I’ve spent the weekend with the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and although it may not look all that different from the S23 Ultra, it has really impressed.
“It’s the same,” said my friend when I showed him the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra together, telling you all you need to know about the design changes between the latest Ultra phone and its predecessor.
But is that the full story? I’ve used the S24 Ultra over the weekend and have a few thoughts to share ahead of my full review, which is coming soon, and they may help with any preorder decisions you may be making this week.One big design change
My friend’s blunt observation about the design isn’t inaccurate at all, but there is one alteration I do want to talk about — the switch to a flat screen. Combined with the flatter sides on the S24 Ultra, it makes the phone feel bulkier in your hand. The S23 Ultra is surprisingly svelte-feeling when you hold it, with the curvier frame more comfortably sitting in the palm of your hand.
Even if it is mostly an optical illusion as both screens are the same size, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s flat screen more effectively shows off the enormous size of the 6.8-inch Super AMOLED panel, which is also accentuated by the smaller lower bezel. But most notably, it’s much more comfortable to write on when you use the S Pen stylus. The flatness means the heel pad of your hand rests more naturally, and requires less awareness to keep in place when you’re writing.
Finally, the Gorilla Armor glass is noticeably less reflective than the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass, and it’s also possible to spot the increase in overall brightness. Outside on a (moderately, as I live in the U.K.) sunny day, the S24 Ultra’s screen shines, and I can’t imagine any situation where you’ll be squinting at it because it’s too dim.
There are some very slight differences in vibrancy and saturation, with the S23 Ultra amping the colors a little more than its replacement, but I doubt you’d notice unless the two were to be examined side by side.Battery life and performance so far
I put my SIM card in the Galaxy S24 Ultra on Friday morning and didn’t need to charge the battery until Sunday night when I went to bed, and it still had 25% remaining. Over the weekend, my total screen time amounted to five hours, and use included taking photos, using GPS, and streaming video, plus the usual calls, messages, and social network apps.
Out of the box, the Galaxy S24 is configured to operate the screen at FHD+ resolution, with an adaptive refresh rate, and without the always-on screen active. I changed the always-on screen to operating throughout the day, plus I connected the phone to a smart ring using Bluetooth.
