Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: No one is (Dr) Strange to mAgIcal powers

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: Almost all of us love the superhero genre. Don't we? And the first name that comes to our mind when we speak of superheroes is Marvel Cinematic Universe. From Doctor Strange and Iron Man to Avengers and Thor and beyond! It has some of the best superhero movies of all time. Of all of them, Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is one of my favourites. I have been eagerly waiting to get my hands on the Galaxy S24 Ultra - the most powerful smartphone in the whole S24 lineup - ever since Samsung teased Galaxy AI features with an animated version of Doctor Strange.

I have been using this smartphone as my primary device for almost a month and it accompanied me to Goa during my week-long vacation where I tested almost all the features one would want to know more about. Find out everything about the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in my detailed review.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: Design

Well, I have already written about the design in my First Impression story so not going to talk much about it. Rather, I would focus on sharing my experience with the device.

The weight distribution of this smartphone is uniform and despite being a heavy device, it feels light. Moreover, the flat design, along with the flat display, gives a good hand grip. It won't slip from your hand even when wet, and the best part is that it won't attract fingerprints or smudges. I have been using the device without any cover and can't find any scratches - thanks to the Titanium used in the device.

The smartphone is IP68 dust and water-resistant and I tested it too during my vacation. I took along the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for parasailing in Goa and it took quite a few dips in the Arabian Sea during the ride. What gave me an adrenaline rush more than the ride was that the smartphone was working fine.

While I'll talk about the display in a moment, let me tell you right away that the screen comes with Corning Gorilla Armor protection and won't get scratched easily. I am not using any screen guard on this device. During my trip, I often put the smartphone with my keys and wallet to ensure the safety of all things valuable. Also, a lot of sand particles kept rubbing the screen during my stay there. But there are no visible scratches on the display.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: Display

I was in Goa during the second week of February and the weather was quite clear. While spending my days on beaches, not even once did I feel the lack of brightness in the display. For those who want figures, let me tell you that it can hit a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a large 6.8-inch AMOLED display which offers 1-120 Hz adaptive refresh rates. Scrolling through web pages feels super smooth.

The flat screen this time has more usefulness and offers a better viewing experience with slimmer and even bezels. I enjoyed watching the mystery action thriller 'Hypnotic' on Amazon Prime on this device, as the presence of a pair of stereo speakers that are quite loud enhanced the viewing experience. 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: Performance

The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. The device is quite capable of not just handling all your daily tasks but also lets you play graphic-heavy games. It now has a 1.9 times larger vapour chamber that improves the surface temperature of the device, allowing you to play games like Asphalt 9 at max settings for an extended duration without frame drop or lags.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with One UI 6.1 based on Android 14 out of the box. One of the best things about the device is that the company is promising seven years of software and OS support.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: All About Magic of AI

While the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is full of features, the software experience this time is mainly about AI. From live translation to circle to search to photo editing - you can do all these things on this device.

Circle to Search

The most useful feature from my point of view is Circle to Search. I am someone who often wants to know more about things I come across online. Usually, I have to type about it in Google search but things get tricky when I want to know more about something that is in a picture.

During my Goa visit, I saw an image of paramotoring while looking for activities to do in the state. I was not sure what that image was then. But it took me just a few seconds to find all the relevant information about the adventure sport along with the location where I could do it and the price too.

All it took was a long press on the home button and draw a circle around its image on Galaxy S24’s screen. This felt like having a nifty tool of magic, just like Doctor Strange's magic circle that opens a new portal and lets him travel anywhere he wants.

Call Assist

This is another very useful feature. As the name suggests, it will assist while you are on call with someone. As soon as you call someone, the Call Assist button will appear on your screen. Tapping it allows you to Live Translate the call live or do a Text Call - which lets you type a message that another person will listen and AI will transcribe his or her reply so that you can read it.

While these are quite useful, I feel that there is scope for more refinement and precision.

Photo Editing

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is capable of Generative AI Photo editing. From filling in parts of an image background to moving objects at the perfect position, AI lets you do everything required to make a picture perfect. I used this feature to make my vacation images perfect.

As I was in Goa during the end of peak season, beaches were usually crowded. I used this feature to remove people from the background to make pictures more appealing.

Images enhanced using generative AI will have a watermark on the image and in metadata.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: Camera

Camera has always been one of the strongest features of the Ultra Series smartphones and the Galaxy S24 Ultra carries forward this legacy.

The smartphone has a quad-lens setup at the rear with a 200MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, a 50MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and a 10MP telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom. For selfies, the smartphone has a 12MP camera on the front.

Overall, the camera produces shots with more natural colours with good details. Images in low light are also vivid.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: Battery and Charging

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with the same 5,000mAh battery which is sufficient enough to last for an entire day. Also, it supports 45W wired charging. While this is not as fast as other competitors, you can still get the device fully charged in slightly over 1 hour. It also supports 15W wireless charging.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Full Review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers one of the best hardware and now the South Korean tech major is focusing on the software front with the introduction of AI features. However, some of these AI features still need refinement. If you are looking for a smartphone that can be your companion for the long term - as in this case because the smartphone comes with seven years of updates - and has one of the best hardware, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is one for you. Cut straight to the point, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best Android smartphone available in the market.