Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Best Ultra Phone Ever?

If you’d ask AI to come up with the best possible Android smartphone right now, chances are that it might suggest specifications similar to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. While AI has been powering a set of great features in smartphones all this while, it has now taken the driver’s seat to help you stay more productive, communicate easily, and do things that previously needed expert know-how. The new Galaxy S24 Ultra makes the most of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s on-device AI capabilities, and that’s not just for AI-powered features alone.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a unique offering in the premium Android smartphone market right now. With a wallet-crashing starting price of Rs. 1,29,999, is it the best Android smartphone you can buy right now? How well do those generative AI features work? Let’s find out!

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Price in India

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra prices in India start at Rs. 1,29,999 for the 12GB RAM, 256GB storage variant. That’s about Rs. 5,000 higher than its predecessor, but Samsung is offering a bunch of exciting offers that can bring down the effective price. The 12GB RAM, 512GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 1,39,999, while the high-end 12GB RAM, 1TB storage variant is available for Rs. 1,59,999.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is available in Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Black. The company offers Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, and Titanium Orange colour options as online exclusives.

In the box, you get a SIM ejector cable and a USB Type-C cable for charging. There’s no charger in the box, so you’ll need to use the one you already have, or you will have to buy a new one if you want faster charging.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Design

While the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t quite radically different from last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra (Review), there are some noticeable changes. The Galaxy S24 Ultra carries the same overall proportion but with some refinements.

You’ll first notice the flat display, an interesting change from the curved panels in the previous flagship models. The massive 6.82-inch flat display alone greatly impacts the overall look of the smartphone. The Galaxy S24 Ultra also features much thinner bezels and a smaller front-facing camera cutout than the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The display is protected by Corning’s new Gorilla Armor glass that’s supposed to be four times stronger than previous offerings. It can also reduce reflections by 75 percent, according to the company. The reduced reflectivity is prominently noticeable when you compare it with just about any other smartphone out there.

Samsung, just like Apple, has added a titanium frame to its top-end flagship smartphone. The smartphone feels premium, and the satin finish offers a decent grip. However, the use of titanium has had zero impact on the weight of the device. At the back, you get a frosted back panel, but there’s no official word on the type of glass that’s been used there. Galaxy S24 Ultra has an IP68 rating, meaning it is dust-resistant and withstands water for up to 30 minutes (1.5m).

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Specifications and software

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a gorgeous 6.82-inch AMOLED display with an LTPO-enabled dynamic refresh rate of 1-120Hz. Samsung also promises a maximum brightness level of 2600nits, making the smartphone easier to use even under bright sunlight. The display offers sharp visuals no matter what you’re doing. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra supports HDR10 and HDR10+ but not Dolby Vision.

To power the giant list of features, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a custom version of Qualcomm’s high-end chipset – Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, supported by 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage of up to 1TB. There’s no way to extend storage, so choose your variant wisely. The SIM card tray can handle two nano-SIM cards. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra supports Bluetooth 5.3 LE and comes with NFC, Ultra Wideband (UWB) and a USB Type-C port for charging.

Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging. There’s no charger in the box, and the USB Type-C cable included with the phone is rated at 3A, so you’ll need a 5A cable and a 45W adapter to max out the charging.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra runs Android 14-based One UI 6.1 out-of-the-box. One UI 6.1 brings many new features, most notably the Galaxy AI suite of powerful AI features that will also arrive on older Galaxy smartphone models shortly. One of the major software highlights includes seven years of OS updates and security patches. Samsung previously offered four years of OS updates and five years of security patches on its flagship series.

One UI 6.1 brings several tweaks of all sizes and shapes. The notification shade has been redesigned, there’s a better layout for quick settings, and you can access the quick settings menu by swiping down from the right corner. You’ll notice smoother animations when minimising or maximising apps. The always-on display can now show notifications, lock screen wallpaper and widgets.

The S Pen hasn’t changed much, but it’s more fun to use with Galaxy AI features

As for the handy S Pen, there are no major changes here. Samsung has slightly redesigned the clicker’s shape so that it now sticks out a bit when it’s resting inside the smartphone, but you’ll only notice it when comparing it with previous Ultra models. The flat display makes the S Pen stylus much more fun and intuitive. The S Pen is quite useful when using some of the image editing features powered by Galaxy AI.

Galaxy AI features on Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Galaxy AI was a major highlight of Samsung’s first Unpacked event of 2024, where the company announced its latest flagship Galaxy S24 series smartphones. While a large chunk of these generative AI-powered features will eventually arrive on older Galaxy smartphones, the on-device AI capabilities of the new Galaxy S24 series will still make it worth an upgrade. These AI features are easily accessible across One UI 6.1.

Circle to Search, a feature built in collaboration with Google, arrived on the Galaxy S24 series before Google’s devices. You simply tap and hold the Home button to activate the feature. It lets you select anything on the phone’s screen by highlighting it in a circle or by simply scribbling on it to find search items related to it. It works on any app or website and is right on the spot most of the time. You can also combine these image searches with text to get additional information.

Galaxy AI also brings a host of image editing tools that make it easier for just about anyone to make those Photoshop-like edits on the fly. You can erase objects, re-compose, and remaster images within the Galaxy app. Generative AI can help you fill in parts of an image background or simply fix a crooked image. The feature works great most of the time. But there are times you may end up with something completely different from what you would have pictures, as with most things generative AI.

Removing reflections in a photo or simply moving objects around without destroying the entire moment feels quite magical. You can do this without a third-party app, with absolutely zero learning curve. This is where Galaxy AI scores big time. All this AI magic happens online, so you’ll need an active Internet connection. Images generated using Galaxy AI will get a watermark on the image and in the metadata. Samsung has taken extra care to maintain your privacy while using all its new AI-powered features.

Live Translate, another feature that’s part of the Galaxy AI suite, can be ideal if you travel a lot or have to communicate with people in other languages. It offers a two-way, real-time translation of your phone call (both voice and text) within the native Phone app. The feature is powered by on-device AI, so you don’t have to worry about privacy. You can also mute the callers’ voices while keeping the translation on.

Another interesting feature is called Chat Assist, which offers translation, grammar, and writing suggestions. The feature uses Google’s Gemini AI model and runs on-device, thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. You can check for spelling or grammar mistakes in your text messages. You can switch writing styles to make a message sound more professional or tone it down casually.

Interpreter is another AI-powered feature that will suit travellers. The in-person translator feature can help you communicate with others even when you’re offline, as this feature works completely on-device. Samsung Notes also packs a range of AI-powered features that can help you translate or correct grammar, format text, and even generate a summary of longer notes. Notes can also automatically tell the difference between two speakers. The feature uses cloud-based AI features so you’ll need an Internet connection here. Voice Recorder app can now automatically generate transcripts and summaries using AI.

These are just some of the highlighted AI-powered features in the new Galaxy S24 series models. When you use the Galaxy S24 Ultra or any phone in the series, you’ll notice how Samsung has sprinkled its AI magic across the entire feature set. These OS-level deep integrations make Galaxy AI a unique offering, something other Android OEMs will eventually copy over time.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Performance

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra packs a great 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, running at a resolution of 1440×3120 pixels with a pixel density of 505 ppi (pixels per inch). The two main contributing factors that enhance the viewing experience are the obvious flat display and the Corning Gorilla Glass Armor. The glass is less reflective, making the smartphone much easier and more readable during a bright sunny day. Viewing any content under a bright light or while outdoors is a pleasure.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC for Galaxy, which packs a higher-clocked prime core. In benchmarks, the Galaxy S24 Ultra scored 19,25,011 points in AnTuTu, and on Geekbench 6, it managed 2,236 and 6,813 in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. As for graphics, the Galaxy S24 Ultra managed fps in the GFXBench Car Chase test.

In real-world usage, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is quite the ultra performer when it comes to everyday usage. Apps open instantly, editing videos is a breeze, and you can play all your favourite mobile games without lag. The smartphone ships with an upgraded vapour chamber that’s 1.9 times larger than its predecessor. Samsung says it can help keep the device cooler for longer. The device remained comfortably cool during our tests, even during long gaming and video editing sessions.

Battery life on the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is impressive, given that there’s no change in battery size while the list of supported features has only grown in size. Even with heavy everyday usage, the Galaxy S24 Ultra easily lasted an entire day with a decent amount of juice still left inside.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra ran for 23 hours and 2 minutes in our HD video loop battery test. With careful usage (and turning down display resolution), you can easily get this phone to last for at least up to two days.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers 45W fast charging, which isn’t the fastest as per other Android OEMs, but it’s still quite decent if you can find a compatible 45W USB Type-C charger. I could charge it to 50 percent in around 28 minutes using a 45W charger, a 5A-rated cable, and a full charge in around 75 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Cameras

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 200-megapixel primary rear camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 50-megapixel telephoto camera. On the front, you get a 12-megapixel camera for your selfies and video calls. That’s mostly the same as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, except that you now get a new 5x telephoto camera, replacing the 10x telephoto camera in the previous generation model.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra packs powerful camera hardware

The 50-megapixel sensor, with 2x wider optical image stabilisation, can deliver high-quality images at 10x. You can also get optical-quality zoom shots between 06x to 10x. You can easily zoom in or zoom out without bringing down the overall image quality. The dynamic range is excellent as well.

The primary 200-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is the same as the one on last year’s model, is still a great shooter. You can use the slick camera interface to capture stunning photos with minimal effort. Camera shots look rich in detail with vibrant colours under just about any sort of lighting condition. Night mode lets you capture great images in the dark with less noise and smooth textures.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra can capture great low-light photos just like its predecessor. Samsung has baked in a suite of AI-powered tools under the ProVisual Engine branding that promises to improve image quality. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra can capture great details no matter where you shoot.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra can capture content up to 30fps in 8K using the primary rear camera and the 5x telephoto camera for videos. All the Galaxy S24 Ultra camera sensors can shoot at up to 60fps in 4K. The primary camera can also capture videos at 120fps in 4K for slow-mo videos. You can also access finer options by switching to Pro Video mode. The smartphone can record audio at a 256kbps bit rate. You can also capture video in HDR10+. All cameras also support video stabilisation.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra can shoot great videos with rich details in daylight. The front-facing camera can also capture high-quality video, and the field of view is just about wide enough to capture enough details around you. Stabilisation works like a charm as well, I was able to capture videos while walking and running without any jitters. In low light, the Galaxy S24 Ultra can shoot pretty decent videos using the primary or ultra-wide cameras. I wish I could say the same for the telephoto lenses, though.

Instant Slow-mo is another generative AI-powered feature present on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It works on any video you’ve saved on your smartphone. All you have to do is long-press on a video, and it can automatically generate frames based on movements, instantly converting any video into a slow-motion video. The feature works surprisingly well, even on videos you’ve downloaded or captured using another device.

Verdict
In terms of alternatives, Samsung’s own Galaxy S23 Ultra from last year is still a solid device. Of course, you’ll want the new anti-reflective glass on the new flat display or the titanium frame when you try the new Galaxy S24 Ultra, but last year’s model still has a pretty decent camera setup. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a major upgrade for those on older Galaxy S series models. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is another alternative if you’re looking for a foldable device at a slightly higher price point. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is also a more expensive alternative, with prices starting at Rs. 1,59,900 in India.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a true ultra device in every sense. If you’re looking to buy the best Android smartphone money can buy right now, look no further than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It comes with a nearly perfect display, packs many AI-powered features that are neatly tied across the user interface, a powerful processor that gets everything done, and cameras that continue to live up to the hype. It’s also currently one of the most long-lasting smartphones you can buy, with seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security updates promised.