It may seem like we're still reaching 2024, but the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is already shaping up to be one of the most formidable smartphones of the year. It's shortlisted in more of our best phone buying guides than virtually any other device today, demonstrating all-round excellence that's hard to beat.
Of course, possessing almost all the bells and whistles you could expect from a phone right now, the S24 Ultra also comes with a formidable price to match. So, is Samsung's latest and greatest worth it? Or is it simply excessive?
No, if it is within your budget.
Overdoing it will mean different things to different people; whose threshold will vary depending on the type of mobile user. If you're used to buying entry-level phones or budget smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's price alone will probably be enough to keep you out of the room, but if you're comfortable with the kind of spending at the high end of the market asks folks, the S24 Ultra's $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199 starting price won't be all that shocking.
However, if you fall somewhere in between, there are several ways to mitigate the Ultra's high asking price; splitting the cost on credit or purchasing one of the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 deals.
Not if you are serious about mobile photography
The telephoto setting on the last few Ultra generations has been the feather in their respective caps, when it comes to photography; As a result, it offers greater versatility than its rivals. So when Samsung decided to replace the old 10x optical zoom with a 5x sensor on the S24 Ultra, more in line with its recent rival the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the change naturally worried many.
Fortunately, we found that the move to a 50MP, 5x optical zoom sensor actually gives the S24 Ultra even more camera versatility than its predecessors, helping this latest entry maintain the Ultra line's competitive advantage and the launches it to the top spot in our roundup of the best camera phones. .
And that's just the telephoto lens, also on offer is the impressive 200MP main sensor, up to 8K video recording, detailed controls for still image and video capture, and a suite of new AI-based image editing tools to enjoy too. ; It's a photographic combination unlike any other camera phone currently on the market.
Not if you are a true Samsung fan
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise to Samsung fans that the S24 Ultra tops our list of the best Samsung phones right now. It is the embodiment of everything a Samsung phone should be and what it can offer.
It delivers the familiar One UI-based user experience better than any other Samsung phone and dresses it up with more performance and functionality than any other Samsung phone. Do you want the Samsung phone with the best camera, display, battery technology, connectivity and AI features? There is no substitute for the S24 Ultra.
No, if you are interested in having one of the most AI-powered phones
A big part of the launch message for the Galaxy S24 series revolved around the host of new Galaxy AI features they bring. We've since been able to try some of these out for ourselves, and in many ways owning a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has more everyday benefits from its AI functionality than its key rival in this department, the Pixel 8 Pro.
Samsung detailed 12 key Galaxy AI features at the launch of the S24 series, including Circle to Search, Live Translate, Chat Assist, Generative Edit (for images), AI-generated wallpapers, and more.
Not if you are an avid mobile gamer
When researching the best gaming phones, you'll probably find dedicated devices like Asus' latest ROG Phone 8 Pro or the Red Magic 9 Pro, but Samsung's latest model is something of a not-so-stealthy gaming phone in its own right. . And that's on top of being an all-rounder that excels in other areas that conventional gaming phones don't (think performance and camera design).
In fact, in testing, the Galaxy Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powering the S24 Ultra, along with Samsung's own software tweaks and a vapor chamber that's almost twice the size of the S23 Ultra's, for a Superior cooling actually results in superior performance. even those same phones supposedly tailor-made for gaming (confirmed by our own testing).
No, if you NEED a stylus
Aside from the Apple Pencil and the various Wacom styluses used by full-time digital artists, there are few worthwhile digital writing tools and even fewer that are portable. Samsung's S Pen has been a long-standing addition to various Galaxy Tab and Note devices over the years (getting better with each iteration) and, since the Galaxy S22 series, has been part of the Ultra offering as standard.
This is equally true with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, whose S Pen boasts the lowest latency and broadest feature set in the series to date; Not to mention it's a fun way to activate that new Circle to Search AI feature. If you need a phone with a stylus, there's really no other option worth considering.
