Hands on with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

What is it?

There are three new devices on offer in the new S24 series. It includes:

• The 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S24;
• The 6.7-inch Samsung Galaxy S24+, and
• The 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (built from titanium!)

They’re all built with a seamless design with strength and style in equal measure. Samsung is this year focusing on improving your everyday experiences: battery life, camera, convenience and AI at the centre of everything.

For this review, we’ve been living with the Samsung S24 Ultra and putting it through its paces. It’s an awesome device that takes your smartphone experience to another level. Let’s get into it.

Design: not just another black rectangle

Sleek curves, luxurious finishes and a screen that goes all the way to the edge. That’s what the S24 Ultra brings to the table. On top of a brushed aluminium finish, the S24 Ultra’s frame is built out of titanium for tougher-than-nails durability. Adding to its durability, the front glass nets you Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ to protect against the everyday knocks, bumps and drops you’re likely to experience (be honest).

Above and beyond that, the S24 returns to an era of squared-off edges on both the top and bottom of the device. It’s also handy for standing your phone up on a table when you need to take a pic or do a hands-on video for your social media.

It’s a larger device, to be sure, but it doesn’t feel big or bulky in your pocket. It slides in and out easily thanks to the aluminium and glass, and manages to come in a wince thinner than other flagship smartphones of this size.

The Gorilla Glass Victus+ also means you can toss it into a bag without having to worry about it smashing on your laptop. Liveability test? Pass, with flying colours. It’s the best-looking Samsung smartphone it has made yet.

Camera: zoom for days

But the S24 Ultra is more than just a pretty face. Five lenses poking out the back of the device means you’ve got a tonne of versatility nested in your pocket.

The cameras you’re packing include:

• A 0.6x zoom, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera;
• A 1x zoom, 200-megapixel wide camera;
• A 3x zoom, 10-megapixel camera, and
• A 5x zoom, 50-megapixel camera.

It’s a lot of numbers, but what it basically means is that from just about any distance, you’re going to get a stunning shot of whatever you’re pointed at.

Samsung’s new Scene Optimiser tech means that the camera’s brain recognises the scene you’re taking and adjusts its settings accordingly to make sure it’s snapped right the first time. But if you’re a little cagey, you can always switch to the Pro camera for control over every little detail.

Photos look great whether the sun is up or down thanks to Night Mode, which can even be used to snap pics of the stars up above. Make sure to check out our guide on how to get started with astrophotography to find out how to do it!

After your photo is snapped, the magic doesn’t stop. Enter AI tools. Galaxy AI allows you to make quick edits to your photos for big results. If there’s someone photobombing your fave pic, you can remove them with a tap of the AI Object Eraser tool. If you’re looking at some old pics, you can breathe new life into them with the AI Photo Remaster to enhance colour and detail.

And if you want to remix your images entirely, you get the built-in Galaxy S-Pen which allows you to lasso objects out of one photo and drop it into another.

We tested the cameras and zooms in a few different settings, including at a rock concert and a zoo. The results were unreal.

AI: a brain inside your phone

Galaxy AI ain’t no gimmick. It’s a useful toolkit that turns your smartphone into so much more.

AI Live Translate, for example, allows you to bridge the gap between languages both when you’re talking to someone over the phone, face to face or through a message.

AI Search means you can simply circle something awesome in an image – like a cool animal or guitar you’ve spotted while out and about – and Google will tell you what it is or how to get it (respectively).

AI note-taking tools allow you to not only convert your hand-written scribbles into actual documents you can edit, but can give you automatic summaries to boot.

And finally, Galaxy AI learns your workflow so you can get the right stuff when you need it so you can conquer your day.

What is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra like to live with?

It used to be that high-end, flagship smartphones were just for the nerds. They’d have a million tools and trinkets hidden away in hard-to-find spots. The Galaxy S24 Ultra serves up every tool you need without having to dig through menu after menu.

You also don’t need to fuss with cameras, S-Pens or apps to get the best results, either. Samsung has made the whole experience a point-and-shoot delight. Everything is designed to work the right way every time you open it, no matter where.

The AI elements are more than just gimmicks, and actually make your personal and work tasks faster overall. Less fuss for greater results is exactly the direction that smartphones need to be pointing in.

We’ve loved the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and think you will too. Find out more on Telstra.com.