AI has been the most recent buzzword surrounding consumer technology, whether you’ve heard it floated at CES or most recently at Samsung Unpacked. While it’s nothing new in mobile devices, it’s becoming more prevalent in daily use—and it can make or break your smartphone experience. In fact, Samsung is banking on it transforming your smartphone and making it all the more enjoyable with its latest device, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra phone.
Just announced last week, I’ve been putting this device through everything I can, from online gaming to night photography sessions (which Samsung calls Nightography). While AI in general still has a long way to go, the S24 Ultra proves that the AI details in the device make it one of the top mobile devices you can buy right now if you’re looking for the best camera. In general, the small improvements make it a strong smartphone to be your daily carry. Read on to see why.
Best for:
- Taking the absolute best photos you can on a mobile device
- Using your phone as a multitasking tool or on-the-go gaming console
- Searching anything you want with just a circle or scribble
Skip if:
- You have the S23 Ultra already
- You need Qi2 wireless charging
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design
Stronger Material, Subtle Changes
For the S24 Ultra design, Samsung strengthened the build, upgrading the chassis to an all-new titanium frame and a Corning Gorilla Armor glass display. Comparatively, the S23 Ultra used an aluminum frame. Is titanium and this new glass compound sturdier? Thanks to my clumsiness, I’ve already dropped the device a few times. So far, no scratches or cracks appeared—it looks like I just pulled it out of the box.
It’s a slightly thinner, slightly lighter design that makes it a smidgeon wider and shorter, but it still retains the 6.8-inch display. I’m glad it hasn’t changed much—at this point, the look and feel of the Galaxy S series devices feels iconic. As the saying goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The titanium looks sleek and feels comfortable in hand, but the back catches fingerprints easily. It’s not a deal breaker, as most people just slap a case on their device for protection or just to add personal flair. But for those brave souls (i.e. not me) who decide to keep the device case-free, it may be bothersome.
Samsung also upgraded the display from 1,750 nits to a massive 2,600 nits. It’s a great brightness to have when I’m outdoors and need to check the arrival time of my Uber ride or want to surf Reddit. However, at night, there are moments when I felt I needed sunglasses to keep my eyes from squinting at the screen. Three features solved my problem here: Eyecomfort Shield, Adaptive Brightness and Dark Mode. If you don’t use these, be prepared to toss on some shades if you’re streaming at bedtime on the highest brightness settings.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Performance
AI Makes It All A Breeze
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m tough on any device that I’m working off of. Not only am I taking calls and Whatsapp messages, but I’m also recording briefings, taking notes and even gaming. Because most of the time when I’m on my device I’m multitasking, I put the Samsung S24 Ultra through my daily routine to see if the device can meet my needs in real life.
Many standout features that make the Samsung my daily carry received AI-based improvements. When taking notes, I can now jot them down in any manner I choose—slanting my script, starring important pieces of information and more—and AI enhances the overall experience. I loved jotting down slanted script and using AI to straighten it, or simply just summarizing many pages of notes, which is a real thing the device can do in seconds under its Notes app. I can even transcribe an entire recorded meeting with AI now. It’s very handy.
One of the most impressive features introduced to the S24 Ultra? Circle To Search. If you’re interested in finding out what someone is wearing, or looking up anything on any image-based search, you can circle the item to “search” it on Google. All while staying on the same page, Google then pops up search results in seconds. It’s a nifty way to make searching for your favorites or must-haves easier and faster, all thanks to AI.
I first tested the feature on my favorite pair of Teva Amaya boots. Circle To Search found many similar styles in seconds. My specific pair was on the third line, so it gets you pretty darn close to the original boot style within seconds, if not spot-on with the first go. Other tests I ran included scouring for Portland Leather Goods bags, a planner and even sunglasses—and each time, Circle To Search found it fast. It’s a powerful tool that I’m not sure I can live without now that I have tried it, but for those that are considering other phones, Google will add this to its devices shortly. In other words: It won’t be a Samsung exclusive.
For those already using the S23 Ultra or one of Samsung’s foldable phones and considering upgrading: The S24 Ultra probably isn’t worth the upgrade, or at least right now. These AI features will be rolling out to the S23 series, the Fold 5 and the Flip 5 sometime in the future, per some briefings I participated in. The only reason to upgrade is the camera, but more on that later.
For those on the S22 series and earlier, who need these upgrades for daily multitasking, it’s worth grabbing now. And one more thing to note: The Tab S9 series will also get these updates, so those who use Dex from the S24 Ultra to the Tab S9 Ultra, these AI tools will be at your fingertips.
I also tested it across three different games: The Elder Scrolls: Blades, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and my all-time favorite, Stardew Valley. The device handled Blades and San Andreas with ease, just feeling a little warm after a full 30 minutes of use. Stardew Valley handled well with the Backbone USB-C controller. Every game I threw at it, the phone didn’t lag or flinch, and I appreciated that I could add the Backbone to it and enjoy a few compatible games. The built-in 12GB RAM and new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip duo really make this phone a gaming powerhouse.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Camera
AI Makes This Camera Great
To be clear, AI in mobile devices isn’t new. Samsung has been using AI as early as the Galaxy S8 series. What makes AI in the S24 Ultra truly shine is the camera set. Some of the physical features include a new camera lens—a 50MP lens with a 5x optical telephoto camera, upgraded from the 10MP lens with 10x zoom. That new camera takes your close-up photo as a large photo and then uses optical zoom to “zoom” in and crop the photo down to your preferences. It’s something that Samsung has been working on for some time, and boy, does it pay off.
By far, the AI integrations, which include analyzing your photos and optimizing them even before you snap them, were my favorite features on this device. I snapped shots of the Winchester Mystery House at night on both the S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra and compared them in real-time. The Nightography looks much clearer and more focused, with high detail and more vivid coloring compared to the S23 Ultra’s lens. I appreciated being able to see the blue gradient of the dusky sky more clearly on the S24 Ultra as well as the bright paint hues on the quirky home’s siding. Another comparative shot of some old tile work showed the detailing under low light well enough had I not been there I would have believed the image to be taken in another setting entirely.
Another one of my major tests includes photos of my kitten. Some phone models’ images, when blown up, make his fur look pixelated and blurry, which when I’m taking a photo of my little adorable little menace, I absolutely do not want. The S24 Ultra uses AI to enhance your images, and it works well. I loved being able to see every whisker in detail on my little guy.
One of the newest features to come to the S24 Ultra is the Slow Motion when taking video. Capture some footage, and during playback, if you press and hold the video, the S24 Ultra can automatically slow down the footage. It does so by using AI to “fill in the gaps” where there’s missing frames to create this effect. While some folks have reported issues with the AI glitching and leaving gaps in the footage, I only had good experiences with it. When I captured video of my cats play fighting, it slowed the video down and kept every whisker in place on my cats. I’m not sure I’ll use this feature, but for content creators, it’s a nice tool to add to your toolbox. It could also be helpful to coaches and athletes who want to use video to analyze and improve their form and performance.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Battery Life
One Of The Best Available
Gaming and streaming can take a lot out of a smartphone, as they’re both power-hungry tasks. So, I set the S24 Ultra, which uses a massive 5,000mAh battery, on Youtube Music video playback for 30 minutes. To test the battery, I let it run nonstop while I monitored it at my work station. At the 30-minute mark, I checked; the battery dropped from 98% down to 96%. It’s pretty great for a short video playback session with the adaptive refresh rate on.
The same experience happened with gaming on The Elder Scrolls: Blades, in that it dropped only 2% in 30 minutes. Again, for a pretty power-hungry mobile game, the S24 Ultra’s lasts all day and then some. For those that only take calls and casually surf the web, it should last at least one full day, but realistically, it’s closer to two based on my testing. It’s arguably one of the best batteries on the market right now that you can get in a smartphone.
One thing to note: Samsung did not include Qi2 wireless charging on any of the S24 series, and that includes the S24 Ultra. For some, this is absolutely a deal breaker, as that can mean the difference between keeping a phone alive when you forget to charge it versus it dying while you’re in transit. I’m a little old-school in that I always plug in before bed—but I also have a plain wireless charger by my bed at night. It can still wirelessly charge, but for those that want the absolute speediest of wireless charges, you won’t get that with this device.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Verdict
I Welcome The Samsung AI Revolution
With AI changing the tech landscape as dramatically as it has in recent months, it’s awesome to see AI designed for content creation, capturing family moments and optimizing my gameplay on the go. The Samsung S24 Ultra combines AI, a powerful processor and speedy RAM to deliver a great mobile device. For those who are thinking about converting to the Samsung family, or for those who have the S22 series and earlier, you’ll want to pick up the S24 Ultra—even if it’s $100 more than the S23 Ultra this year, at $1,299 starting.
Those who want to take the absolute best night shots or adjust their imaging with AI will want to take a look at this device. It has one of the strongest camera lens sets available designed specifically for nighttime shots, from concerts to late-night stargazing photo opportunities.
How I Tested The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The second I got my hands on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, I took it around with me. In California, where I first got the device, I tested it head-to-head against the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, comparing shots during daytime and nighttime. I also tested the Circle To Search around San Jose to see what would pop up, from my Teva boots to my carry-on products while I was waiting for a flight back to New York City.
Once I landed on the East Coast, I ported into the device and used it as my main phone, cross-checking shots with the S23 Ultra again as well as the Asus ROG 8 smartphone. I played video games on the device, took calls, shared messages and more. For the battery, I set it up to on nonstop video playback for 30 minutes, checking how much battery life had changed in between that time. I performed a similar test with gaming on Elder Scrolls: Blades to see how much battery life the device lost in a 30-minute time span.
My Expertise
I’m the consumer tech and electronics editor over at Forbes Vetted and have been for nearly one year. When I’m not testing the best gaming TVs first-hand, I’m hands-on with mobile devices, reviewing the most recent launches including the Google Pixel 8, the Samsung Flip 5 and more. I’ve been covering the mobile space for over four years now, from Apple’s latest iPhone announcements to Google’s October 2023 launch with my team. My experience has been across many publications from ZDNET to Digital Trends and many more.
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