is a fun addition that I'm using more often than I expected.
Suitable for the most demanding tasks
As I expected, I can easily perform every task with the S24 Ultra. I can play 3D games like Fortnite and EA Mobile Soccer without the device crashing. Even image editing apps like Photoshop Express and YouCut run smoothly on this Samsung smartphone. In addition, my apps open quickly and I can even use multiple apps at the same time. This makes the S24 Ultra suitable for every task.
Screen with many details and vibrant colors
The S24 Ultra has a very large 6.8-inch Quad HD screen. I do find the screen difficult to control with 1 hand. In addition, it hardly fits in my pocket. The large screen is nice for watching videos, series, and movies. I can stream series on Netflix or watch videos on YouTube, for example. The AMOLED screen with HDR support allows me to see many details, and colors look vibrant.
Good battery life, charging takes quite long
The S24 Ultra has a large 5000mAh battery. I notice that it lasts a whole day with average use. When I use the S24 Ultra more intensively, the battery runs out faster. If you take a lot of photos, record many videos, or play 3D games, you won't make it to the end of the day on a full battery. The S24 Ultra doesn't include a charger, but the separately available 25 or 45W charger allows you to fully charge the battery in about 1 hour. This isn't as fast as with many other smartphones from other brands.
Conclusion
The Samsung S24 Ultra is one of the best smartphones of this moment. The Galaxy AI assistant is a good addition. And with the S Pen stylus, you can easily edit photos and videos. The S24 Ultra mostly stands out because of the cameras. The only con is that it doesn't include a charger, and the charging speed isn't very fast. The S24 Ultra is suitable for you if you want a smartphone you can truly use for everything.
