In more than 12 years reviewing smartphones, I’ve described quite a few as almost perfect but only two as perfect – iPhone 15 Pro and last year’s Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Yet somehow, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers an even more top-tier user experience than its predecessor.
The 2024 flagship device from the South Korean tech giant is the best phone that money can buy in terms of specs and capabilities.
READ MORE: OnePlus Watch 2 review: I’ve put the 100-hour battery life claim to the test
Other 2024 Android flagships may have similar performance power, but no other smartphone has as complete a camera experience or an S-Pen stylus built-in.
And only Google’s outstanding Pixel 8 series comes close to matching the awesome AI feature set you get from Galaxy S24 Ultra.
I tested this large stunning-looking 6.8 titanium-framed smartphone for a full month and here are the key features I loved the most and the minor niggles that frustrated me…
S24 Ultra design and build
I love the more squared off looking design and flat display which reminds me of earlier Note models from Samsung and the recently released RedMagic 9 Pro gaming smartphone.
No curved edges means less screen glare, less distortion towards the outer perimeters of the screen and fewer accidental touches.
Using titanium rather than aluminium makes the phone stronger and I think it looks and feels more premium too. It’s almost the same weight as S23 Ultra, incidentally.
The phone is protected by the new Corning Gorilla Armour glass, which apparently increases scratch resistance and reduce screen reflectivity by up to 75 per cent. I had no trouble viewing the screen, even when out and about in direct sunlight.
The phone is available in Titanium Grey, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet and Titanium Yellow. My review model was the classy Titanium Grey.
S24 Ultra display
(Image: Samsung)
The stunning 6.8in AMOLED display (which has much slimmer bezels than its predecessor) is one of the sharpest you’ll find on any smartphone. Its default 1080p resolution already offers excellent detail, but the QHD+ setting (with 3120 x 1440 resolution) takes the clarity and definition to the next level.
The display panel supports HDR10+, which is ideal for watching Amazon Prime Video and YouTube, but less suitable for Dolby Vision-specific streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus. Content looks bright, punchy and sharp.
It’s an LTPO display, which means that the refresh rate can automatically adjust from 1Hz to 120Hz, depending on what you’re doing. This helps to improve the efficiency and endurance of the battery. It makes browsing, scrolling and switching apps feel smooth and fluid. Touch sampling in Game Booster mode can reach 240Hz. This makes the display more responsive to your touch. But it’s worth noting this falls short of the 720Hz touch sampling display on Rog Phone 8.
The firm said the S24 Ultra can reach an incredible peak brightness of 2600 nits, by enabling extra brightness in Settings. This doesn’t quite scale the heights of the 4,500 nits on the new OnePlus 12 or the 5,000 nits of the Honor Magic 6 Pro – technically, the brightest smartphone ever.
However, it’s worth mentioning these peak brightness figures relate only to HDR content viewed in super bright conditions. In all other scenarios, the three phones are super easy to see outside in bright sunlight.
S24 Ultra performance
Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by what’s known as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy. Essentially, this is an overclocked version of Qualcomm’s latest flagship system on a chip (SoC) that’s been specifically designed for Samsung phones.
In Ireland and the UK, the Ultra is the only S24 phone to get this SoC as the regular S24 and S24+ models use Samsung’s inferior Exynos 2400 for Galaxy SoC. This irks as in the US, Canada, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC powers all three S24 handsets.
The performance power from S24 Ultra is exceptional. In benchmark tests, it surpassed every other Gen 3 device except the Asus ROG Phone 8 gaming smartphone. But let’s not dismiss S24 Ultra as a gaming machine because it breezes through demanding titles such as Genshin Impact, Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9.
Clever Galaxy AI features
(Image: Samsung)
The over-hyped Galaxy AI features don’t transform your user experience on the S24 Ultra but do introduce several quality-of-life improvements that are welcome.
Circle to Search enables you to circle something on any screen with the S-Pen or your finger and instantly search for it on Google. This feature isn’t exclusive to the S24, and has begun rolling out to Google’s Pixel 8 handsets. It’s like a more intuitive Google Lens.
AI gives translation a huge boost, and the handset can Live Translate between languages in real time on all calls and provides a transcript too. It also works on text messages.
Transcript Assist enables you to create transcript summaries of audio recordings such as interviews or voice notes. You can translate into one of 13 languages and export to Samsung Notes, where you can format the text how you choose.
Photo editing has gone up a level with Pixel-style abilities to remove, move and resize objects, not to mention fill in the missing parts of an image when you straighten it without cropping in.
There’s a nifty video slow-mo feature that allows you to play any video taken with the phone in slow motion simply by holding on the screen while it’s playing. It’s not perfect but it is fun and exciting in terms of how it might develop in future iterations.
It’s worth noting that Samsung is only guaranteeing free use of these new AI features until the end of 2025 (according to its terms and conditions).
And the firm has also said it intends to bring some of these AI features to some older Galaxy models, including the S23 Ultra and Z Fold 5, in the future.
S24 Ultra cameras
(Image: Samsung)
Samsung has made one major change to the camera hardware on S24 Ultra. The 10MP 10x telephoto lens has been replaced by a new 50MP telephoto sensor that offers 5x optical zoom. Samsung calls the new set-up Quad Telephoto.
Previously, moving between the 3x 10MP telephoto, which is still here, and the 10x 10MP lens left you relying on an inferior digital zoom, which had a noticeable decline in quality.
Now, photos up to 5x take full advantage of optical zoom, while the quality of the digital zoom from, for example, 5x to 10x, is superior as you are using a higher resolution lens. The 100x Space Zoom is still present, but it’s only useful for me when I need to see text or detail that’s far away.
The main 200MP wide angle camera uses a process called pixel binning (where 16 pixels are combined into one) to produce 12.5MP images by default, and I’d recommend most users don’t change this. From my experience, using manual controls on a full 200MP shot only resulted in a tiny improvement to image quality. That’s because Samsung’s automatic post image processing is so strong. Colours pop in a way that means editing generally isn’t needed.
(Image: Samsung)
There’s a superb level of detail and the dynamic range is excellent. For me, the consistency of the images is one of the most pleasing and important features.
There’s also a 12MP ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view that also delivers consistently pleasing images even if they are not quite as sharp as the main camera. Macro mode is enabled on the ultrawide when you get quite close to a subject. The front-facing 12MP selfie camera handles the exposure of subjects and backgrounds laudably.
The portrait mode does a decent job on edge detection, and being able to adjust the level of background blur after you’ve taken the shot is brilliant. Night mode is generally quite impressive. It brightens key areas of an image without introducing too much noise or making it look artificial.
S24 Ultra captures crisp and clear video that’s well stabilised and it can record at up to 8K resolution. There is OIS (optical image stabilisation) on both telephoto lenses and the main camera.
The camera app is simple and intuitive to use, and the editing features on offer are excellent. Samsung calls this is its ProVisual Engine.
This is the best camera experience on a smartphone, followed closely by iPhone 15 Pro and Google Pixel 8 Pro.
S24 Ultra battery life
The overall battery experience is also excellent. Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 5000mAh battery is not the bigger power pack on the block but in my tests it lasted all day every day, except on a couple of days when I captured way more photos and videos than the average person is ever likely to do.
Wired charging is capped at 45W, despite some Android rivals offering up to triple those charging speeds, and a full charge takes about 70 minutes. There’s no charging brick included in the box, which is the norm for Apple, Samsung, Honor and Google.
The phone supports 15W Qi wireless charging, but there is no support for the newer Qi 2 standard. And 4.5W reverse wireless charging is also possible for emergency refuelling of earphones or a friend’s phone.
Other S24 Ultra features
The awesome S Pen stylus, tucked into the frame of the phone ready to be deployed at any time, can create notes straight from the lock screen and then convert them into text using the Samsung Notes app.
The vibration motor delivers the most wonderfully subtle haptic feedback I’ve ever experienced on a smartphone.
The built-in speakers are impressive for a handset. The downward-firing speaker grille combines with the earpiece for a stereo set-up, which delivers decent sound with sufficient bass. Even at the highest volumes, there’s no discernible distortion.
Within the display is a fingerprint scanner that is impressively fast and reliable.
The S24 Ultra model I tested had 256GB of storage, which is enough for most people, but you can also opt for 512GB and 1TB versions. There’s no support for expandable storage, incidentally.
The phone includes the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 standards, plus NFC for contactless payments.
Android 14 is overlaid with the firm’s One UI 6.1 skin which introduces new features and enhancements for the user experience. The software update offers plenty of device customisation and personalisation, from built-in wallpaper tools to improved always-on display functionality.
The firm says S24 Ultra will receive seven major OS updates and seven years of software updates. This pledge matches Google’s Pixel 8 and 8 Pro and means the phone will be supported until at least 2031.
S24 Ultra verdict
(Image: Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the most expensive non-folding smartphones you can buy, but you get what you pay for as this is the ultimate Android experience.
There are other excellent flagships which cost less money, including the firm’s own Galaxy S24+ handset, but no other smartphone ticks as many boxes as S24 Ultra. It excels with its display, camera system, AI features, performance, battery life and built-in S-Pen stylus.
And while the design element is a more subjective feature that not everyone will agree on, I’m a big fan of its elegance – it looks and feels like a proper professional smartphone.
S24 Ultra pricing and availability
Galaxy S24 Ultra costs 256GB – €1,469; 512GB – €1,589; 1TB – €1,849 from Samsung.com, which has partnered with Humm to let you pay flexibly, in slices, over time. You can get up to €795 trade-in on your old phone with a minimum of €150 offered for a broken phone on trade-in.
At Harvey Norman, sim-free Galaxy S24 Ultra costs 256GB – €1,469; 512GB – €1,589; 1TB – €1,849 and you can split payments with Humm.
At Currys, sim-free Galaxy S24 Ultra costs 256GB – €1,469; 512GB – €1,589
The 256GB model costs from €399 on Vodafone Bill Pay (24-month contract) and €1249 on Vodafone Pay As You Go.
The 256GB model costs €499 on Virgin Media Bill Pay (24-month contract) and €1459 (no contract).
The 256GB model costs €679 on Three Bill Pay (24-month contract) and €1389 on Three Prepay.
The 256GB model costs from €699 (256GB) on Eir Billpay (24-month contract).
It is also available on Amazon in all configurations from €1458.69.
Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
