Upon seeing the Galaxy S24 and S24+, one cannot help but question whether these are indeed the latest models or if Samsung has simply re-released the previous variants. However, the Ultra is a different animal. The Galaxy S24 Ultra does represent a major advancement over the previous best smartphone package.
The even blockier design with a totally flat face and the less reflecting display glass are the first noticeable changes. Though you won’t notice it right away, that glass ought to be more durable as well. As the months pass, you might come to value the exposed frame’s transition to titanium.
The addition of a 5x zoom telephoto lens is a less evident but potentially significant enhancement that might further establish the Galaxy Ultra’s standing as the best cameraphone. Better than the previous model by a factor of five, is it still as good at a factor of ten?
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip will be found in every ultimate Galaxy, meaning that there won’t be an Exynos in any of the models; the Ultra won’t participate in the chipset divide that has been restored to the lower versions. Indeed, the S24 Ultra will include all of the AI innovations developed by Google and Samsung, enough to cover an hour of Unpacked 2024.
For better or worse, the battery capacity and maximum charging rate of this year’s model have remained unchanged. There is always room for improvement, and the S Pen is still one more feature that sets the Galaxy Ultra apart from the competition in terms of overall usefulness and productivity (it’s the finest camera remote, that’s for sure).
Here are a few more glances at the main specifications before we finally get our hands on the Ultra.
Quick specs for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra:
- Body: 162.3×79.0x8.6mm, 232g; Glass front (Gorilla Armor), glass back (Gorilla Armor), titanium frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
- Display: 6.8″ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1440x3120px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 505ppi; Always-on display.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8650-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm): 8-core (1×3.39GHz Cortex-X4 & 3×3.1GHz Cortex-A720 & 2×2.9GHz Cortex-A720 & 2×2.2GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 750 (1 GHz).
- Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
- OS/Software: Android 14, One UI 6.1.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Telephoto: 50 MP, f/3.4, 111mm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom.
- Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless.
- Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.3; NFC.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX; Ultra Wideband (UWB) support; S Pen stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro).
Unboxing of Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
It looks like we’re in for another boring unwrapping experience, but then again, the slimline box isn’t exactly promising anything. Though a statement in the instructions saying ‘use a paper clip or an earring’ may soon replace the SIM eject pin, one is still present. Either that or eSIMs.
A USB-C cable is the other useful item in the box, although it can only handle 3A of current, which might not be sufficient to achieve the 45W of charging that is advertised. Later in the review, we may get into a heated debate about that topic.
Design, construction quality, and management
Though conceptually identical to the S23 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra differs from it in several noticeable and real ways. The general form and proportions are still there—the Galaxy Note DNA is evident—but after an additional year of development, there have been some noticeable alterations.
The move to a fully flat display is one of the biggest changes this time around and the first one you’ll notice. After being the first company to introduce curved displays, Samsung has been progressively reducing their curves and has now made the decision to leave it to foldables. The S24 Ultra will no longer be subject to criticism for handling problems resulting from the curved sides, and it will be much better suited for usage with screen protectors.
The glass covering the Ultra’s display is this year’s second major innovation. Improved drop and scratch resistance is a feature of Corning’s brand-new Gorilla Armor formulation, however the company conveniently doesn’t compare the new glass’s supremacy over rival products to its earlier efforts.
Ideally, you won’t have to compare Armor’s drop resistance to that of, say, Victus, but you’ll undoubtedly be enjoying the new material’s significantly lower reflectivity on a daily basis. There’s at least one employee who is giddy about this new development; others just quietly note the improvement, and there have also been a few shrugs of indifference.
The redesigned titanium frame of the S24 Ultra also adds to its increased toughness. Samsung sculpted many nubs into the frame of the iPhone 15 Pros and then utilized plastic to attach those to the inside aluminum structure, in contrast to Apple, which connected the outer layer of the frame to the inner metal skeleton via diffusion bonding.
Your fingers will touch titanium in either case, though we’re not sure how or why one would be superior than the other. It appears that Apple’s titanium is of a higher grade than Samsung’s, and naturally, Apple’s is meant to be more upscale.
Let’s talk about the Ultra’s available colorways while we’re still on the surface. As per usual, there are three colors that are only available online at Samsung.com, and there are three “mainstream” liveries that carriers and stores will receive (the three below plus the Titanium Gray color of our review device).
