Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: 3 Months Later Feeling
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was launched on January 31, 2024. I wasn’t planning on buying this device but as always pre-order deals and trade-ins mean it would be rude not to. I wanted to use this phone for an extended period, so it has been my main daily device for more than two months.
I’ve been using it with my favorite home screen configuration and all the apps I rely on within any given month. After all that time, I’ve come to a pretty resounding conclusion: This phone is very, very similar to last year’s S23 Ultra, but obviously, there’s more to it than that.
So, three months after its initial launch, following several software updates and an extended period of use, here’s my full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review.
Table of Contents
Galaxy S24 Ultra Specifications:
- Body: 233 grams, IP68 rated, Titanium frame, S-pen support
- Display: 6.8-inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O, Gorilla Glass Armor, Adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, Vision Booster, up to 2600 nits (peak)
- Resolution: QHD+ (3088 x 1440 pixels)
- Rear Camera: Quad (with LED flash)
– 200MP primary lens, OIS, PDAF
– 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 120º FOV
– 10MP telephoto lens, 3x optical zoom
– 50MP telephoto lens, 5x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom - Front Camera: 12MP f/2.2 lens
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)
- Software & UI: One UI 6.1 on top of Android 14
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1024GB 12GB RAM
- Security: Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
- Battery: 5000mAh with 45W fast charging, 15W wireless charging
- Colors: Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, Titanium Orange
Galaxy S24 Ultra Design
Most aspects of the S24 Ultra’s design are identical to the S23 Ultra, but there are two small tweaks that I appreciate.
The first is that, much like Apple did with the iPhone 15 Pro lineup, Samsung switched to using matte-coated titanium for the side panels, which is a nice improvement over the glossy side panels on the S23 Ultra last year. This change honestly makes the phone feel much nicer in the hand.
The second small change, which I equally appreciate, is that we finally have evenly sized bezels around the display. This was pretty much the only complaint I had about the design of last year’s S23 Ultra, so seeing Samsung finally address this made me super happy.
Also, I found the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s design-build quality to be very good.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Display
Speaking of the display, on paper, not much has changed, and in terms of the actual display itself, the specs are nearly identical. We supposedly have a brighter display compared to last year’s S23 Ultra, but in real-world use, it seems very similar in terms of max brightness when using it outdoors.
That being said, what has changed this year is that Samsung has added a really neat anti-reflective coating across the panel, which, as the name implies, helps to greatly reduce reflections.
While this is a cool add-on, I personally only notice this feature when I’m filming the phone, as I’m hyper-aware of avoiding reflections whenever possible.
In real-world use, I honestly don’t even notice the feature, even when using other phones side by side, but that doesn’t mean it’s not appreciated. I just can’t understand why Samsung didn’t over-hype it during their launch presentation, instead deciding to keep it on the down-low, making it a neat surprise for anyone who picks one up themselves.
I also selfishly hope that other manufacturers will follow suit and integrate this feature into their smartphones going forward, because, yeah, it just makes filming that much easier—which I know hardly applies to anyone else.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Battery
The battery in this phone has the same capacity as last year’s S23 Ultra, but I’ve been experiencing slightly worse battery life compared to that phone. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s still impressive battery life, but I guess that brighter display and higher-performing chipset do take their toll.
Where I would struggle to get the S23 Ultra’s battery much below 50% after a solid day of medium use, with the S24 Ultra, I’m finding that I only end the day with around 50% left if it’s been a day of fairly light use. On days with medium to heavy use, I’m getting through a much larger portion of the phone’s battery, even dipping under the 20% mark on some days, which I never really experienced with last year’s S23 Ultra.
So, I don’t know whether Samsung still needs to iron out some kinks with efficiency or whatever, but yeah, a slight disappointment in the battery department this time around.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Software
The software on the S24 Ultra is terrible. It has One UI version 6.1 with Android 14 update. There is a lot that I love about this software. It’s still very similar to past One UI versions—the settings menu looks nearly identical, and even the quick settings panel looks the same.
However, we now have a redesigned, expanded quick settings panel, which I kind of like. At least it’s something different, right? But all the core features remain the same, and I genuinely think it’s about time Samsung mixed these aspects up a bit.
What I adore about Samsung software is the incredible customization flexibility. I mean, the fact that I can have a home screen grid size of 7×7 to place my app icons in this configuration without resorting to a separate third-party widget app, or that I can customize the look of the recent app screen without sacrificing fluidity.
If you’re a power user and you appreciate the old Android mentality where you, as the user, decide how you want your phone to look and behave, there’s no better option than a Samsung phone. Now, do I need the S24 Ultra to do all of this? No, which is why I can’t consider this a selling point of the S24 Ultra itself. But I do want to give credit to Samsung for not locking us into a home screen style they think we should use. The fact that, to this day, we can still have this much control over how the One UI software looks and behaves is seriously amazing.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Cameras
The cameras on this phone are very similar to those found on last year’s model. All but one camera is essentially the same.
However, Samsung made one incredibly controversial change to the camera configuration this year: they swapped out the much-loved 10-megapixel 10x periscope lens from the S23 Ultra and replaced it with a 50-megapixel 5x periscope lens instead. Even though I loved the 10x lens from last year’s phone and was disappointed to hear it was removed, after using the S24 Ultra for a month, I have to say—I kind of get it. We still have the 10x button within the camera interface.
Over the past month, there have been many times when I’ve tapped the 10x button, only to find the framing too tight, prompting me to switch to the 5x mode.
This has proven to be a much more usable field of view. So, as a result, I kind of get it—5x is a much more practical level of zoom.
And in all honesty, for shooting images, thanks to software processing, you can still use the 10x mode and get nearly the same level of quality as the physical 10x lens on the S23 Ultra.
The area that does take a hit, though, is when trying to use the 10x mode for shooting videos. There’s just no way right now to emulate the optical quality in video that you can achieve with image processing.
So, do I wish Samsung had gone all out and given us an extra 5x lens without removing the 10x lens for those fringe scenarios?
Of course. And in some cases, when you’re paying this much for a phone, you might think they should have. But considering the challenge of fitting that many lenses into a single phone, I think I’m ultimately OK with Samsung’s decision to remove the 10x lens in favor of a better quality 5x lens.
The fact that we can capture incredible images and videos at 1x, 3x, and 5x field of views is seriously impressive. I will just quickly note that I think it might be time for Samsung to upgrade the ultrawide lens, as there is a noticeable drop in quality when using it, particularly for videos.
I also think that the sensor cropping trick they use to achieve better quality images at both 2x and 10x magnification should be applied to video as well. However, my guess is that they probably need larger sensors for that, which, in all honesty, I’m hoping they upgrade next year anyway.
So, there are still some improvements to be made. I still think that the actual shooting experience and quality you can get with a Xiaomi flagship phone is far better than what we have on the S24 Ultra. So if you’re looking for the best all-around camera experience on an Android phone, you might want to consider one of those instead.
But as far as versatility goes, no phone can match the camera configuration we have with the S24 Ultra.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Final Thoughts
Now, with all of that being said, three months after this phone’s release, do I think it’s a device you should consider getting? Well, if you’re coming from an S23 Ultra, then definitely not. This phone is so similar to that one that you will hardly notice the difference.
But for anyone else, this phone is incredible. It isn’t cheap, but compared to pretty much any other phone on the market, it’s the kind of device that makes its price feel justifiable. While I don’t think it’s necessarily the best at anything—aside from maybe customization flexibility—it still ranks in at least the top three across all phones when it comes to the key pillars most people look for in a premium smartphone.
So, camera performance, design, display, battery life—and I’m also going to throw in haptics, which is a key pillar for me. While the S24 Ultra isn’t the outright best in any of those categories, it’s up there competing with the best.
And more importantly, there are absolutely no deal-breaking issues with this phone that would make me hesitant to recommend it. Pixel phones, for example, are amazing in almost every category but lack customization flexibility and struggle a bit with performance. Nothing phones have average cameras and poor haptics, while Xiaomi phones offer pretty average software and customization flexibility.
It seems like every major phone right now has one or two areas you need to be cautious about before picking one up. But with the S24 Ultra, honestly, there are no issues whatsoever.
And it’s without a doubt the best all-around package you can buy if price is not an issue. That being said, I do think Samsung has been playing it very safe for the last few years and needs to consider making some bigger, more tangible upgrades to this lineup.
But you can kind of see why they don’t feel the need to because if I’m being completely honest, even after years of trying, no other phone can match the sheer level of quality and features offered in such a well-rounded package as the S24 Ultra.
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Alvi Hosain
I am a tech enthusiast with over 1.5 years of experience in phone reviews and gadgets. Passionate about making technology easier for everyone, I focus on creating smartphone reviews and detailed tech guides. Whether exploring the latest devices or providing tips on how to get the most out of your gadgets, I love helping others navigate the world of technology. Known among my friends for solving phone-related problems, I enjoy discussing technology and staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends.
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