© Lemon squeezer
In a frankly boring smartphone market, Samsung is trying this year to breathe new life into its Galaxy S range. With the Galaxy S24, it is introducing Galaxy AI, an artificial intelligence promising to open up < em>“a new era for the smartphone”.
After a really convincing first handling, we had the chance to use the Galaxy S24 Ultra for two weeks. Enough to take a look at the technical advances and dig deeper a little bit about what's really hidden behind the promises of Galaxy AI. Here is our full review of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
© Presse-citron
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is available from 1 469 euros(256 GB), an increase of 50 euros compared to the previous generation. It is available in a 512 GB version at 1 589 euros (-10 euros) and 1 TB at 1 829 euros (-10 euros).
Samsung offers a slew of colors: black, gray, purple and amber at all partner resellers. Three exclusive colors are also available on the brand's official website: green, blue and orange.
© Presse-citron
Technically, the Galaxy S24 Ultra does not bring any major upheaval compared to the previous generation. Like Apple, Samsung is barely reviewing its recipe, and it would be hard to blame it as the Galaxy S23 Ultra was so successful.
Aesthetically, the S24 Ultra has a chassis made of titanium instead of aluminum. No weight loss program, but reinforced solidity. Samsung puts an end to curved screens: the Galaxy S24 Ultra panel is flat. This makes handling this beautiful baby easier and more enjoyable.
Among the new features, the S24 Ultra includes Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with breathtaking performance. The 5,000 mAh battery still lasts around two days with standard use and a day and a half when overdoing the good stuff .
In terms of charging speed, the Korean is finally pushing the sliders. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is now compatible with 45 watts fast charging (compared to 25 watts for the S23 Ultra)… But to take advantage of it, you'll have to put your hand in your wallet , Samsung persisting in no longer providing a power supply. The planet, all that…
Even with a compatible charger, performance is far from impressive. Allow more than an hour to go from 0% to 100% and around twenty minutes to reach 50%. It's better than the previous generation, but still far from the market benchmarks capable of regaining all their energy in less than 30 minutes.
Qi 2 wireless charging, comparable to Apple's MagSafe, is also not available. A notable absence for a smartphone whose promised lifespan extends to a minimum of 7 years (duration of major updates and provision of security patches).
© Presse-citron
Finally, Samsung is taking advantage of this new generation to inaugurate the most beautiful smartphone screen ever created (and probably the one Apple chose for its iPhone 16).
The Dynamic AMOLED 2X LTPO (1-120 Hz) 6.8'' panel of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is sublime. Beyond display quality (QHD+/HDR 10+), record brightness (up to 2 600 nits in peak HDR) and its impeccable factory calibration, the S24 Ultra screen shines above all with its ability to chase away reflections.
Thanks to Corning's new Gorilla Armor glass, no reflections disrupt the display of content.Never has the screen of a smartphone been so accomplished and so pleasant to look at, both for everyday uses and the multimedia experience, which is simply remarkable. The daily change is such that one wonders why Samsung has not insisted more on this quality.
The S24 Ultra is to the S23 Ultra what the iPhone 15 Pro Max is to the 14 Pro Max: a smartphone quite similar aesthetically, decked out in titanium, with an even more beautiful screen and accompanied of an updated technical sheet. The ultimate in what can be found in 2024.
© Lemon squeezer
The ultimate, we also find it in the photographic module of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Samsung uses, except for one detail, the same configuration as that of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, according to the Devicespecifications.com site:
- a 23 mm f/1.7 wide-angle lens with 200 Mpxl Samsung ISOCELL HP2 sensor (1/1.3 ''; photosite 0.6 μm); OIS optical stabilization; Dual Pixel autofocus
- a 13 mm f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens with 12 Mpxl Sony IMX 564 sensor (1/2, 55″; photosite 1.4 μm); optical stabilization; Dual Pixel autofocus
- a 3x 69 mm f/2.4 telephoto lens with 10 Mpxl Sony sensor (1/3, 52″; photosite 1.12 μm); optical stabilization; Dual Pixel autofocus
- a 5x 115 mm f/4.3 periscopic telephoto lens with 50 Mpxl Sony IMX 875 sensor (1/2, 52″; photosite 0.7 μm)
- a 12 Mpxl front sensor (1/2.82″; photosite 0.7 μm) with 26 mm lens (f/2.2); Dual Pixel autofocus
The only hardware change is therefore at the level of the periscopic telephoto lens, now equipped with a 5x optical zoom instead of the 10x of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The aperture of the lens, however, is larger (f/3.4 versus f/4.9), which allows it to capture more light. Finally, the 10 Mpxl sensor on the S23 Ultra is replaced by a 50 Mpxl model. So much for the technique.
Concretely, what does that look like? Unsurprisingly, it's excellent, from every point of view. What the Galaxy S23 Ultra did good, the Galaxy S24 Ultra does it at least as well, if not better.
© Full day
© Interior
In good light conditions, the photos produced are excellent at 1x, 2x, 3x and even up to 5x. The 10x zoom remains good and the 30x is quite correct. As in previous years, the 100x zoom remains anecdotal.
© Ultra wide angle
© Wide-angle
© Zoom 3x
© Zoom 5x
© Zoom 10x
© Zoom 30x
We might have expected a loss of quality in 10x optical zoom: this is not the case. The size of the sensor and the aperture compensate for this technical change and allow very good quality images to be shot.
© Ultra wide angle
© Wide-angle
© Zoom 3x
© Zoom 5x
© Zoom 10x
© Zoom 30x
In medium lighting and low light, we will limit ourselves to a factor of 5x maximum in order to maintain a good level of detail. Beyond that, the image lacks a little too much sharpness to be seriously usable.
© Ultra wide angle
© Wide-angle
© Zoom 3x
© Zoom 5x
The night mode is excellent across all lenses, even if the ultra-wide-angle is less convincing. It nonetheless remains a reference in this exercise.
Samsung is increasingly mastering portrait mode, undoubtedly one of the most successful on the market. Everything is not perfect, AI still falling into some traps when generating background blur for complex scenes. But the whole thing remains stunning.
© Portrait
© Portrait
© Portrait
Samsung also offers an automatic macro mode which we recommend deactivating as it can spoil a close-up photo. We recommend activating it manually as desired for more convincing results.
On the video side, Samsung remains true to its reputation. The Galaxy S24 Ultra can now film in 4K at up to 120 fps in Pro Video mode, a first for a smartphone. It therefore allows you to capture slow motion with breathtaking quality. Otherwise, it can also film in 8K at 30 fps.
The optical stabilization is still remarkable. Samsung offers numerous shooting modes to let your creativity run wild. To top it off, the audio recording is very precise. A treat.
Finally, Samsung collaborated with social network giants (Meta, TikTok, SnapChat) to provide access to their apps with advanced functions of its photo and video modules. The results are simply impressive (especially in stories)
© Presse-citron
During the presentation of its new Galaxy S24, Samsung heavily insisted on the integration of Galaxy AI, an artificial intelligence which promises us to enter into «  ;a new era of the smartphone». You know us, we took Samsung at its word and methodically analyzed every AI promise made.
For those who have not followed, Samsung promises that Galaxy AI will transform the way we communicate, inform ourselves, work and create. For this, the engineers developed 9 functionalities, two for each use, 3 for the creation part. Some were designed in collaboration with Google, others came straight out of Korean R&D.
Work
Transcription Assistant
© Samsung
What it feels like
Transcribes a meeting or interview, converts it into text, formats it and translates it into supported languages (13 in total).
Our opinion
If the transcription is not always very precise, the summary, formatting and translation are effective. The fact remains that this functionality responds to specific uses. If you are neither a meeting regular, nor a journalist or academic, Transcription Assistant will not be of much use to you.
Notes Assistant
© Samsung
What it feels like
Recovers notes (including handwritten), formats them, summarizes them and can also translate them.
Our opinion
If you are a fan of note taking, this feature will be of great help to you. The formatting, summary and translation are extremely efficient and make the Galaxy S24 Ultra a real everyday assistant. There are still some limitations, the most annoying being that you can only use it for texts whose size varies between 2,000 and 8,000 characters.
Get informed
Web Assistant
© Lemon squeezer
What it feels like
Summaries (with two levels of detail) an article or web page in a few seconds.
Our opinion
If you are one of the lazy people, Web Assistant is a great tool… which has its limits. Capable of summarizing any news in a few seconds, it proves incomplete with longer content. For example, a summary of this test would only be a list of technical characteristics of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, without specifying our impressions and our feelings.
Furthermore, Galaxy AI is unable to summarize a paid article, even if you are subscribed to the media in question. The AI also refuses to summarize content that it considers inappropriate. However, what seems inappropriate to him is not necessarily inappropriate to us…
Circle to search (co-designed with Google)
© Samsung
What it feels like
Allows you to generate a Google search by surrounding an element with an image or text displayed on the screen
Our opinion
This feature developed with Google is a smart integration of Google Lens into the user interface. However, the process used by Samsung turns out to be intuitive and devilishly effective. Beyond the wow effect, Circle to search is very useful in everyday life and is one of our favorite features.
Communicate
Instant translation
© Presse-citron
What it feels like
Allows you to translate in real time an exchange by telephone or face to face.
Our opinion
Much was expected of this virtual interpreter promising to remove language barriers. Unfortunately, the execution needs to be reviewed, especially during telephone calls. Understanding a language over the phone is much more complicated than face to face. And obviously, Samsung's AI is also having difficulty understanding.
We simulated calls between a French person and an English person (with a slight French accent) as well as calls between a French person and a Spanish person (without accent). Each time, the AI confused words, formulations and ventured into translations that were word-for-word at best, and erroneous at worst. So there is still a little work to do before the virtual interpreter becomes an ideal tool. Even rudimentary, this first version at least allows you to be understood in a language you do not master.
Message Assistant
© Samsung
What it feels like
Rewords a message according to one of five predefined styles (pro, social, relaxed, polite and emoji). The message can also be translated immediately.
Our opinion
This is undoubtedly the most mastered functionality, but also the one we use the least. Is it because we are used to using the French language (with complete humility) ? Perhaps.
During our testing, we found that we adopted the agreed tone automatically in our messages, without help from the AI. If this was not useful to us, we imagine that this assistant can be of great help to people who have difficulty with grammar and spelling.
Create
Generative editing (co-designed with Google)
© Presse-citron
What it feels like
AI makes it possible to move elements of the image, reconstruct a background, a sky, etc.
Our opinion
Google has already offered this tool on its Pixel 8 and 8 Pro since October 2023. The results are just as random with edits that are sometimes maddeningly precise, others completely flawed.
Retouching suggestions
© Samsung
What it feels like
From any photo available in the Gallery, the AI suggests the edits it deems relevant ( transform the image into a portrait, adjust the colors etc.).
Our opinion
Samsung is the first manufacturer outside of Google to offer these functions. They allow retouching to be carried out automatically with convincing results. A good way to produce content without taking the headache.
Slow motion video
© Presse -lemon
What it feels like
Any video in the gallery can be edited to appear in slow motion.
Our opinion
This feature is technically impressive, but meets a very specific need. It at least has the merit of existing and is executed brilliantly. The results produced are impressive.
Galaxy AI oscillates between excellent, very good and needs review. Samsung at least has the merit of trying something and integrating it well into its software. Galaxy AI is available in one click, reacts in just a few seconds and outlines the smartphone of tomorrow. Because, without a doubt, other manufacturers will follow suit, to the delight of users.
To the question “Is Galaxy AI a gadget or does it really change everyday use  ;?” we lean towards the second hypothesis even if Samsung must make some adjustments. One thing is certain: to try it is to adopt it. Also, it is difficult for us to return to another smartphone after this fortnight with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Technically, the Galaxy S24 Ultra stands out as a predictable but appreciable evolution of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung is improving each part of its flagship smartphone in small steps, enough to maintain its status as a technological leader.
But the real novelty of this Galaxy S24 Ultra lies in the integration of Galaxy AI, an artificial intelligence integrated almost everywhere in the phone's software. While certain features remain anecdotal, others completely change daily habits and effectively open a new era for the smartphone.
Certainly, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is expensive, very expensive even. Like all its competitors. But Samsung promises a follow-up of updates for 7 years, a record held until now by Google. Above all, the S24 Ultra represents the ultimate in what can be found in 2024 and gives a first glimpse of the smartphone of tomorrow.
The other good news is that all the AI features are also available on the Galaxy S24, S24+ but also the Galaxy S23 Ultra, S23 and S23+, all models that are technically a bit less advanced than the S24 Ultra, but whose prices are much more accessible.
📍 To not miss any news from Presse-citron, follow us on Google News and WhatsApp.