Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was announced on January 17, 2024. Apart from the integration of Galaxy AI, Galaxy S24 Ultra has many features that you might find interesting. Worth mentioning that Galaxy S24U is way ahead of its time.
In this article
Update on camera issues | Design and build | Display and screen | Shooters | Hardware | Software | Sound quality | Gaming | Connectivity | Battery life | Haptics and sensors | S Pen | Color options | Prices | Previous: Screen issue
Update on camera issues
Samsung collected logs of several camera issues of the Galaxy S24 series since the release. However, approximately on February 22, 2024, Samsung is going to push an update to improve the overall photography experience. Here are the upcoming enhancements and improvements that Galaxy S24 Ultra’s cameras will get.
The Galaxy S24U will get brightness adjusted for images with high-intensity backlight sources while using high-resolution mode. This will improve Nightography greatly. In a lot of cases, it is difficult to read text while using higher zoom levels. This will be resolved as well.
The primary camera will be able to provide increased exposure when shooting images indoors. This is going to enhance the details and sharpness of subjects captured in a scene. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a Food Mode. Upon getting the upcoming update, the Galaxy S24U will be able to capture images of food with enhanced color saturation and white balance. This also applies to Night-mode pictures.
Video recording on Galaxy S24 Ultra is going to be improved with better stabilization. Speaking of which, fast-moving object capturing with the rear camera is going to improve as well.
Samsung stated that they will be improving photography with the Galaxy S24 series through several updates throughout this year.
Design and build
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra maintains a similar outlook to its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, the overall chassis is flat and more box-shaped. Feels good in the hands and provides a better grip. The frame is now made of matt-finished titanium, and this titanium texture feels good in the hand as well. This matt-textured titanium is actually a very thin layer on the actual titanium frame. Per users’ reports so far in February 2024, it is easier to have dents on the frame of Galaxy S24 Ultra compared to other titanium-framed smartphones.
Galaxy S24U is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance. However, Per Samsung, this is “based on lab test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. Not advised for beach or pool use. Water and dust resistance of the device is not permanent and may diminish over time because of normal wear and tear.”
Display and screen
Samsung, obviously, makes the best display. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 6.8-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with 120 Hz refresh rate. The screen is protected by Corning® Gorilla® Armor glass. Per Samsung, the display is “6.8 inches accounting for the rounded corners; the actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.”
Samsung advertised an anti-glare coating on the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display. Screen glare is negligible compared to other high-end smartphones even in direct sunlight. The display has ~88.5% screen-to-body ratio, 1440 x 3120p resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and ~505 ppi density. Peak brightness is 2600 nits with an Always-on display.
Shooters
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 200-MP primary shooter, a big number! Samsung has really improved photography with the Galaxy S24 series. Primary and selfie shooters are by far the best cameras out there in the market.
Primary shooters
The main camera module has 4 shooters on the back of Galaxy S24 Ultra, which includes a 200 MP wide-angle, 12 MP ultra-wide-angle, 50 MP periscope telephoto, and 10 MP telephoto shooter. Galaxy AI uses Qualcomm Spectra™ for processing pictures taken by the Galaxy S24 series. Camera specs are discussed later.
Galaxy S24U clicks great photos. However, great photos come with great lighting conditions. Even though you are getting new cameras in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the video and image quality has not noticeably improved compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. When compared to other competitors, the cameras of Galaxy S24U are decent and way better. 2 things to mention about the cameras: 1. Now, the camera UI is nicely arranged and easy to use. 2. The camera captures photos faster.
As mentioned in the keynote of Galaxy Unpacked in January 2024, “features like nightography, super HDR, and video stabilization with Galaxy AI work on in-app cameras for Instagram and Snapchat.” Samsung also mentioned that for the 1st time, on Instagram, you can upload HDR photos only by using Galaxy S24 devices.” However, to avoid photo and video compression on Instagram or Snapchat, you need to use the 1080p resolution instead of 4k. Samsung also mentioned that “certain applications may not support Super HDR.”
The 100X-Space-Zoom topic may amaze you. Samsung stated that “3x and 5x distances are optical zoom. 2x and 10x distances are optical quality zoom. 100X Space Zoom includes 10x optical quality zoom and 100x digital zoom with Super Resolution technology. Zoom distances past 10x zoom may express some image deterioration.”
Selfie shooter
Nothing fancy but the 12 MP wide-angle selfie shooter clicks really good selfies. Even in low light conditions, the photos are good to look at. Some details on the edges of the selfies are blurred or missing (updates available). That is not noticeable until you are really zooming in the photos after clicking. For portraits, background blur is not well balanced. I think, if you are in a dynamic light condition, Galaxy S24 Ultra struggles a bit to focus on you and blur everything else. Regarding these, Samsung stated that “results may vary depending on light condition and/or shooting conditions including multiple subjects, being out of focus or moving subjects.”
Hardware
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (1 prime, 5 performance, and 2 efficiency cores) SoC with Qualcomm® Adreno™ 750 GPU (1 GHz). The CPU and GPU deliver up to 30% and 25% improved performances respectively. This results in Qualcomm® Hexagon™ NPU’s 40% performance-per-watt improvement. You see, Galaxy S24U has a future-proof SoC and performance is out of the question.
Software
Galaxy S24 Ultra features Android 14 and One UI 6.0. Samsung promised 7 years of security updates and 7 generations of OS upgrades. One UI 6.0 is buttery-smooth now. Animations are fluid with a 120-Hz refresh rate. Worth mentioning about dark mode on One UI 6.0, the black is not black anymore. It is more like a very dark grayish color when you are using an app in the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Sound quality
Speaking of sound quality, voice notes are really good. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra does a great job with noise cancellation. Even while gaming, sounds are clear and bold, with less lag when using a pair of wireless earbuds. Samsung uses Qualcomm® Expanded Personal Area Network Technology (XPAN) for studio-quality audio.
Gaming
The Snapdragon Elite Gaming™ arsenal offers a “240Hz display for 240 FPS ultra-smooth, lag-free experiences.” This comes with 40% better Hardware-Accelerated Ray Tracing with Global Illumination, powered by first-in-mobile support for Unreal Engine 5.2.
Therefore, Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy S24 Ultra allows intense gaming without dropping performance. GPU-hungry games like Genshin Impact run smoothly at higher settings. However, after playing games for a while, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra did not boil my hands. Samsung did really well with its new cooling technology. Samsung stated that the “vapor chamber installed on Galaxy S24 Ultra is 92% larger than that of Galaxy S23 Ultra.”
Connectivity
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with WiFi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7) and Bluetooth 5.3 for which Galaxy S24 Ultra has a Snapdragon X75 Modem. Related to the Snapdragon X75 modem, Qualcomm says, “The Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 7800 Connectivity System is the only solution offering Wi-Fi 7 with High Band Simultaneous Multi-Link and Bluetooth® technologies.” Connecting to the internet and web browsing using Galaxy S24U is seamless. Social media platforms function well. Even streaming movies on Netflix and downloading from Netflix is faster. Bluetooth 5.3 also works really well. Wireless earbuds connect faster and signals seem good.
Battery life
Galaxy S24U has the same 5,000 mAh battery as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Per Samsung’s website, “typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated capacity is 3880 mAh for Galaxy S24, 4755 mAh for Galaxy S24+, and 4855 mAh for Galaxy S24 Ultra.” However, battery life has improved even having a very powerful CPU and GPU. This is because the Qualcomm® Kryo™ CPU and Adreno 750 GPU offer 20% and 25% better power efficiencies respectively.
You can squeeze easily around 8-9 hours of screen time by using social media (such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and so on) or browsing several websites at a time. You can have a quick 0-65% charge in 30 minutes as well.
Haptics and sensors
Well, last year, the haptics of the Galaxy S23 series were a disappointment to many users. Even though the Galaxy S24 series has the same z-axis haptic motor, haptics are way improved. However, haptics while typing have an unnoticeable yet slight delay. We think this can be improved through a software update.
The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor works on the Galaxy S24U faster than the Galaxy S23U. Well, Samsung used the QBT2608 sensor for the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the QFS4008 sensor for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. This makes the current fingerprint sensor more efficient and faster. Other sensors are discussed later.
S Pen
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra stands out from the entire smartphone world just because of the S Pen. Unless other companies (ehem ehem, Apple) choose to add a stylus with their smartphone, Galaxy S24U will remain unique. The S Pen of the Galaxy S23 Ultra was great. S Pen, this year in 2024, is way better than that. Low latency and good friction of the S Pen offer a better user experience. However, Samsung cannot place the S Pen on the right side of the Galaxy S Ultra devices because of the large camera sensors. Apart from that, the S Pen is great to have with all its functionalities.
Color options
Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, and Titanium Orange. Some colors are only available if you buy Galaxy S24U via Samsung’s website.
Prices
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has price tags of $1299 for 256 GB, $1419 for 512 GB, and $1659 for 1 TB variant. For a futuristic smartphone with all the highest digits in the spec sheet, this price is considerable. However, a little less price tag would have been better.
Wrapping up
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a great smartphone for everyday use. With great cameras, chipset, connectivity, performance, and battery life, you can use Galaxy S24 Ultra to maximize your productivity. Being future-proof, you can stick to Galaxy S24U for years. When you are to spend a lot of money on a smartphone and wish to use that for years, Galaxy S24U should be the best option in 2024.
Comment below what your thoughts are. Share with your family and friends if you find this article interesting. Let us know if you have any leaks or want to share something with us. You can suggest technology to be explained by Xplnrs. Stay tuned for more.
Screen issue resolved
Around February 13, 2024, there were reports of several new Galaxy S24U experiencing grainy materials on the screen while in low light condition, as well as washed-out colors. With the latest updates, there is an option under Settings > Display > Advanced settings, “Vividness.” It allows users to set screen contrast to either warmer or cooler. This is also based on users’s preferences alongside adjusting the white balance for specific colors, such as Red, Green, or Blue. Thus, Samsung resolved the aforementioned screen issues.
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