Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: AI makes a smartphone

Design & Specs

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

1/6

First things first – while Samsung might be focusing on AI and its capabilities, there are still some hardware changes to the phone. In terms of hardware, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra introduces a slight design shift with a titanium build and flat-edged screen. These subtle enhancements offer better grip and usability, and the titanium offers improved durability. Notably, the phone is the first in the Ultra series to feature a flat screen, a change that I appreciate as it makes for easier S Pen usage – my pen doesn’t fall off the curved edges as much as the S23 Ultra.

Ever try to use your phone in direct sunlight and find that the reflections just bounce right off the glass, and suddenly, whatever you were trying to look at is invisible? The S24 Ultra addresses this with a new anti-glare coating, reducing reflections and improving outdoor visibility. The 6.8-inch display is exceptionally bright at 2,600 nits, meaning that it’s easily readable outdoors. The Gorilla Glass Armor adds scratch resistance and the phone's titanium build makes for additional reassurance that this phone wouldn’t slip through my clumsy butterfingers.

The always-on display is handy, but I’ve noticed that it does impact battery performance, sadly. While the overall battery life is decent, lighter usage sees the phone lasting until bedtime with 50 percent battery, while heavier days drop it to 30 percent.

Performance

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

2/6

In brief, the S24 Ultra boasts an impressive array of AI features. However, while a lot of these features are nice to have, they aren’t quite as developed yet, with errors cropping up here and there.

Take live translation, for instance. It operates on-device and can function as a real-time interpreter during phone calls. It’s not the most accurate, though, as you can see above, where I put it to the test with an episode of Netflix’s A Killer’s Paradox. The original sentence was “You having a good time there?”, and what was translated is, well, quite the opposite.

I can see this feature working well in specific scenarios, such as making reservations or seeking information, especially in a foreign country where language barriers exist. The fact that the AI feature happens on-device, and it can act as a real-time interpreter on phone calls is pretty amazing. However, it requires pre-downloaded 'language packs,' meaning you need to plan ahead for travel, limiting spontaneous use.

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

3/6

As a journalist whose job is to transcribe interviews all the time (amongst other things), I was the most excited about the Transcript Assist feature when the phone was first announced. Samsung promises that the software, which uses AI and Speech-to-Text technology, would be able to transcribe, summarise, and translate voice recordings, especially when multiple speakers are involved.

I put the S24 Ultra’s new voice recorder features up to the test with a TED Talk podcast. I was surprised by how quick it was able to transcribe: taking approximately 90 seconds for a 5 minute recording. Again, it’s not the most accurate, as you can see above, but I’d say that it’s a pretty useful starting point. After obtaining your transcript, you can also swiftly generate a comprehensive summary within seconds, including subheadings and timestamps.

Additional AI features include generative AI enhancing text messages with emojis and summarising webpages. While functional, they might not be as impactful as the aforementioned tools.

Camera

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

4/6

Photo: Shooting with the S24 Ultra's main camera (left) and in food mode (right)

Most camera specifications remain unchanged from the S23 Ultra, except for the replacement of the 10x lens with a 5x lens featuring an improved sensor. While some may miss the 10x lens, Samsung assures that the image quality using the 5x zoom is comparable. Other camera features, including vibrant colours and a refined portrait mode producing 24MP images, remain consistent.

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

5/6

Photo: Shooting with the S24 Ultra's portrait camera (left) and the wide-angle camera (right)

Samsung continues to prioritise the saturation slider, delivering rich reds and blues to photos. The portrait mode, a standout feature, has also undergone subtle technological enhancements.

Continuing the AI theme, users can conveniently access generative AI edits directly within the native gallery editing interface, allowing for object movement, removal, and horizon adjustments through generative fill. It's essential to note, though, that these edits occur online and require an internet connection.

The bottom line

Credit: Her World/Cheryl Lai-Lim

6/6

All in all, the Galaxy S24 Ultra stands as an unrivalled powerhouse in the Android smartphone realm. Boasting a massive screen, the versatile S Pen, and an impressive array of cameras, its performance is unmatched. While upgrading solely for Galaxy AI may not be essential at this moment, the additional features it brings are undoubtedly valuable.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is available starting from $1,928 (256GB) or $2,128 (512GB), or $2,458 (1TB) at the Samsung store.