Is it magic? The Galaxy S24 Ultra still feels awesome after nearly 2 years

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is almost two years old, but that doesn't stop it from feeling like a premium 2025 flagship. Granted, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is technically superior, but the 2024 model is holding up surprisingly well today, 21 months after release. How come?

There are a handful of reasons, and you could argue that the main one is that the Galaxy S25 Ultra wasn't a significant upgrade over its predecessor. Either way, the S24 Ultra can hold its own.

How come the Galaxy S24 Ultra still feels amazing?

The fact of the matter is that the Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn't offer enough unique upgrades to make its predecessor seem outdated.

Even in areas where the S25 Ultra brings improvements, the S24 Ultra offers an alternative, albeit a lesser one. For example:

Both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and S25 Ultra have titanium frames. Only the grade differs.

Both phones have an anti-reflective display coating. The S25 Ultra's coating is slightly better.

The S25 Ultra is very powerful, but so is the S24 Ultra today.

The S25 Ultra brings a 50MP ultra-wide camera, but the S24 Ultra still matches the 200MP resolution of the main sensor.

Both phones have similar display specifications.

Battery specs are the same.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Qi2-ready but still needs special cases for Qi2.

Both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and S25 Ultra run Android 16 and One UI 8 perfectly fine.

Granted, the Galaxy S25 Ultra brings numerous small upgrades, and it is the kind of phone that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Even so, it loses out to the Galaxy S24 Ultra in one critical aspect: S Pen Air Actions. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the last to boast this feature, so, in a way, it feels more advanced than sequel.

In what ways does the Galaxy S24 Ultra feel dated?

Mainly looks. The biggest reason why the Galaxy S24 Ultra may feel outdated next to the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the exterior design rather than the feature set.

The 2024 flagship has a boxy design with sharp corners, a rounded frame (on the side edges), and camera rings that aren't as noticeable. Even so, it still looks modern enough and only looks a little out of place when compared with the sequel side by side.

samsung galaxy s24 ultra vs galaxy s25 ultra titanium grey rear design

The Galaxy S24 Ultra phone is also thicker and heavier than the 2025 model, even though the S25 Ultra has a slightly larger screen. So it does feel like Samsung spent more time enhancing the newer phone's design and build quality.

In conclusion, even now, as we approach the Galaxy S24 Ultra's second anniversary, the phone is surprisingly robust on all fronts. But after a relatively tame update in 2025, the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra has the potential to make the 2024 model a little more antiquated. Either way, the S24 Ultra still rocks.

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Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

Phone Galaxy S24 Ultra