Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Introduction

2024 has seen Samsung launching a new Galaxy S flagship lineup. The Galaxy S24 Ultra went official on January 17, and it is undoubtedly the top-of-the-line model of the entire S24 series, boasting the best specs and features.

Same as in previous years, the Galaxy S24 Ultra carries the torch of the discontinued Galaxy Note series burning. It's the only model in the S24 series with an S Pen, and now, it has an improved design that's more suited to the iconic accessory.

Design

The Galaxy S24 Ultra represents a refinement of the S23 Ultra's design. It now has a flatter frame and a flat display with just a little bit of a chamfer that won't interfere with the S Pen.

Although the Galaxy S24 Ultra's internal structure is made from aluminum, it is the first Samsung phone to boast a Titanium frame. This material has a higher resistance against corrosion and accidental bumps.

To match the phone's improved durability theme, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's display boasts new Gorilla Glass Armor protection, which Corning says is the toughest yet. Of course, an IP68 rating against dust and water is a given.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra measures 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm and weighs 233 grams. It's thinner than its predecessor and has slimmer bezels, all thanks to the new titanium frame.

Samsung has used more sustainable and recycled materials to manufacture many of the Galaxy S24 Ultra's components, and the phone ships in a box made 100% from recycled paper.

Galaxy S24 Ultra buyers can choose one of seven color options. Four are standard: Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow. Three colors are online exclusive. They are Jade Green, Sapphire Blue, and Sandstone Orange.

Specifications

In terms of internal hardware, the most interesting aspect of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is that it is the only model of the entire S24 series to adopt the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 globally. In contrast, the S24 and S24+ use the Exynos 2400 chip in most markets and Qualcomm's solution in a select few.

The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC has one prime Cortex-X4 CPU core @3.3GHz, three Cortex-A720 cores @3.15Ghz, two Cortex-A720 cores @2.96Ghz, and another two Cortex-A520 cores @2.27Ghz. It also sports an Adreno 750 chip. And now, the SoC is cooled by a 1.9x larger vapor chamber (compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra).

Other hardware specifications include 12GB of RAM + 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage, a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging and Wireless PowerShare (45W charger sold separately), and connectivity features like 5G, Wi-Fi 7, UWB, and Bluetooth 5.3.

Display

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that boasts an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz and a maximum brightness level of 2600 nits, which is a significant upgrade from the previous generation's 1750 nits.

The new display also takes advantage of improved Vision Booster technology, a new Adaptive Color Tone feature for more natural color reproduction in varying lighting conditions, and faster touch response.

The Always On Display is vastly improved and can now share the lock screen's wallpaper and widgets.

Camera

Samsung's 2024 premium flagship phone has a quad-camera setup. It consists of a 200MP primary shooter with OIS and an f/1.7 aperture, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, OIS, f/2.4, and a 36-degree FOV, an upgraded 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, OIS, f/3.4, and 22-degree FOV, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 120 degrees field of view and an f/2.2 aperture. The selfie sensor has a 12MP resolution and f/2.2.

This new camera system is powered by a comprehensive suite of AI tools called ProVisual Engine. Zoom photos offer higher clarity at 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x magnification thanks to Adaptive Pixel Sensor technology, and 100x boasts enhanced digital zoom. And when using Dual Recording, users can capture videos with two rear cameras simultaneously.

The AI also plays a role in editing. The Gallery app offers tools like Generative Edit, Edit Suggestions, Super HDR previews, and Instant Slow-mo playback for videos that haven't been shot in slow motion.

Software and features

The Galaxy S24 Ultra debuted with Android 14 and One UI 6.1 out of the box. The latter brings numerous new features, many of which are powered by AI on-device or in the cloud.

Some other notable software features and enhancements that haven't already been mentioned in the categories listed above include:

• Generative Wallpapers.
• Circle to Search.
• Chat Assist.
• Live Translation in phone calls.
• Interpreter.
• On-the-fly summaries in Samsung apps.
• Live transcriptions in Voice Recorder.
• AI-powered auto-formatting in Samsung Notes.

Samsung promises seven OS upgrades and seven years of security patches for the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Availability and price

Samsung announced the Galaxy S24 Ultra on January 17 at Galaxy Unpacked 2024 in San Jose, California. The phone was scheduled to hit the shelves on January 31.

As for launch prices, the Galaxy S24 Ultra costs $1,299 / €1,449 and up. Pre-order customers received free memory upgrades and other bonuses.