Year after year the innovation on the latest models of smartphones is decreasing. For lack of ideas since the smartphone in your hand now has gone through at least 10 iterations since its launch. It's getting harder for the Samsung Galaxy S series which is now in its 15th iteration through the Samsung Galaxy S24.
Last year's Galaxy S23 Ultra offering was almost complete with only a few improvements to be made. Not much new innovation can be done on hardware, so this year Samsung focused entirely on software in particular by integrating various Galaxy AI artificial intelligence features.
After using this device for a few hours in Kuala Lumpur and San Jose, I can tell our readers that we have entered the era of AI on smartphones and the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a device that is truly amazing in its software capabilities.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
6.8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, LTPO
WQHD+, 120Hz, HDR10+
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Processor For Galaxy (4nm)
1 X 3.39 GHz Cortex X4 chip
5 X 3.2 GHz Cortex A720
2 X 2.3 GHz Cortex A520
Adreno 750 Graphics Chip
RAM 12GB LPDDR5X
Internal Capacity 256 /512/1000TB UFS 4.0
Main Camera 200MP f/1.7, OIS (Wide Angle)
12MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide Angle)
50MP f/3.4, OIS (5X Telephoto)
10MP f/2.4, OIS (3X Telephoto)
Selfie Camera 12 Megapixel f/2.2
5000 mAh battery
45W wired charging
15W wireless charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM nano / 5G
NFC Yes
No Audio Jack
Waterproof IP68
Scan System Under-screen fingerprint scanner
Sale Price RM 6299 (12/256GB)
RM 6799 (12/512GB)
RM 7799 (12/1000GB)
Screen
The screen is still 6.8″ QHD+ Dyanmic AMOLED 2X with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz from the LTPO type. The screen brightness level now jumps to 2600 nits compared to 1750 nits on last year's model. HDR10+ content now looks brighter on the S24 Ultra's new screen. What's interesting this year is that the S24 Ultra screen is also used on the S24 and S24+ which makes the screen experience on all three devices the same. Last year there were complaints because the S24 and S24+ panels were not of the LTPO type.
We were told that the bezels of the S24 Ultra are smaller this year but our eyes couldn't see such a noticeable difference. Personally I don't have an issue with the slightly thicker bezels on the sides as it makes the device more drop resistant. But I know consumers now want everything thinner, faster and more sophisticated so the bezel of the S24 Ultra needs to follow the market trend.
Biometrics
An ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is also retained below the screen. The position is still the same and is still easy to access with the finger you want to scan. Samsung is one of the few manufacturers that uses a more expensive ultrasonic scanner because it can scan wet and dirty fingers more consistently. Face scanning can also be activated if necessary. I found both biometric systems on the S24 Ultra to be quite fast.
S-Pen
No specification changes have been made to the S Pen which is now in its fourth year of being offered on the Galaxy series. There is still support for being a remote control to control the camera and draw directly on the screen. Although it hasn't been improved in a while, the S Pen on the S24 Ultra is still the best on a smartphone right now.
Design
The design of the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra is recycled once again but with some changes that are actually quite big. The body is now made of titanium metal replacing Aluminum Armor. According to Samsung with the use of titanium body S24 Ultra is more durable but lighter. I have to say I really can't tell the difference in weight on the S24 Ultra compared to the S23 Ultra. What is noticed is that the body feels colder in the hand.
The sides are now more boxy than last year's model. There is no change to the position of the power and volume buttons on the right side. The speaker grille, SIM tray and USB-C charging port are also still below. The speaker grille holes are now replaced with thin grooves perhaps to provide better sound flow.
Another small change is that the back of the S Pen is also flatter so that it is uniform with the body of the device which, as I said earlier, is flatter. The body of the device passes the IP68 standard so there is no need to worry about it being damaged if dropped in a pool for up to 15 minutes.
The back houses four camera lenses that are quite large but not very tall. I still recommend the use of a frame to ensure the lens is not scratched and more importantly to allow the device to be placed flat on a table surface.
Use And Software
The One UI 6.1 operating system is used on the S24 Ultra and it is based on Android 14. I have used this interface on the S23 Ultra and Z Fold5 before so there are no new features that I can see on the operating system. Icons, layouts, shortcuts, settings screens and standard features are all the same. I wasn't allowed to take screenshots during the test session so I've included a screenshot from an S23 Ultra below which is almost identical just with a different background image.
This year Samsung is following in Google's footsteps and will provide support for seven Android versions and security patches for seven years. For those looking for a device with long update support, your only options in Malaysia are the S24 series and the Pixel 8 series which are not officially sold.
The interface elements are still minimalistic, easy to understand and neat. Theme personalization features with the color of the interface elements changing according to the background color are still the same. Widgets can be layered to display more information without taking up a lot of space on the home screen. Want extra memory? The RAM Plus feature can be activated by adding up to 8GB more RAM if necessary.
Galaxy AI – Artificial Intelligence For All
The focus this year is not on the camera, body design, better battery, prettier screen or faster charging. Instead, Samsung is betting all in on the Galaxy AI ecosystem. Samsung's Gauss AI model is built right into every S24 Ultra this year to help it perform some features that I previously thought were just science fiction.
Call Assist
With Call Assist phone calls with people who do not speak the same language can be made. In the demo I made a voice call in English which was then automatically changed to Korean. Answers in Korean are then translated into English. It's like the Universal Translator from the Star Trek series. At launch only 17 major world languages such as English, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, and Hindi are supported. There is no information when the Malay language will be given. Call Assist is done directly from the phone without the need for internet.
Chat Assist
I'm sure many people already use ChatGPT or Bard to help write emails with a more formal intonation. Chat Assist provides the same usage with a choice of formal, social media, casual or emojify writer tone. With this message that is more compatible with humans it will be sent can be written with the help of AI that is also built into the device without the need for the internet. Chat Assistant supports more than 100 languages that are now supported by Samsung Keyboard to perform automatic language translation in applications such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and Line.
Note Assist
Need help writing notes in Samsung Notes? Note Assist can perform summaries for long notes, and convert notes to a format that uses AI assistance. Several templates will be generated which the user can then choose according to taste.
Edit Photos And Videos With AI
Samsung's generative AI is used to edit the photos taken. Objects can be deleted, repositioned and other objects added to the picture through the Gallery application. AI can also suggest edits that can be done such as removing mirror reflections, glare and shadows. The outer part of the image can also be generated like Generative Expand in Photoshop. This feature requires an internet connection therefore it takes around 45-60 seconds to perform the generative image generation process.
Slow motion videos can also be produced from videos not recorded using this mode. I'm sure you've mistakenly pressed not slow-mo on the camera. With generative AI, additional frames on the video are generated directly from the device to create a slow-mo effect. You can see how this is done in the video above.
Transcript Assist
Samsung's audio recording application can automatically generate audio transcriptions. After the recording and transcription have been taken, Transcript Assist can generate a short summary without the need for an internet connection. Saves a lot of time because topics and content can be searched using the transcripts produced. No need to re-listen to long audio recordings when I conduct interviews for work purposes.
Circle To Search with Google
This is the feature that I find most useful. Have you ever come across a picture of an animal whose species you don't know? Handbags but don't know where to buy them? Or just want to identify an object in a picture? Circle To Search with Google can search by simply pressing the home button (or the gesture scroll bar below the screen) and then draw a circle on the object you want to search for.
The process of finding relevant objects only takes about a second. You no longer need to take screenshots that are then uploaded to Google Lens. Unlike Samsung's AI feature above, Circle To Search requires an internet connection.
Camera
The main camera uses a 200MP wide-angle lens configuration, 12MP ultra-wide-angle, 5X 50MP telephoto and 3x 10MP telephoto. Only the ultra-wide-angle lens is not equipped with an OIS system. On the front, a 12MP selfie camera is used. No major changes here except the use of a 50MP telephoto in place of last year's 10MP sensor. The main camera can zoom at 0.6X, 1X, 3X, 5X, 10X, 30X and 100X settings.
All we know is that portrait mode can be done at the new 5X zoom setting. 8K video recording is also possible at a 5X zoom setting compared to just 1X before. Even at the 100X setting, the camera is still able to maintain a stable viewfinder. There are other devices with similar zoom capabilities but I find Samsung's image stabilization system to be the best.
Battery
The battery remains with a capacity of 5000 mAh which can be charged wired with a power of 45W, wirelessly with a power of 15W and reverse wireless charging. The wait for super fast charging like the ones offered by Realme, Xiaomi and Oppo on Samsung devices continues for another year as they are not yet ready to offer it to consumers.
In the box
Here is what is received in the box with purchase.
1x Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
1x USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin.
Conclusion
My experience using the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was too short due to a short session and having to write this article in a tired state after a long journey of almost 24 hours from Kuala Lumpur to San Jose. Once again, in terms of hardware, there are no major changes either in terms of design or main components. Samsung maintains the concept of small changes year after year.
The biggest change this year is the software as it's the first time since the change from Samsung Experience to One UI that they've tried something new. Real-time translated phone call features, generative AI editing, typing assistance, and many more AI capabilities are amazing.
At this point it's not an exaggeration to say the S24 Ultra is Samsung's version of the Pixel. The AI capabilities are almost the same and more importantly the majority of them work without a satisfactory internet connection. Is this enough to get people interested in jumping into the Galaxy AI ecosystem? Only time will tell.
In Malaysia, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra pre-orders open today with a selling price of RRM6299 for 12/256GB, RM6799 for 12/512GB and RM7799 for 12/1000GB. Color options are Titanium Gray, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Black. Online shoppers have additional color options of Titanium Blue, Titanium Orange, and Titanium Green.
Pro
The boxy titanium body design is comfortable in the hand.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 For Galaxy is quite powerful.
Supports S Pen.
A variety of Galaxy AI features that are not only interesting but useful.
IP68.
Support seven Android versions and seven years of security patches.
Cons
No design changes compared to last year's model.
Charging is still only 45W.
RAM up to 12GB only while competitors already offer 24GB devices.