Moved from a ROG Phone 5 to an S24 Ultra.

Most phones nowadays accomplish all that we ask of them, so it's difficult to differentiate based on speed or core functionality.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra does not disappoint - it's got an IP68 rating, a great camera setup, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, and an S Pen. For most people, this will make a great daily driver device. But the problem is, most other phones, including its siblings in the Galaxy lineup, will as well.

What a buyer of this device is looking for is unparalleled function with no compromise on form - and that's where the Galaxy S24 Ultra does fall short.

Let's look at hardware first. Despite its large footprint, it doesn't have the largest battery in its class - presumably because of the space taken up by the S Pen's slot. At the same time, the 5000mah battery will comfortably get you through the day. There are phones on the market with IP68 rating, alongside a side USB-C port (for landscape gaming) with a 3.5mm jack - here the Galaxy S24 Ultra just brings the standard singular USB-C port on the bottom. There are no auxilliary displays on the rear of the phone, and again Samsung has persisted with no notification LED on the front side either. Again, it's been in the design language since the S10 era and expected, but it does feel like an incremental refinement rather than a bold step forward in innovation. The speaker set up is again standard, but lacking if you hold your phone in landscape as you'd likely obscure the primary speaker.

In terms of software, Samsung's claim to fame this generation is Galaxy AI. While some might find these features useful, for someone whose phone is primarily a transactional and away-from-home substitute for a computer - it didn't take long for me to completely disable Bixby and image processing (which didn't produce quite natural looking images anyway). The battery care features are appreciated, but more polish would have been expected - for example - why not offer the user an option in the notifications pane to skip the charging limit once, or enable fast charging once - this would be such a quality of life improvement for those wanting to have those options set to preserve battery lifespan, but still allow exceptions (say when travelling) without having to dig through the menus to turn them off/on and remember to do the opposite.

The same thing does with "Do not Disturb" mode - with AI and machine learning surely it would be easy enough to implement either an algorithm or more options to have the mode play nicely with bedtime/sleep mode, with again a notification to temporarily disable it for 30 minutes or for the day.

That said, the software is solid out of the box, and so is Samsung's dedication to support the phone with regular updates. While I would like to see Samsung continue to push the envelope personally, I understand that they're unlikely to do this with the standard S series (kudos to them on the Z series though) - nevertheless, one can keep hoping!

Having used Android phones for the past 13 years, and Samsung phones for the last 6, I was impressed at how snappy and responsive the S24 Ultra felt. The build quality seems very good and matches what I would expect from a premium phone at this price point. The device feels very comfortable to use, and the new AI focussed features have already become second nature – the circle to search function is very useful when watching videos and you suffer from face blindness!

The speaker and sound quality is very striking. As someone who is heavily into music production, goes to lengths to use audiophile grade headphones and listens to music on studio monitors, I was taken aback at how good this phones speakers actually sounded. I was expecting a tinny speaker with no bottom end, but the large aperture for the bottom speaker certainly provided more low end than I was expecting and I found myself impressed at the quality, I would even go as far as to say I enjoyed listening to music through it!

Having not used an S-Pen for anything other than doodling, I found it quite tough to get started with it, though once I found the instructions the gestures felt natural and easy to get to grips with. My handwriting is terrible so I was surprised to find that the software was able to interpret my scrawl with a pretty good degree of accuracy, though I think it’s a little too inaccurate for me to use daily – having to go back and edit misinterpreted words meant I put the pen down and fell back to the keyboard anyway.

I was impressed how responsive the fingerprint sensor was compared to my old S10e’s fingerprint scanner and even seems a step up from my S23e Ultra’s scanner. The one downside I did see was that once I added a screen protector the sensitivity of the scanner was reduced.

The battery life is brilliant compared to other smart phones I own, even surviving two days of fairly heavy use between charges which surpassed my expectations. The camera quality is incredible, I especially enjoyed the macro shots I could take, having this level of fidelity in a handheld device is amazing. One thing I found when poking through the setting is the adaptive battery protection, which is a very interesting feature. I don’t recall seeing this when setting the phone up so calling this out would have been a nice touch.

I'm very happy with my new purchase and I am looking forward to discovering more about the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and all of it's intuitive features.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is an impressive device that offers a perfect blend of power, style, and functionality, which makes it easy to see why you love it.

Display: The 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen is stunning, offering vibrant colors, deep blacks, and an ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Whether you're watching content or gaming, the display delivers an immersive experience.

Performance: Powered by the latest Snapdragon or Exynos chipsets (depending on your region), the S24 Ultra handles everything from intensive apps to multitasking with ease. It’s incredibly fast and efficient, ensuring smooth operation even with demanding workloads.

Camera System: The quad-camera setup, including a 200MP primary sensor, provides exceptional photography capabilities. Low-light performance is great, and the zoom capabilities (up to 100x) are fantastic for capturing distant subjects in great detail.

Design: Sleek and premium, the S24 Ultra feels solid and high-end, with refined edges and a matte glass finish. It’s comfortable to hold and looks amazing in any setting.

Battery Life: The large battery lasts all day with moderate to heavy usage. Plus, it supports fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging, adding to the convenience.

Software: Samsung’s One UI offers a highly customizable experience with useful features, regular updates, and a smooth interface. It feels intuitive, making navigation a breeze.

S Pen: A standout feature for those who need precision and productivity on the go, the included S Pen adds functionality for taking notes, drawing, and navigating with extra control.

Overall, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a powerhouse device with cutting-edge technology, making it easy to fall in love with for its design, performance, and features. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants a top-tier smartphone experience.

I bought it on the actual day of the launching (January 17th) during the Samsung Unpacked event, and my preorder arrived on January 25th which was actually 1 week before the official retail day. That part alone is already an amazing experience!

The unboxing experience is superb as Samsung has finally mastered the "suspense" portion of the package unboxing experience. Although we know Samsung is trying to commit for a greener future, it would have been nice if we went back to getting the free accessories we once used to get (I think the last one was the Note 20 Ultra).

The phone itself has a premium build quality aesthetic, and though now opting for a flat display, still has the nice curved body frame which allows for a better grip. The titanium finish on the frame is superb as it is finally fingerprint resistant. The screen has also been improved to 2600 nits of peak brightness. I did notice however that the saturation levels are lower compared to older flagships, but this may just be caused by the antireflective coating of the Corning Gorilla Armor.

Camera-wise, opting for a 3X + 5X combo for the telephoto was another good decision as it improved the usable focal lengths for everyday photography (most especially portraits). The new 5X 50MP sensor still delivers a very competitive quality 10X zoom thanks to the new sensor crop algorithm. Although 100X zoom has less overall detail compared from an S21 Ultra, the usable zoom range has been improved as quality of photos and videos from 0.6x to 20x/30x has increase significantly. Overall, the photo and video capabilities of the S24 Ultra is a testament of how Samsung commits to innovation.

The new AI features are amazing as well, most importantly the new Notes Organizer, Magic Compose, and Circle to Search, as they improve the efficiency of an everyday workflow. Product prints indicate that these features are free until the end of 2025, but we do hope that they would extend this, or at least make most of the AI features built in on device.

Again, kudos to Samsung for a very well made product!

Proud owner of a Titanium Black S24 Ultra (coming from a Note 9/S21 Ultra).

PS. Please bring back the micro SD slot.