Nearly Every part You Might Need in a Telephone

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is huge, lovely, and a heck-of-a-lot-of smartphone. It’s the better of every thing Android can do, as it could do greater than the Google Pixel 8 Pro—it has a built-in stylus. However the true kicker of this yr’s Extremely launch is its titanium end, which pulls collectively the entire look of its “final” aesthetic.

No smartphone is ideal, in fact, and after just a little over per week with the Galaxy S24 Extremely, I’m beginning to get irked by a few of the Extremely’s quirks. For one, it’s nonetheless a ginormous smartphone—although, to be truthful, it descended from the identical mannequin that introduced you the “phablet.” Nonetheless, it can overpower folks with my sized palms. The total titanium backing additionally will get just a little heat on lengthy streaming periods, which could clarify why Apple didn’t go full titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro.

It’s additionally about $100 extra this era, beginning at $1,300 for the 256GB storage model. The excellent news is that there have been some enhancements to this yr’s Extremely. However apart from the titanium, which we’re all nonetheless doubtful about its total sturdiness, the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s greatest new options are primarily throughout the software program realm. You don’t want Samsung’s newest and biggest {hardware} to entry that.

Galaxy S24 Extremely Options

It’s titanium, child!

I’m digging the titanium aesthetic that’s taking on premium smartphones. Apple began the pattern with the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, and now Samsung is carrying the torch for the Android-wielders of the world. In consequence, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is most definitely in a category of its personal. It has its personal distinctive colorways, like Titanium Violet and Yellow. Samsung supplied Titanium Grey to Gizmodo for evaluation. The one components of the Extremely’s body that aren’t titanium are the amount rocker and energy button.

As I discussed, the Galaxy S24 Extremely can get heat if you happen to stream an app like YouTube TV. At one level, I clocked a few 20-degree distinction between the highest and backside of the machine, although it was fantastic whereas watching apps like Pluto TV and Frndly TV. I’ve contacted Samsung to ask why that app might need been inflicting the warmth disparity and can report once I hear again. I’ve additionally referred to as in some circumstances to see if it exacerbates the toastiness.

There isn’t a lot distinction in heft or weight distribution from final yr’s Galaxy S23 Extremely—at the very least nothing discernably so. In case you’re not used to this a lot slab of a smartphone on you always, it will likely be a life-style change. In comparison with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Google Pixel 8 Pro, it’s about an oz. extra dense in weight. The Extremely is the largest smartphone you may get with out bringing residence a pill.

On the very least, the S24 Extremely feels simpler to cradle due to its angular edges. I’m glad to see that Samsung has lastly ditched the curves. I didn’t look after them on the Edge variants from the 2010s. Those self same curves made the Galaxy S22 Ultra really feel like an unfinished machine.

Samsung continues to supply IP68-rated water and dirt resistance for its flagship units. Sure, I do take the smartphone into the bathe. Isn’t it good that I don’t have to wash with my intrusive ideas?

Samsung made two minor enhancements to the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s display this yr. Like final yr’s S23 Extremely, it’s a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED show with a refresh fee of as much as 120Hz. However the display is now matte-like in comparison with the shiny exterior of the previous two generations of Ultras—no extra mirror impact for checking your lipstick.

The S24 Extremely’s show additionally has a peak brightness of 2600 nits, up from final yr’s 1750 nits, surpassing the iPhone 15 Professional and the Pixel 8 Professional’s peak brightness choices. For some purpose, all these smartphone producers started competing for the display with essentially the most readability in direct daylight. Nobody has commented but on whether or not that is a direct transfer to reply to the onset of world warming, however I’m assuming that for this reason these telephones are getting so shiny till I affirm in any other case.

I’m on the other finish of the spectrum concerning smartphone shows. I wish to know the way low it goes as a result of I’ve complications and different illnesses introduced on by too-bright screens. Samsung has been the chief on this, significantly with its AMOLED shows. Samsung continues to steer on this realm, significantly with its AMOLED shows.

Galaxy S24 Extremely Specs

Extremely efficiency

Each new flagship consists of enhanced specs, particularly at this value vary. This yr, the Galaxy S24 Extremely has the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which can energy a lot of the yr’s top-tier Android telephones. You’ll be able to solely purchase the Extremely with 12 GB of RAM, which is how a lot reminiscence each high-performance smartphone ought to have—particularly these pushing AI capabilities like Samsung with Galaxy AI. I’m glad Samsung lastly ditched the 8GB “entry-level” Extremely as a result of it didn’t make sense to supply the final smartphone with a minimal serving to of RAM. In our informal benchmark assessments, the Galaxy S24 carried out nicely, on par with the OnePlus 12, which additionally hails a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 16GB of RAM.

With this yr’s launch, Samsung additionally boasts improved ray tracing, although lower than a handful of cellular video games are presently making the most of the spec. It’s nice for Samsung’s advertising and marketing supplies, however you don’t get an apples-to-apples expertise with ray tracing on the smartphone as you’d on a full-fledged PC. In case you like the hand held expertise, on the very least, reflections and shadows will seem detailed in video games like Diablo Immortal.

Galaxy S24 Battery

The Galaxy S24 Extremely has a 5,000mAh battery, which matches final yr’s configuration within the Galaxy S23 Extremely. The S24 Extremely outlasted its predecessor by practically 4 hours. Whereas the Galaxy S23 Extremely petered out at 18 hours, the Galaxy s24 Extremely managed a whopping 23 hours and 22 minutes, the longest of any Samsung smartphone lately. This yr, it’s the third-best battery providing after the OnePlus 12 and the iPhone 15 Professional Max.

Be aware in our battery benchmarks, we run them at 200nits, which is lower than half the marketed brightness capabilities of the Galaxy S24 Extremely. Display screen brightness does wonders for preserving a tool’s battery life.

Galaxy S24 Extremely Digital camera

Additional and sharper

Samsung switched up the digital camera sensors on this yr’s Galaxy S24 Extremely, however solely within the telephoto division. The S24 Extremely begins with an analogous 200-MP major digital camera because the final two generations, with a most aperture of f/1.7, which aids in these late-night pictures. A better decision sensor within the S24 Extremely replaces the 10-MP telephoto digital camera within the S23 Extremely. It’s now a 50-MP sensor with as much as 5x optical telephoto zoom, versus the decrease decision 10x optical capabilities supplied earlier than. Images undoubtedly appear sharper from far-off, however essentially the most vital profit seems to be that I don’t have to have some smartphone stabilization technique on me once I wish to take a photograph of the boats on my day by day psychological well being walks.

I keep in mind attempting to shoot moody pictures of the water at Bodega Bay with the Galaxy S23 Extremely final summer time; I had it stabilized towards the bottom to make sure my shot was sharp. I felt much less stress to remain nonetheless with the Galaxy S24 Extremely. The pictures I managed to tackle a fast afternoon stroll got here out not solely sharp however shareable when cropped in. I used to be particularly taken by how far-off objects are clearer when you move the 5x mark. However after 10x, the sharpness begins to degrade, and you may inform a pc algorithm is making an attempt to assist out.

Galaxy S24 Extremely Galaxy AI

What’s with all of the AI methods?

If I discovered something at CES, it was that AI has been weaponized for mass advertising and marketing. I used to be half anticipating that to occur with Samsung’s Galaxy AI. However whereas it’s largely Google’s large language models working beneath the polished One UI veneer of options like Circle to Search, Galaxy AI proves it will likely be a worthy software to have available. The one bummer is that you just’ll need to pay for some of the features after 2025.

Circle to Search is without doubt one of the greatest new options for Android in a very long time. In case you’re an individual who regularly collects little items of the web, the characteristic goes to grow to be part of your on a regular basis routine. I exploit Circle to Search to avoid wasting hyperlinks, clip locations to eat from TikTok, and scour eBay for Polly Pockets I encounter on Instagram Reels. Circle to Search is the Google Lens characteristic for the present AI era. However that further little bit of usability and the truth that you possibly can scroll up to leap into Google Search instantly makes the entire Google-lives-in-Android expertise really feel solely native. This isn’t an unique Samsung characteristic, nonetheless. Pixel customers can even get the flexibility within the coming weeks. How good for Samsung to be the producer to debut all of it.

I haven’t had an opportunity to organically use any Stay Translation options supplied within the Samsung Dialer app. However I did faux a telephone name with myself and my elementary Spanish. Sadly, Samsung can’t translate Romanian, so I went for the one different language I do know. While you communicate, the individual on the opposite line will hear every thing you might be saying and the robotic translation, so ensure that to mute in between determining what you wish to say, or the translator will broadcast and translate it for you. Stay Translate presently supports 15 languages.

The On the spot Gradual-mo functionality is one in every of my favorites. It’s as a result of nobody makes use of slow-motion mode to shoot video, particularly once I’m recording my child on the swings. You’ll be able to’t predict when the second will occur. On the Galaxy S24 sequence, you possibly can add the slow-motion impact after the actual fact and share that snippet with social media. It’s so a lot better than recording every thing in slow-motion video mode.

Like Google’s Pixel units, Samsung additionally gives quite a lot of picture modifying methods. One in all them known as Generative Edit, and it really works to assist fill in house if you happen to ask it to maneuver or delete a specific space. Thus far, I get the identical outcomes I might with Google Images and its Magic Editor. It really works more often than not. The picture samples above clearly present the place the AI eliminated the smartphone from the mattress behind me. However there have been different situations, in a lot brighter lighting, the place the Generative Edit excelled on the deed.

Galaxy S24 Extremely Verdict

The Final Smartphone Prices So A lot

In case you’re searching for the end-all, be-all telephone, it’s the Galaxy S24 Extremely, and never simply because it has an S Pen tucked away within the chassis. Nevertheless, some of us would possibly discover this an excessive amount of of a smartphone to hold day by day. Sincerely, I’m the sort of gal who walks round with my telephone in my hand, able to snap images of my child or a sundown or possibly even to pop into Pokémon Go. It’s cumbersome to do this with the Extremely due to its dimension!

The digital camera, together with the huge 6.8-inch show, is what makes the Extremely one in every of my favourite smartphones typically. Samsung has notably improved its digital camera algorithms through the years. Though it nonetheless skews saturated, I’ve seen the ultimate product step by step enhance, beginning with the trajectory of the Galaxy S22 Extremely. I nonetheless used the Galaxy S23 Extremely to take scenic pictures of my lengthy drives alone final yr. I’m assured that the Galaxy S24 Extremely will stay a mainstay in my smartphone arsenal for its digital camera capabilities alone.

If you need a smaller smartphone or one which looks like extra of a deal, the OnePlus 12 gives extra reminiscence and a extra pocketable chassis for about $400 much less. It simply launched within the U.S. and Canada, and we rated it about the identical as Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Extremely. In fact, there’s additionally the Pixel 8 Professional, which isn’t precisely previous trustworthy, although it could attain so far as to shoot a photograph in optical vary, and it has a few of the identical AI magic methods.