Titanium pulls everything together, but the Galaxy AI’s tricks are just a treat if you keep it simple.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a huge, beautiful, and incredibly powerful smartphone. With a built-in pen, it’s capable of more than the Google Pixel 8 Pro, making it the pinnacle of Android capabilities. The titanium finish on this year’s Ultra release, however, really makes a statement as it unifies the entire “ultimate” look.
Naturally, no smartphone is flawless, and after using the Galaxy S24 Ultra for a little over a week, I’m starting to tire of some of the device’s quirks. It’s still a pretty big smartphone, to begin with, although, to be fair, it’s derived from the same model that spawned the “phablet.” Still, with hands my size, it would overwhelm people. Long streaming sessions can cause the full titanium backing to warm to the touch, which may be why Apple decided against using pure titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro.
This iteration is also about $100 more expensive, with the 256GB storage model starting at $1,300. The good news is that this year’s Ultra has some upgrades. But aside from titanium, which we’re all still skeptical about, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s biggest new features are mostly software-related. To access it, you don’t need the latest and greatest hardware from Samsung.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Features
It’s titanium, baby!
The titanium look that dominates high-end cell phones is something I like. With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Apple set the trend, and now Samsung is bringing it to the attention of Android users worldwide. Consequently, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is undeniably unique. It comes in several different colors, such as yellow and titanium violet. Gizmodo received Titanium Gray from Samsung for evaluation. The power button and volume rocker are the only components of the Ultra’s frame that are made of titanium.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t change significantly from last year in terms of bulk or weight distribution. If you are not used to carrying such a large smartphone all the time, you will need to adjust your lifestyle. It weighs about an ounce more than the Google Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Ultra is the largest smartphone available without taking the tablet home.
The sharp edges of the S24 Ultra make it easy to swing, at least. That Samsung has finally ditched the curves makes me happy. They were not to my taste on the 2010 Edge models. Similar curves made the Galaxy S22 Ultra look unfinished.
Samsung still offers IP68-rated water and dust protection for its top handsets. I bring my smartphone in the shower, yes. I don’t have to wallow in my disturbing thoughts, isn’t that nice?
The S24 Ultra’s display also has a peak brightness of 2600 nits, which is higher than the iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro. It was only 1750 nits last year. All these smartphone makers started looking for the screen that would be the most legible in bright sunlight for whatever reason. Until I hear differently, I’m going to assume that’s why these phones are getting so bright, even if no one has yet commented on whether it’s the advent of global warming. Immediate response or not.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Specs
Ultra performance
Every new flagship gets better specs, especially in this price bracket. The majority of high-end Android phones this year will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, which is included in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Ultra is limited to 12GB of RAM, which is the recommended amount of memory for any high-performance smartphone, especially those pushing AI features like Samsung’s Galaxy AI. I’m glad Samsung finally dropped the 8GB “entry-level” Ultra because it seemed ridiculous to sell the best smartphone available with minimal RAM. The Galaxy S24 performed well in our informal benchmark testing, matching the OnePlus 12’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 16GB of RAM.
Galaxy S24 Battery
The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s battery life appears to be comparable to its predecessor, which featured a 5,000 mAh battery of the same capacity. I’ll update this section with specific results from Gizmodo’s internal battery benchmark testing comparing the Galaxy S24 Ultra to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, OnePlus 12, and Pixel 8 Pro.
Galaxy S24 Ultra Camera
Further and sharper
With the Galaxy S24 Ultra this year, Samsung changed the camera sensors, but only in the telephoto range. With a maximum aperture of f/1.7, the S24 Ultra’s 200-MP main camera is up from the previous two generations, making it useful for taking photos at night. The S23 Ultra’s 10-MP telephoto camera has been replaced by a higher-resolution sensor in the S24 Ultra. The previous model had 10x optical telephoto zoom, while the new model has a 50-MP sensor with 5x optical zoom. The main benefit seems to be that I don’t need to carry a smartphone stabilization tool with me when I want to photograph boats on my daily mental health. Of course, the images look clear from a distance.
