Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review: A stunning phone with a justifiably steep price tag (2024)

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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a superb and impressive phone, and Samsung made some great year-over-year improvements that I appreciate tremendously, like a new flat display and cameras that take photos and videos with more natural color.

In many ways, the Galaxy S24 Ultra justifies the $300 premium you'd pay over other large Android phones in the $1,000 range. The new titanium frame sets it apart from typical aluminum builds, its battery life is second to none, its four cameras offer unmatched versatility, and it's the best (and only) option for those who find the S Pen indispensable. And while its display is only 0.1 inches bigger than typical large Android phones, it feels bigger thanks to its unique sharp corners.

In other ways, the $300 extra the Galaxy S24 Ultra demands can be a stretch, depending on your priorities, as it shares many important characteristics with less expensive phones.

It isn't noticeably more powerful in day-to-day use than the other two Galaxy S24 phones, and the whole S24 lineup includes the same new AI features. Additionally, while it has a singularly large display, the Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn't offer anything special that other large premium Android phones don't provide, stylus compatibility aside.

I'd also expect better overall photo quality from a $1,300 phone. While I laud the four cameras and improved colors in photos, the Galaxy S24 Ultra fails in some areas other phone makers have figured out, like overexposure.

A sleek titanium build with a sharp, flat display

To charge a $1,300 starting price for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung couldn't simply make a slightly larger version of the Galaxy S24 Plus with an S Pen and a quad-lens camera system. The Galaxy S24 Ultra needs to set itself apart aesthetically, and Samsung has achieved that to great effect.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra distinguishes itself with a large display and sharp corners, typical characteristics of Samsung's Ultra line of phones.

However, Samsung made a big change it should have made a long time ago — it finally ditched the silly and pointless curved screen edges and opted for a flat display instead. As a result, the Galaxy S24 Ultra looks mature and classy.

A flat display also offers better functionality on several fronts, which I elaborated on in the performance section below. And it's worth quickly mentioning that any of the best Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra screen protectors will better adhere to the phone's flat display than screen protectors ever did on the frankly stupid curved screen edges of previous Ultra generations.

The black borders around the display are also noticeably thinner than past iterations of the phone, and they're equally narrow all around — the forehead and chin (the borders at the top and bottom of the phone) are the same width as the borders on the sides, where previous Ultras were a bit more uneven.

Samsung's new titanium frame has a matte finish rather than the shiny polished aluminum frames on Ultras of yore, and it's another positive upgrade. Although, it hasn't resulted in lower weight like the titanium's effect on Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is still quite a weighty phone at 8.18 ounces. The rear glass is also matte-textured, and I'm pleased Samsung didn't replace it with clear glass during its materials overhaul.

On the Titanium Gray, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Orange colorways, the S24 Ultra's frame is a brighter color that beautifully contrasts against the display and creates a classy border around it that looks smart and sophisticated.

Superb performance and a dynamic screen to match

The Galaxy S24 Ultra runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Optimized for Galaxy — the latest and fastest processor available to Android phones with a little extra, exclusive oomph for Samsung's Galaxy S24 lineup.

As a result, running Android, apps, and games is a dream, but it's worth knowing that the Galaxy S24 Ultra's high price doesn't get you extra performance over the Galaxy S24 Plus, as both run on the same optimized processor and include the same 12GB RAM. And while the base Galaxy S24 has 8GB RAM, it doesn't feel any slower or less powerful in real-life use, even if it scores slightly lower in benchmarks than its bigger siblings.

Further, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra's processor is optimized, its performance isn't noticeably greater than the OnePlus 12, which runs on a standard version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. That's to say, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's is excellent, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for a premium Android device.

What is out of the ordinary is the Galaxy S24 Ultra's large 6.8-inch display and the unique sharp corners, which impart a sophisticated and mature vibe compared to the rounded corners on 99% of other phones. And, as mentioned above, a new facet of the Galaxy Ultra series is that the S24 Ultra's display is now completely flat — gone are the impractical, unsightly curved screen edges of past models.

These characteristics combine to offer as much screen space as possible when you want to use the S Pen. And with the flat display, the Galaxy S24 Ultra feels noticeably less cramped than Galaxy Ultras and Notes before it. I wasn't worrying as much about reaching the curved edge with the S Pen during testing.

Otherwise, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's display expectedly includes premium features, like an adaptable 1-120Hz refresh rate, an OLED panel, and the option to use a sharp 1440p resolution. These are display specs that many premium Android phones share, even in the last couple of years.

While 1440p resolution is an option, I find it more beneficial to keep the default 1080p setting thanks to lower power consumption, which leads to better battery life. Still, 1440p resolution is there if you want it.

Effective features for the S Pen, but it's still awkward to write notes

Don't be put off by the S Pen if you have no interest in using it and are considering buying the Galaxy S24 Ultra. You can essentially forget it's there.

For those who find it indispensable, the Galaxy S24 Ultra continues to be the only high-end phone in the US with a stylus for advanced features.

Whether you use the S Pen for taking notes or gaining finer control, the stylus is universally good. It's responsive, and it feels accurate. And some of Samsung's latest AI features are also geared toward the S Pen.

Some new S Pen AI features include converting handwritten notes to digital text with improved handwriting recognition. It works surprisingly well, but it's not perfect. Still, I give it a passing grade, considering how scratchy my handwriting is when using the S Pen.

What is impressive, however, is the summarization and auto-formatting features. Even if the Galaxy S24 Ultra couldn't quite recognize everything I wrote, it succeeded in both tasks.

Still, outside of testing, I rarely use the S Pen, as I find taking notes with the phone in my hand hovering in the air awkward and uncomfortable. And while palm rejection is good enough to let me rest my hand on the screen while writing, I simply can't avoid my palm touching some kind of on-screen element, resulting in distracting menus or actions constantly popping up to interrupt my note-taking.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra's camera bump also makes it wobble when I place the phone on a table, so there's no stability on a flat surface. The only comfortable way to take notes, in my experience, is when the hand holding the phone rests against a surface, whether it's my knee or a table.

AI features make the Galaxy S24 series the smartest and most helpful yet

Samsung introduced new mobile AI features to the entire Galaxy S24 series, so these aren't exclusive to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. In fact, many of them aren't exclusive to Samsung phones, either. Some of these features exist already on Google Pixel phones; Google itself introduced some during Samsung's Galaxy S24 launch event, and those will feature on Google's Pixel 8 phones.

Circle To Search is the major AI feature announced in partnership with Google, and it's a hit. It's basically Google's Lens feature, which searches the web based on what you have on your screen. Except, Circle To Search lets you circle something specific on your screen, which is infinitely more useful if you want to search for a single object within an image. Amazingly accurate, it is especially good at finding products, celebrities, and even some locations or buildings. I was able to trip it up a few times where it confused what I was looking for as something else, but overall, it's very impressive and can only get better from this point on.

Another headlining photo editing AI feature is the ability to delete objects or subjects in the Samsung Gallery app. It can work well, like the example below, where it removed some unsightly gas piping toward the top right.

It also succeeded in removing the wall toward the bottom right of the image below.

However, the AI can also work badly, like in the example below, where I intended to remove the cat from the photo, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra inexplicably replaced him with a rock. (Impressively, however, the rock is casting an AI-generated shadow.)

Overall, the AI image features are best used for smaller details, as moving or deleting larger objects or subjects means the Galaxy S24 Ultra has to make a greater AI-based guess for what should be behind the object or subject. The more it has to guess, the more odd and out of place the fill-in details tend to be. Although, it can still trip even with small details, like with the cat above.

An improved camera system still has some flaws

One of the reasons the Galaxy S24 Ultra is in a league of its own is thanks to its 200MP main camera when most main cameras on premium phones are "only" around 50MP. The Galaxy S24 Ultra also has four rear cameras when three is the norm. In a way, the Galaxy S24 Ultra effectively has five cameras (more on that below).

Talking broadly about the Galaxy S24 Ultra's camera quality, Samsung has finally addressed the overly saturated colors and opted for a more natural color tone. The color green, especially, looks much better — grass often had a neon vibe on previous Galaxy S phones.

Overexposure is an issue that's lingered for generations on Samsung phones, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra shows no progress. The barn's broader side and stone foundation above have bright white patches without detail, for example, as some details are less visible thanks to being overly brightened. And below, patches of white fur on the cat's back are bright white and void of detail.

In ultra-bright situations and when there's lots of white detail (like snow), the Galaxy S24 Ultra conversely compensates very well to prevent overexposure while keeping darker details visible.

As for the 200MP main camera, I can't say it delivers better photo or video quality than a more traditional 50MP sensor during the day.

In fact, despite the huge sensor, the Galaxy 24 Ultra still struggles to take sharp photos of moving subjects, like kids or pets, when I'm not outside during the day. Too many photos of my kids taken with plenty of indoor lighting when it's dark outside look ever-so-slightly blurry for my liking.

Low-light performance with Night mode is stunning, however. As with most phones, you and your subjects need to be as still as possible for a couple of seconds while the phone absorbs as much light as possible for a sharp photo in dark scenarios.

The extra camera on recent Galaxy Ultra phones was typically a 10x optical zoom lens, which far exceeds the usual 3x to 5x magnification on most premium devices. However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's extra zoom lens is now 5x instead of 10x.

Those who often take photos at 10x or higher zoom will be disappointed, but according to Samsung, you'd be in the minority. The company says more people hang around the 5x zoom range when taking zoomed photos.

The move makes sense, however, and the 5x zoom range is a good middle ground. Previous Galaxy Ultras left a huge gap between their 3x and 10x zoom lenses, and if you ever wanted to go beyond 3x (but under 10x), digital zooming from the 3x lens would take over and produce inferior-quality photos.

I mentioned earlier the Galaxy S24 Ultra arguably has five cameras. That's because it can still take optical quality 10x zoom photos by cropping into the middle 12MP of the 5x lens' 50MP sensor. The results are surprisingly good if you can keep your hands and the subject as still as possible and the lighting is optimal.

If you can't achieve these conditions, 10x zoomed photos can appear soft on details at best or grainy and blurry at worst.

The best battery life in recent memory

If you're looking for a phone with the most battery life, the Galaxy S24 Ultra should be at the top of your shortlist. It endured our intensive battery test with a 66% charge remaining, whereas most phones obtained results of around 60%.

The result shouldn't be too surprising, as larger phones typically have longer battery lives, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra is among the largest phones you can buy, thanks to its 6.8-inch display. However, the Galaxy S24 Plus has a 6.7-inch display and scored a comparatively paltry 60%.

Ultimately, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's score means that you'll be able to get farther in daily use without having to charge the phone than with other large phones, but you'll likely still need to charge the phone overnight.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra supports up to a speedy 45W charging, which is significantly faster than Google Pixel and Apple iPhone charging. Still, the OnePlus 12 has the Galaxy S24 Ultra beat here with its absurd 80W charging speed.

For wireless charging, the Galaxy S24 Ultra supports up to 15W with first-generation Qi. Again, OnePlus destroys the Galaxy S24 Ultra with its proprietary 50W wireless charging. To put that into perspective, the OnePlus 12 can charge faster wirelessly than the Galaxy S24 Ultra can with a cable. It doesn't include Qi2 support, which would add a magnetic alignment element similar to Apple's MagSafe.

Fingerprint sensors and basic facial recognition have been outdated for years

Android phone makers at large, not just Samsung, need to make moves with biometric authentication for unlocking phones and mobile payments. The incumbent fingerprint sensors and basic facial recognition that use the selfie camera have been showing their limitations ever since Apple came out with Face ID in 2017 with the iPhone X.

To be sure, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's fingerprint sensor is quite accurate and fast most of the time. However, it's irritating when it doesn't work when Face ID would, like when my thumbs are wet from doing dishes or when my skin is cracked from extremely dry winter air.

When fingerprints don't unlock the phone, the Galaxy S24 Ultra falls back on basic facial recognition, which uses the selfie camera. It's very clearly slower and less accurate than Apple's Face ID. Either Samsung and Android phone makers need to include a notch with advanced facial recognition, as Apple has for Face ID, or they need to innovate.

Should you buy the Galaxy S24 Ultra?

Despite new features and improvements, the main allure of the Galaxy S24 Ultra still lies in its large display, superior battery life, and the versatility of its four cameras. If these assets are important to you, and you're willing or able to pay extra for them, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes highly recommended.

For those who can't do without the S Pen, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a no-brainer, as it's the lone current-generation, high-end phone with a built-in stylus.

At its $1,300 starting price, the Galaxy S24 Ultra may not be the most value-forward proposition for you, even with its "Ultra" attributes. If a 6.7-inch display and traditional triple-lens camera are enough, you could easily pass up the Galaxy S24 Ultra for phones in the $1,000 range, like the Galaxy S24 Plus, OnePlus 12, or Google Pixel 8 Pro. Each device excels in different areas, which I point out in our guide to the best Android phones.

If you decide the new Ultra model is worth your while, however, it makes sense to protect the phone with any of the best Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra cases.