Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review: Superb camera and powerful battery with modest AI features

Let me preface this article by saying that I am by no means a tech reviewer; I’m just a guy who loves to get the most out of his phones. I’m currently using an S22 Ultra, which I believe is one of the greatest phones ever made. With its stellar camera system and wealth of productivity features, my S22 Ultra has been a trusted companion for the past two years. It’s going to take a lot to replace it. That being said, my phone is starting to show its age.

As such, I was curious to see just how much of an improvement the S24 Ultra would be when compared with my phone. I got the opportunity to test the device for a few days, courtesy of Samsung. Here's what I found. 

SAMSUNG GALAXY S24 ULTRA FEATURES
 

The S24 Ultra measures at 162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6mm which makes it wider and thinner than the S22 Ultra (163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm) and S23 Ultra (163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm). For the average consumer, this means that most of your old Galaxy Ultra cases will not fit the S24 Ultra.

The phone retains a 5000mAh battery from previous models. However, it is fitted with a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor which supposedly makes it the most powerful Android phone on the market. I don’t have the means to test that claim but I will say that the S24 Ultra runs fluid-like and switching between tasks was a breeze.

Its camera system is mostly the same, save for a few major changes. It retains the 200MP main camera and 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens seen in the S23 Ultra. However, the S24 Ultra has a 50MP telephoto lens – a significant bump from the 10MP telephoto lens seen in the previous two iterations.

There is a caveat though. Gone is the Ultra’s 10x optical zoom feature – which I would argue was a USP that made Samsung stand out in the market. Instead, the S24 Ultra has a 5x optical zoom. A questionable decision for sure but, as I later discovered, one that had little impact on the photos.

The S24 Ultra sports a few noticeable changes in its form factor. It ditches the Ultra’s signature curved edges in place of a flat edge and now boasts a titanium body. However, the S24 Ultra is pretty light (weighing 1g less than the S23 Ultra) and comfortable to use. I personally found one-hand usage easier on the S24 Ultra than on my S22 Ultra.

Most importantly, the S24 Ultra is packed with a bevy of AI features including translating calls in real-time and searching online through simple gestures. Its efficacy, however, is another story altogether. I'll get to that later. 

S24 ULTRA CAMERA CAPABILITIES

Samsung’s Ultra line has earned a reputation of being heavy hitters when it comes to taking photos and videos, and the S24 Ultra is no different. After using the phone’s camera in a variety of settings, I thought it excelled in a few areas and faltered in some.

1. Indoor with strong light

At 1x zoom, the S24 Ultra captured more elements than my S22 Ultra and produced punchier colours. However, when you zoom into the pictures, you’ll realise that the S22 Ultra’s photo is a lot sharper. You can still see the details on the cake.

On the other hand, when zoomed in, the cake in the S24 Ultra’s photo looks smoothed over akin to a watercolour painting.

2. Outdoor

Despite Singapore being in the midst of a rainy season, I managed to find a day when the sky was overcast and decided to pit the S22 Ultra’s 108MP camera against the S24 Ultra’s 200MP. Plus, it was also a good opportunity to compare the phones’ zoom capabilities.

When comparing both phones at their max megapixels, the S24 Ultra won hands down. It produced more realistic colours and when zoomed in, you can see better details in the HDB flats.

I then pit the S24 Ultra’s 10x digital zoom against the S22 Ultra’s 10x optical zoom, both set at 12MP.

The S24 Ultra produced blacker blacks. On the other hand, the S22 Ultra produced a grey-ish image which was slightly sharper, evident when you zoom into the red vase on the right. So it boils down to your personal preference.

When set to 50MP, the 10x zoom on the S24 Ultra produced a more realistic (albeit duller) image than the one when set at 12MP.

At 100x zoom, both phones produced similar-looking images. I will say that I preferred the S22 Ultra's image as the colours are bolder.

3. Indoor concert 

Over the years, concert-goers – myself included – have realised that Samsung’s Ultra line excels at taking photos and videos at a concert. The phones’ zooming capabilities are unmatched and fortunately, the S24 Ultra continues this legacy.

I brought the phone to Coldplay’s recent concert at the National Stadium and put it through the ringer.

When comparing the images taken at 1x zoom at 12MP, 50MP and 200MP, the 200MP image was undoubtedly the brightest. Across the board, the three images displayed a good range of colours and were pleasant to look at.

Once the concert started properly at night, the 12MP image was the MVP – producing an image that was not overly processed like the 200MP image.

Unlike Blackpink’s concert, I was seated far away from the action this time – so I knew I had to rely heavily on the zoom feature to capture the artistes on stage.

As most users know, the 100x zoom isn't that useful in a concert setting. That being said, it was heartening to know that I could still see the outline of Chris Martin and make out a few details on his outfit despite being on opposite ends from him.

The clips in the above TikTok were mostly shot at 20x zoom on video and as you can see, the results are pretty decent. The band members can be seen relatively clearly and the sound is great.

Of course, concert-goers would be wise to snag better seats if they want better photos and videos.

All in all, I would say that the S24 Ultra camera is objectively good. That being said, it isn’t a big enough upgrade from the ones found in previous models. Having pitted the S24 Ultra against the S22 Ultra, I would say the former has its strengths and weaknesses. The colours in the images produced on the S24 Ultra are superior. However, its sharpness varies on the settings and lighting conditions.

S24 ULTRA CAMERA BATTERY

Despite using the phone to record footage during the concert for four hours straight, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the S24 Ultra had only used up 30 per cent of its battery life once the show was over.

My S22 Ultra would have needed to be charged halfway through. As such, from a practical standpoint, I would say that the S24 Ultra’s battery wins without a doubt.

S24 ULTRA AI FEATURES

The S24 Ultra’s AI features have been marketed heavily. In fact, I remember being impressed by some of them during a first-look event I attended.

After trying them for a few days, I find that they’re a mixed bag.

1. Live Translate

In all honesty, this was the feature that initially attracted me to the S24 Ultra. As someone who travels frequently, I thought having a phone that translates your calls for you in real time was a technological marvel.
 

In reality, the experience was pretty bad. I tried planning a dinner with my friend while getting her to speak solely in Mandarin. The translation was laggy and had an awkward sentence structure. The phone interpreted certain words wrongly, thus giving the wrong translation. 

Given time and improvements, this feature might be a highlight but for now, it's not doing the job it's meant to.

2. AI Generative Fill

I ended up being the biggest fan of this feature. I was impressed by how easy and fun it was to remove certain elements from my photos and craft a new photo simply by playing around with the original image’s orientation.

3. Circle To Search

In my opinion, this feature shows the most promise. With just a simple gesture, you can find out more information about anything that’s on your phone screen, from cafes in Instagram posts to products featured in videos.

While watching Toy Story, I snapped a photo of the screen while shaking violently. Using the Circle To Search, I was shocked to learn that the phone could recognise the movie as well as the characters in the frame. That being said, the feature does require a couple of improvements and tweaks as it struggles with real human faces.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I would say that the S24 Ultra is a superb phone as it is. Its camera is an improvement in many areas and its battery life is one of the best I’ve seen in a phone. While its AI features are mostly good, they admittedly aren’t much to shout about. It would take a lot of improvements for the AI features to be absolute game-changers.

If you’re looking to upgrade from an S23 Ultra, you might want to wait a little longer. However, if you’re coming off an older Android phone or just looking to dive into the Samsung ecosystem, then I would highly recommend this phone.