Galaxy S24 Ultra: once in a few years, we get a REAL upgrade

Galaxy S24 Ultra: once in a few years, we get a REAL upgrade،

It's sort of become a meme to joke that all smartphones are the same now. Every year new models are released and every year they are improved by about 1%. Savvy buyers are buying the old flagship and holding on to it longer than before.

It's true, the smartphone industry has stagnated: in the early 2010s, each new model represented a huge step forward in one form or another. QHD displays became a thing, then not a thing. Samsung's S Pen was terrible, but then became great. LG introduced a module system for its smartphones, then abandoned it a year later. Screens grew in size, stereo speakers were added, then removed, then added again. All that until we get to today's formula: a chocobar phone, an all-screen front, a punch-hole selfie camera, stereo speakers through an earpiece, and a bottom driver.

As the launch of the Galaxy S24 Ultra approached, I was neither happy nor impatient. Discreet excited? Of course, there is always something surprising during these launch events. But foaming at the mouth? No more now.

And then it started. And then it happened at the office. And now I use it. Why is it SO GOOD?

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a real upgrade

OK, so yes, it looks like before. And I'm not very convinced by the AI features so far, although I'm trying to incorporate them into my routine and see what comes of it.

In fact, if you're trying to understand the one major new feature in Galaxy S24 Ultra that makes it better than last year's model – you probably won't find it. However, Samsung has implemented a number of small improvements that, in summary, make this a truly better phone than last year's model.

So, I wanted to do an experiment. I asked the PhoneArena team:

What's your favorite new feature in the Galaxy S24 Ultra?

I purposely limited them to just one and, as I expected, most of them couldn't help themselves and had to add a second thing as an “honorable mention”, going to the against my instructions. Nevertheless, here is the list of the best improvements of the Galaxy S24 Ultra we have found :

1. The anti-glare screen

It's absolutely fantastic – and you've probably seen critics and YouTubers praising it on every media outlet. There is a good reason for this. You see, Galaxy AMOLED panels are already very bright, punchy and colorful. There's not much more Samsung can do on the back end of the hardware. The new Corning Gorilla Armor anti-glare is excellent, as it significantly reduces screen glare. This allows the vibrant AMOLED to appear more clearly than before and it really looks stunning, even under direct sunlight.

Look, I realize I sound a bit like an ad I read here, don't I? But you have to experience it – the Galaxy S24 Ultra I met three PhoneArena reviewers while they were out taking photos and testing for their reviews and comparisons. Each of them returned the phone to the office with the phrase “The camera viewfinder looks SO GOOD in the sunlight.” Yes.

Does that make it the one phone to rule them all? No…no, that's not the case. But it truly offers a premium experience to the user who paid a premium price for this phone. It is A That's part of what makes the S24 Ultra a good upgrade. And we appreciate it.

2. The improved camera

Another year, another small camera improvement. Where is it?

First, Samsung shocked us all by saying “We don't need that 10x telephoto lens, let's downgrade it to 5x, but put a 50 MP sensor underneath.” It turns out that the zoom didn't suffer much – in fact, the Galaxy S24 Ultra works close to Galaxy S23 Ultra when it passes 10x and above. A little softer? Yes. Is it worse ? No.

But then there was another ace up the sleeve: a bit of tuning, which we didn't expect, but certainly appreciated. THE Galaxy S24 UltraCamera post-processing has been disabled…?

This means colors are no longer bright and saturated, sharpness is sort of reigned in (but let's be real, over-sharpening is the current meta in the smartphone world) and dynamics are just so good. In fact, the Galaxy S24 Ultra currently holds the highest score in our all-new, carefully designed camera benchmark, which puts all smartphone cameras through a series of controlled tests, to measure their distinct capabilities.

Well done, Samsung. Another stone in the basket of improvements!

3. A “new” design?

Galaxy S24 Ultra: Once in a few years we get a REAL upgrade

OK, many people welcome the return of the flat screen. To be honest, I'm neither here nor there on this particular point – I personally liked the Samsung Edge screens (spoken by someone who used the original Galaxy Note Edge for a good 3 years). But hey, at least putting a screen protector on it would be easier (spoiler: I didn't put one, because I'm afraid it would add the glare that Gorilla Armor so skillfully removes).

What I really like about the new version is that titanium frame. Yes, it's a lower quality titanium than the iPhone 15 Pro, as YouTuber Jerryrigeverything's teardown shows. But who would care? I actually don't even care if it's titanium, but I like the feel. It's grainy, a little sticky, it's incredibly grippy.

I've been trying to use Galaxy Ultra phones since the S22 Ultra – when the S Pen made a comeback (I love my S Pen). They have always been slippery, unbalanced and I have always had to use them with a holster. The Note 20 Ultra that I tried to use before had the same problem.

THE Galaxy S24 UltraThe matte frame has real friction against your skin and is very easy to hold. The weight distribution is also on point, and it's so thin (Well…all things considered, of course)!

As an aside, and in contrast, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the first iPhone in 4 years that I think I can give up. Its beveled corners combined with a very slippery finish on its titanium allow a fragile grip.

4. Seven years of software support

I'll be honest, I don't know how Samsung is going to pull this off. Seven years is a long time, and we can't really know what the requirements of future operating systems will be. Apple somehow manages to provide 5 years of iOS upgrades because… well, Apple plans its own hardware and software releases, so it should be easier, right?

But then again, like I said, the smartphone world has slowed down in terms of evolution, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is incredibly powerful. There could be a lot of room there.

At the end of the 7th year, the Galaxy S24 Ultra may work terribly, it will probably have had at least one battery replacement, and I'm not sure about the timeliness of these Android version updates. Samsung's record in this area is not great, but it has improved over the last two years, thanks to him.

But where am I going with this tirade? Well, buying or even just recommending a smartphone these days takes into consideration the longevity and after-sale value of the product. A smartphone that costs over $1,000? Yeah, it better last more than 2 years! And, if Samsung proves, time and time again, that these devices will regularly benefit from new software and features and not turn into a glorified calculator within two years, I think we can see the Galaxy S phones holding their second place. worth as much as iPhones these days.

A day…

Mix it, cook it, ship it

Now, I want to clarify that I'm not all bright-eyed and not everything is sunshine and rainbows. The design of smartphones has capped and yes, I understand that I celebrate a bunch of little highs here and there. But, to be frank, from year to year we rarely see a combination of improvements that truly make a phone “better” these days. THE Galaxy S24 Ultra It's not a big step forward, but it's certainly a step forward. Not a step, but a nice jump.

I have a friend who exclusively uses Samsung phones. Every year he asks me: “Is it time?” “. Sometimes I just show him last year's flagship product, and he's perfectly happy. Well, in 2024… yes, yes, it's time.