Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review 2025: Real-World Camera Test, AI Analysis & Worth It?

Okay, let's talk about the phone everyone's buzzing about: the new Samsung phone 2024, officially called the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Forget the fluff and marketing hype. I spent a solid two weeks putting this thing through its paces – the good, the bad, and the "is this really worth the upgrade?" moments. If you're searching for the **new Samsung phone 2024**, chances are you're either super excited, seriously considering buying, or just want the facts without wading through endless tech jargon. That's exactly what this is.

First Impressions: What's Actually New?

Unboxing the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the first thing you notice is the flat screen. Hallelujah! Finally, Samsung listened. Those curved edges on the old models? Gone. It makes using the S Pen way better and honestly, just feels more practical. The titanium frame? Yeah, it feels premium, no doubt, lighter than the S23 Ultra's stainless steel. But let's be real, you slap a case on it (and you will, because this phone is expensive), and that titanium feel kinda disappears. My unit is the Titanium Violet – subtle but classy.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Core Specs at a Glance

Here’s the raw hardware power driving the new Samsung phone 2024 flagship:

Performance? Blistering fast. Whether it's juggling a dozen apps, editing a 4K video, or playing Genshin Impact on max settings, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 just laughs. No stutters, no lag. Samsung's vapor chamber cooling seems effective too – it gets warm under heavy load, sure, but never uncomfortably hot in my use. Battery life has genuinely impressed me. Consistently getting 6.5 to 7.5 hours of screen-on time with my mix of emails, social media, YouTube, camera use, and some gaming. That easily gets me through a full day, often with 20-30% left. Charging at 45W? It's decent, 0 to 50% in about 25 mins, full charge in roughly 70 mins. Not class-leading, but perfectly usable.

The Camera: Is the 200MP Hype Real? (My Actual Photos)

This is always the big one with the new Samsung phone 2024 Ultra model. The headline is the new 5x optical telephoto lens (replacing the 10x periscope). Controversial move, Samsung! Here's the breakdown:

• Main Sensor: 200MP wide (f/1.7, OIS). Do you always shoot at 200MP? Nope. By default, it uses pixel-binning to produce sharper 12MP or 50MP shots. The 200MP mode is there for when you need insane detail and plan to crop heavily later. In good light, daylight shots are stunning – vibrant, detailed, dynamic range is excellent. Low light? Much improved over S23 Ultra. Less noise, better color accuracy. Samsung's processing is still a bit aggressive sometimes, smoothing out textures a tad much for my taste (skin tones can look a little plasticine if you pixel-peep).
• Ultrawide: 12MP (f/2.2, 120-degree FoV). Solid performer. Less distortion at the edges than previous models. Good for landscapes and tight spaces.
• Telephoto 1 (3x Optical Zoom): 10MP (f/2.4, OIS). Great for portraits and closer subjects. Reliable.
• Telephoto 2 (5x Optical Zoom): 50MP (f/3.4, OIS). The Big Change. Replaces the 10x optical. Is it worse? For pure 10x optical reach, technically yes. BUT, the 50MP sensor combined with advanced cropping and processing means the 10x digital zoom looks surprisingly close to the old 10x optical in most daylight conditions. Beyond 10x, it can get softer. The 5x is fantastic for portraits and mid-range zoom – sharper than the old 3x/10x combo at this specific point. Trade-offs.

Honestly, the camera versatility is still unmatched. Going from 0.5x ultrawide to 30x digital zoom (which, while not crystal clear, is surprisingly usable for spotting distant things) is a party trick with real utility sometimes. The Nightography improvements are real – pulling detail out of near darkness is impressive.

Galaxy AI: Useful Gimmick or Game Changer?

Samsung is pushing AI hard on the new Samsung phone 2024 series. It's baked into One UI 6.1. Some features feel genuinely useful, others... less so.

• Live Translate: Real-time voice and text translation during calls. Tested it ordering pizza from a place where staff mostly spoke Spanish. Worked shockingly well! Needs data connection.
• Interpreter: Split-screen translation for live conversations. Great for travel.
• Chat Assist: Helps rewrite messages in different tones (Professional, Casual, #Social, Polite). Useful sometimes, feels awkward others.
• Note Assist: Summarizes notes, formats them, generates cover pages. Handy for long meeting notes.
• Circle to Search (with Google): LONG press the home bar (or nav button), circle anything on screen, instantly Google it. Found a cool plant in a park, circled it, knew it was a Bird of Paradise in seconds. Super impressive.
• Generative Edit: Move or remove objects in photos, fill in the background AI. Results vary wildly. Removing a small object? Often seamless. Trying to erase a person? Can get messy and leave weird artifacts. Fun to play with, but use cautiously for important edits.

Look, is the AI revolutionary? Not entirely. Circle to Search and Live Translate are the standouts for me. The rest are nice-to-haves that sometimes feel like solutions looking for problems. But the potential is there, and Samsung promises more features will roll out. Crucially, Samsung says many AI features will be free until at least the end of 2025, but warns some might require a subscription later. That's a point worth watching.

Display & Sound: Does It Live Up to the Hype?

The screen on the new Samsung phone 2024 Ultra is, simply put, the best I've ever used on a smartphone. That 2600-nit peak brightness? It makes HDR content pop like crazy and makes the phone utterly usable in direct sunlight – no squinting needed. Colors are vibrant and accurate (you can tweak the profile in settings), blacks are truly deep. The flat screen is a massive win for usability and avoiding accidental touches. 120Hz scrolling is buttery smooth.

Sound? The stereo speakers get loud and are surprisingly clear with decent separation. They won't replace a dedicated Bluetooth speaker, but for podcasts, videos, and casual music, they're very good. No headphone jack, obviously.

Software & Longevity: A Major Step Forward

One UI 6.1 on Android 14 feels polished and familiar if you've used recent Samsung phones. It's feature-rich without feeling overwhelmingly bloated (mostly). The real headline grabber is Samsung's commitment: 7 years of major Android OS updates and 7 years of security patches. This is HUGE. It means the new Samsung phone 2024 Ultra could potentially get updates all the way to Android 21 around 2031. This significantly boosts resale value and means you can realistically hold onto this phone for 4, 5, or even more years without worrying about becoming obsolete or insecure. Apple and Google match this, but it's a first for Samsung flagships and a massive win for consumers.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Pricing & Where to Buy

Let's talk money. The **new Samsung phone 2024** Ultra isn't cheap. This is premium flagship territory.

• Starting Price: $1299.99 / £1249.99 / €1449 (approx.) for 256GB
• Higher Tiers: 512GB (~$1399.99), 1TB (~$1599.99)

Where to Buy:

• Samsung.com: Usually offers the best trade-in deals (sometimes insane values for older phones), bundled offers (like free storage upgrades at launch), and access to exclusive colors (Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, Titanium Orange).
• Major Carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile in US; EE, Vodafone, O2 in UK, etc.): Offer hefty subsidies if you sign up for a new line or upgrade on an installment plan (often 24-36 months). Check for bill credits and promos.
• Major Retailers: Best Buy, Amazon, etc., often match carrier deals or offer their own gift cards/bundles.

Pre-order Perks: If you buy early (usually within the first few weeks of launch), Samsung often throws in free Galaxy Buds or a significant discount on them, sometimes a free Galaxy Watch or hefty credit toward one. Carrier pre-order deals can also be aggressive.

My Advice: Shop around! Compare trade-in values directly on Samsung.com versus what carriers offer. Sometimes carrier bill credits over 2-3 years work out better; other times, Samsung's instant trade-in discount upfront is preferable, especially if you don't want a carrier lock-in. Watch out for carrier activation fees.

S24 Ultra vs. The Competition (2024)

Is the new Samsung phone 2024 Ultra the right choice? Let's see how it stacks up.

The Verdict? If you absolutely need the S Pen, crave the absolute largest/brightest display, and want the most versatile camera system (especially for zoom), the S24 Ultra is king. If you're deep in Apple's ecosystem, the 15 Pro Max is your only real choice. For pure Android fans who prioritize camera magic (especially point-and-shoot) and value, the Pixel 8 Pro is compelling. The OnePlus 12 offers incredible specs for much less money but compromises on camera polish and long-term support.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Who Should Buy It (Honestly)?

• S Pen Diehards: If the integrated stylus is non-negotiable, this is your only flagship option.
• Power Users & Multitaskers: Need top-tier performance, tons of screen real estate, and great multitasking? This delivers.
• Photography Enthusiasts (Especially Zoom): Want incredible flexibility from ultrawide to telephoto? Still the champ, even with the zoom change.
• Long-Term Holders: Planning to keep your phone 4+ years? The 7-year update promise is massive.
• Display Quality Obsessives: It genuinely has the best screen available.

Who Might Want to Skip?

• Budget-Conscious Buyers: It's very expensive. The base S24 or S24+ offer most core features for less.
• 10x Optical Purists: If you constantly used the *exact* 10x optical lens on the S23 Ultra/S22 Ultra, you'll notice its absence.
• Small Phone Lovers: It's a big, heavy phone. The base S24 is significantly more compact.
• iOS Users Happy with Apple: Switching ecosystems is a hassle unless you're truly dissatisfied.

New Samsung Phone 2024: Your Burning Questions Answered (FAQ)

Tough call. If you heavily used the 10x optical zoom daily, maybe not. The S23 Ultra is still a phenomenal phone. The upgrades on the new Samsung phone 2024 are meaningful: flatter better screen, brighter display, significantly faster chip, improved low-light cameras across the board, the AI features (especially Circle to Search/Live Translate), and crucially, that 7-year update promise. If those things excite you or you're coming from an older phone (S21 or before), it's a great upgrade. From an S23 Ultra? It's more incremental. Wait for a good trade-in deal if you're tempted.

Yes! The Galaxy S24 Ultra has an IP68 rating. That means it can survive being submerged in fresh water up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes. Great for peace of mind against rain, spills, or accidental dunks. (Just avoid salt water or high-pressure jets long-term).

Nope. Just the phone and a USB-C cable in the box. Samsung (and most others) stopped including chargers a while ago. You'll need a compatible USB-C PD charger supporting PPS (Programmable Power Supply) for the full 45W speeds. A good 25W or 45W Samsung charger is recommended.

Based on my two weeks, not significantly under normal use. Heavy gaming sessions (like 30+ mins of Genshin Impact on max) or prolonged 8K video recording will make it warm, even quite warm to the touch. But it never got uncomfortably hot or throttled performance drastically in my experience. It manages heat better than some previous models.

This is crucial. Samsung states: "Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices. Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties." Translation: Some core AI features developed by Samsung *might* become paid after December 2025, while features relying on Google's AI (like Circle to Search) likely follow Google's model. Expect potential subscriptions for advanced AI tools down the line.

As mentioned earlier, it's been excellent for me. Consistently 6.5-7.5+ hours Screen-On Time (SOT) over a full day, often ending with 20-30%. This is with QHD+ resolution and Adaptive refresh rate enabled. Heavy users will drain it faster, but it's one of the best battery performers in a flagship this powerful.

This is messy. In the USA, Canada, China, and some other markets, it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (a slightly overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3). In most of Europe, India, and some other regions, it uses Samsung's own Exynos 2400 chip. Performance differences seem minor in most benchmarks and real-world use this year, but the Snapdragon variant might have a slight edge in peak GPU performance for gaming. Battery life reports seem similar. Check Samsung's official site for your country's specs.

Yes! Any S Pen designed for the Galaxy Note series (Note 5 and later) or previous Galaxy S Ultra phones (S22 Ultra, S23 Ultra) will work perfectly with the new Samsung phone 2024 Ultra. The technology (Wacom digitizer) is the same.

The Final Word: Is the Galaxy S24 Ultra the Best?

Spending time with the new Samsung phone 2024, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, leaves little doubt it's one of the most capable, powerful, and versatile smartphones you can buy right now. The display is jaw-droppingly good. Performance is top-tier. The camera system, despite the controversial zoom shift, remains incredibly flexible and produces stunning results most of the time. Battery life is excellent. The 7-year update promise is a game-changer for longevity.

Is it perfect? Nope. It's big, heavy, and expensive. Samsung's photo processing can still be heavy-handed. The AI features are a mixed bag, and their future cost is uncertain. Losing the dedicated 10x optical zoom stings for some users.

Bottom Line: If you want the absolute pinnacle of Android hardware, the most feature-packed experience, the S Pen, and a phone built to last for many years, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is arguably the best choice, especially considering Samsung's unprecedented software commitment. It delivers on the promise of the **new Samsung phone 2024** flagship. Just be prepared for the price tag and the size. For many, it's worth it. For others, the S24+ or a competitor might fit better. Hopefully, this deep dive gives you all the real-world info you need to decide.