Pros
Chat translations and Circle to Search are helpful
Sharper 5x zoom
Good low-light digicam efficiency
7 years of software program upgrades
Cons
Expensive
Some Galaxy AI options aren’t unique to S24 sequence
No particular S24 Ultra Galaxy AI options
With the press of a button, all of the textual content messages despatched between myself and my husband over the previous couple of days have been translated into French. I did not have to spotlight particular phrases or message bubbles, nor did I’ve to repeat and paste textual content between apps. Once I hit the “Chat translation” button on the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display screen, the phrases have been translated immediately as I scrolled by way of our message historical past.
This story is a part of Samsung Event, CNET’s assortment of reports, ideas and recommendation round Samsung’s hottest merchandise.
It’s one in all a number of new options on the Galaxy S24 lineup which are a part of Galaxy AI, a set of productiveness, communication and content material creation instruments powered by generative synthetic intelligence. Artificial intelligence has been the buzzword du jour within the tech world ever since ChatGPT grew to become an in a single day hit in late 2022, and it is tempting to put in writing off Galaxy AI as one other try to money in on the hype. And that could be true to some extent.But utilizing the Galaxy S24 Ultra for the previous couple of days satisfied me there’s some promise behind the joy. While the overwhelming majority of Galaxy AI options really feel acquainted somewhat than groundbreaking, Samsung’s real-time translation know-how and Circle to Search — a function it created in partnership with Google — really feel genuinely helpful.The drawback for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which launches on Jan. 31 beginning at $1,300 (£1,249, AU$2,199), is that you do not want Samsung’s high-end cellphone to make use of these options. They’re obtainable throughout all Galaxy S24 gadgets and can come to the previous-generation Galaxy S23 lineup, too. Circle to Search can be coming to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, each of that are notably cheaper than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.Read extra: Best Phone to Buy for 2024 Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max (Flagship Phones Compared)
10:31 When I reviewed the Galaxy S23 Ultra final 12 months, I known as it “the king of extra.” That nonetheless applies to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It’s the Ultra’s large display screen, embedded S Pen and ridiculously lengthy digital digicam zoom that really separate it from the common Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, not Samsung’s new AI options. Samsung gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a contemporary coat of paint with its new titanium design and flatter display screen, together with a sharper 50-megapixel zoom digicam that may take crisper photographs at 5x magnification. Perhaps most significantly, your entire Galaxy S24 lineup will get seven generations of Android model upgrades just like the Pixel 8 lineup, marking a giant step up from Samsung’s earlier four-year pledge. Aside from its new AI tips, the Galaxy S24 Ultra finally appears like a barely upgraded model of final 12 months’s cellphone. Samsung additionally missed a possibility to make its top-of-the-line cellphone stand out from the remainder of the S24 lineup with Galaxy AI options which are tailor-made particularly to the Ultra. Galaxy AI: Language translation and Circle to Search shine Lisa Eadicicco/CNETGalaxy AI spans every thing from textual content messaging to Samsung’s apps for note-taking, voice recording, internet looking and the digicam. Many of those options really feel like instruments we have seen from Google and Microsoft all through 2023, however optimized for Samsung smartphones. Galaxy AI can, for instance, manage notes within the Notes app into neat bullet factors. Its internet browser can summarize information articles, whereas the Voice Recorder app provides transcription summaries damaged down by speaker. You can even translate any of all these content material into totally different languages.These options ought to sound acquainted to anybody who has been following Google’s AI developments over the previous 12 months. That’s intentional: Samsung labored carefully with Google on sure Galaxy AI options and is even utilizing the corporate’s underlying know-how to energy some instruments like the flexibility to summarize transcriptions, notes and webpages, rewrite textual content messages in a special tone and take away or rearrange objects in photographs.Read extra: Your Future Phone Will Likely Be Smarter, Faster and More BendyBut the execution is not usually the identical. Take Samsung’s Generative Edit and Google’s Magic Edit for instance. Both instruments let you choose an object in a photograph and both erase or transfer that object to your liking, however they will produce totally different outcomes. Sometimes one model will patch up the background after eradicating an object, whereas the opposite will substitute the undesirable object with one other similar-looking construction that matches into the background. Google’s software offers a couple of choices to select from when offering the consequence, whereas Samsung solely offers one, however watermarks the brand new photograph to make clear that it was altered utilizing Generative Edit. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s new Generative Edit function permits you to transfer and erase objects in photographs. Lisa Eadicicco/CNETOf all of the Galaxy AI options, there are two that impressed me essentially the most: language translation and Circle to Search. While apps like Google Translate have existed for years, having translation constructed into the keyboard and cellphone app makes the entire course of really feel extra pure. In addition to the French instance I discussed earlier, I used Samsung’s translation options to textual content with a coworker who speaks Korean. As quickly as she despatched me a textual content in Korean, a immediate to translate the message to English appeared within the Messages app. I typed my response in English in a separate textual content field beneath the messaging area, and inside seconds my phrases, translated into Korean, appeared within the message field.Features like these could possibly be extraordinarily helpful for anybody who travels lots, has relations who communicate a special language or that ceaselessly work with colleagues or purchasers in several components of the world. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s new chat translation function is actually spectacular. Lisa Eadicicco/CNETCircle to Search is one other sensible software that has the potential to make sure duties extra handy by stopping the necessity to change between apps as typically. It’s self explanatory; simply circle an object on display screen that you just’d prefer to study extra about, and the Galaxy S24 will launch a Google seek for that merchandise or location.I’ve to confess, it is onerous to battle the intuition to open Chrome or the Google app and simply sort in my search question the standard approach. But Circle to Search works impressively nicely thus far. I circled photos of pesto pasta in my Instagram feed to seek out recipes and close by eating places. Circling a photograph of a costume that I appreciated in my Instagram feed additionally pulled up comparable items. Dragging my finger round characters from an animated TV sequence I just lately completed watching resulted in information tales and YouTube movies about these characters, though Google warns that search outcomes for precise individuals could also be restricted.Shopping is the obvious use case, however there are different methods it could possibly be helpful. Circling my character in Diablo Immortals pulled up a search consequence about my character’s class, for instance, which could possibly be useful for brand new gamers. But this expertise wasn’t constant. When I attempted to breed that consequence on a separate event, I received hyperlinks to web sites and movies about different video games like Final Fantasy and Genshin Impact. Depending on how Circle to Search evolves, I really feel like there are alternatives for it to be way more useful. Circle to Search could possibly be actually helpful, nevertheless it’s not but constantly useful. Lisa Eadicicco/CNETAndifferent favourite function of mine is Instant Slow-mo, which lets me preview any video in my gallery in sluggish movement simply by urgent and holding the clip. It’s not a game-changer, nevertheless it’s enjoyable to mess around with nonetheless. My solely grievance is that it isn’t all the time straightforward to see learn how to save the clip in sluggish movement. You can achieve this by tapping the pencil icon beneath the video clip, however I want there was a technique to simply put it aside instantly from the preview mode. However, not all Galaxy AI options really feel as beneficial, and the writing fashion software within the Messages app falls into that bucket. It primarily appears like a Samsung-customized model of Google’s Magic Compose, and it is primarily based on Google’s know-how. The software can rewrite textual content messages in a special tone, with choices together with skilled, informal, social, well mannered and emojify. When I selected the informal possibility, which sounds essentially the most like my traditional tone, my husband thought the message sounded unusual and in contrast to me. I might presumably see the well mannered or skilled possibility being useful in case you’re sending a message to a piece colleague, however different choices like emojify and social simply pepper your phrases with hashtags and emojis. The summarize possibility in Samsung’s Notes app has a cap at 8,000 characters, which means it could not sum up your entire 1,475-word script (which was round 8,400 characters) I had written for my Galaxy S24 Ultra video evaluation. While I perceive that most individuals aren’t jotting down prolonged notes on their telephones, lengthy paperwork like these are those that want summarizing essentially the most. Overall, Galaxy AI appears to be off to a promising begin, though its long-term usefulness will rely upon the place Samsung and Google take it, and whether or not the prevailing options really resonate with individuals. The superb print on Samsung’s product web page for the Galaxy S24 Ultra hints that it might finally cost for such options after 2025, though the corporate hasn’t stated how a lot. While I’m glad Samsung is not making you pay for the costliest mannequin to get Galaxy AI, I want it supplied a couple of further Galaxy AI options particularly for the Ultra. Doing so might have made the Ultra’s excessive value a bit simpler to swallow, particularly given Samsung’s emphasis on productiveness and artistic instruments with Galaxy AI. The Galaxy S24’s digicam has a crisper 5x zoom The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s cameras are as glorious as ever. Lisa Eadicicco/CNETSamsung’s Galaxy Ultra telephones are identified for his or her zoom prowess, with the Ultra able to zooming as much as 100x digitally. But this time round, Samsung realized that high quality issues over amount. It changed the 10-megapixel sensor that zooms at 10x on the S23 Ultra with a sharper 50-megapixel digicam that focuses on 5x zoom, with the purpose being to offer crisper outcomes even at a shorter magnification. Samsung succeeds in that regard, though you will need to look carefully to identify the variations between photographs from the Galaxy S24 Ultra and final 12 months’s S23 Ultra. Take these photographs of houseplants beneath for instance, each of which have been taken at 5x zoom. They look the identical at first look, however once you look at them extra carefully, you may inform that the Galaxy S24 Ultra preserved extra element. I zoomed in additional and cropped a bit of it in order that you possibly can see the distinction. Galaxy S24 Ultra Lisa Eadicicco/CNETGalaxy S23 Ultra Houseplants at 5x zoom. Lisa Eadicicco/CNETThe Galaxy S24 Ultra additionally captured extra element at 5x zoom than the iPhone 15 Pro, though Apple’s photograph is brighter. An picture taken on Google’s Pixel 8 Pro, nonetheless, was crisper at 5x zoom than each Samsung and Apple’s.iPhone 15 Pro Max Lisa Eadicicco/CNETPixel 8 Pro Lisa Eadicicco/CNETThe Galaxy S24 Ultra’s digicam specs are in any other case largely the identical because the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s, although Samsung elevated the dimensions of the pixels, which ought to imply the S24 Ultra’s sensor can take up extra gentle.As a consequence, I discovered that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is nice at dealing with combined and dim lighting environments, reminiscent of a cocktail bar or a buddy’s front room. Even if the S24 Ultra’s photograph wasn’t all the time the brightest of the bunch when in comparison with the S23 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro and Google Pixel 8 Pro, it preserved a very good quantity of element in these darkish settings. When it involves common picture high quality, the Galaxy S24 Ultra did a greater job of constructing pores and skin tones and colours look extra pure in comparison with the S23 Ultra.It’s onerous to say whether or not the S24 Ultra is the very best digicam cellphone total, since picture high quality might be topic to interpretation and will depend on your choice. In my expertise, every cellphone succeeded in their very own approach. Check out the gallery beneath for extra photographs taken on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.Galaxy S24 Ultra design, efficiency and battery life Lisa Eadicicco/CNETThe Galaxy S24 Ultra seems to be lots just like the S23 Ultra, however with some refined but vital variations. There’s titanium within the design, and the display screen now has flatter edges that make it simpler to grip. Samsung additionally boosted the display screen brightness to 2,600 nits, which is brighter than the S23 Ultra’s 1,750-nit display screen on paper, however not as luminous because the OnePlus 12’s 4,500-nit peak brightness. However, in on a regular basis use, I could not see a lot of a distinction between the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display screen at most brightness and the S23 Ultra’s. Maybe the change will likely be extra noticeable in shiny daylight; it has been overcast and considerably gloomy in New York and San Jose, California, the 2 cities I’ve hung out in whereas reviewing the S24 Ultra. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a flatter display screen. Lisa Eadicicco/CNETThe Galaxy S24 lineup runs on a model of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor optimized for Samsung’s gadgets, and it felt as snappy and easy as you’d count on of a cellphone at this value. Language translations, that are processed on-device somewhat than within the cloud, occur rapidly; video games like Diablo Immortal and Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat run easily; and scrolling across the interface feels responsive and speedy. Samsung can be making a giant deal concerning the Galaxy S24’s ray-tracing capabilities, which ought to make shadows and reflections in video games look extra lifelike. Samsung cited Diablo Immortal, Racing Master, Arena Breakout and Night Crows as early examples of ray-tracing-optimized video games. I did not see a lot of a distinction when enjoying Arena Breakout on the Galaxy S24 Ultra alongside the Google Pixel 8 Pro, which doesn’t assist ray tracing. I’m undecided if Diablo Immortal has been up to date to benefit from the S24 Ultra’s ray tracing but, however I observed a distinction regardless. Shadowy areas had extra definition and distinction on the S24 Ultra in comparison with the Pixel 8 Pro, which made the sport look a bit hazy by comparability.The Galaxy S24 Ultra beat final 12 months’s Galaxy S23 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro, the latter of which runs on Google Tensor G3 processor, in benchmarks I ran that measure common computing and graphics efficiency. But the OnePlus 12 surpassed the S24 Ultra on 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, the graphics-oriented benchmark, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max beat Samsung’s new cellphone usually computing benchmarks (however not 3DMark).Galaxy S24 Ultra Geekbench 6 Geekbench 6 (Single core) 2,202 1,541 1,776 2,947 967Geekbench 6 (Multicore) 6,721 4,303 4,493 7,364 4,717
Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Pixel 8 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
OnePlus 12
Note: Higher scores are higher.
Galaxy S24 Ultra 3DMark Wild Life Extreme 3DMark Wild Life Extreme 4,415 3,802 2,388 4,193 5,066
Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Pixel 8 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
OnePlus 12
Note: HIgher scores are higher
Battery life is stable thus far, with the Galaxy S24 Ultra simply in a position to make it by way of greater than a day on a single cost. But it’s going to rely upon the way you’re utilizing the cellphone. On a day that principally concerned looking Instagram and Google, sending textual content messages, taking photographs and streaming Spotify for about 30 minutes with the display screen brightness set low, I nonetheless had 69% of my battery left after about 15 and a half hours of use. After a busy workday, throughout which I streamed music for a part of my commute (about 15 minutes), streamed video for about 25 minutes, ceaselessly checked e-mail and social media, and used my cellphone because it looked for cell service underground on the subway, I had 55% of my battery left after about 13 and a half hours of use. Playing video games, processing some Generative Edit photographs and turning up the brightness additionally drained the battery sooner in my expertise. We’ll replace this evaluation with CNET’s battery checks quickly. Overall ideas Lisa Eadicicco/CNETAt $1,300, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is tough to suggest except you actually need a large display screen, a digicam with a variety of zoom choices and the S Pen. These are the options that really distinguish Samsung’s high-end cellphone from the inexpensive Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus. Galaxy AI can be coming to the Galaxy S23 sequence, and Google’s Pixel 8 household will get Circle to Search, which suggests there’s nothing about Galaxy AI that stands out on the Galaxy S24 Ultra particularly. A tool just like the Galaxy S24 Ultra that is already geared in the direction of productiveness due to its massive display screen and S Pen looks as if a primary candidate for further Galaxy AI options, so hopefully we’ll see extra in a future replace. Circle to Search and Generative Edit are simpler to make use of with the S Pen, however that alone is not sufficient to justify the upper value. Otherwise, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s sharper 50-megapixel telephoto digicam, speedy new processor and 7 years of software program updates make it a stable improve for these coming from an older Samsung cellphone — in case you can abdomen the excessive value.How we take a look at phonesEvery cellphone examined by CNET’s critiques workforce is definitely utilized in the actual world. We take a look at a cellphone’s options, play video games and take photographs. We look at the show to see if it is shiny, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water-resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes, utilizing standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark in addition to our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and enjoying graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.All the cameras are examined in quite a lot of circumstances, from shiny daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like evening mode and portrait mode and evaluate our findings towards equally priced competing telephones. We additionally take a look at the battery life by utilizing the cellphone each day in addition to working a sequence of battery drain checks.Editors’ observe: CNET is utilizing an AI engine to assist create some tales. For extra, see this publish.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. rivals Samsung Galaxy S24 UltraSamsung Galaxy S23 UltraGoogle Pixel 8 ProApple iPhone 15 Pro Max Display dimension, tech, decision, refresh price 6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,088×1,440 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh rate6.7-inch OLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 120Hz adaptive refresh pricePixel density 501 ppi500 ppi489 ppi460 ppiDimensions (inches) 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in6.4 x 3 x 0.3 in5.77 x 2.78 x 0.32 inDimensions (millimeters) 163 x 79 x 8.6 mm163.3 x 78 x 8.9 mm162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8 mm146.6 x 70.6 x 8.25 mmWeight (grams, ounces) 233 g (8.22 oz) 234 g (8.25 oz)213 g (7.5 oz)187 g (6.6 oz)Mobile software program Android 14Android 13Android 14iOS 17Digicam 200-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)200-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 10-megapixel (10x telephoto)50-megapixel (huge), 48-megapixel (ultrawide), 48-megapixel (telephoto)48-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (3x telephoto)Front-facing digicam 12-megapixel12-megapixel 10.5-megapixel12-megapixelVideo seize 8K8K4K4KProcessor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for GalaxyGoogle Tensor G3Apple A17 ProStorage and RAM 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB8GB RAM + 256GB; 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 12GB RAM + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (RAM undisclosed)Expandable storage NoneNoneNoneNoneBattery 5,000 mAh5,000 mAh5,050 mAhUndisclosed; Apple claims as much as 23 hours of video playback (20 hours streamed)Fingerprint sensor Under showUnder showUnder showNone (Face ID)Connector USB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneNoneSpecial options Titanium body, 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and safety updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dirt resistance; wi-fi PowerShare to cost different gadgets; built-in S Pen; UWB for locating different gadgets; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Armor cowl glass4 years of OS updates, 5G (Sub6, mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wi-fi PowerShare to cost different gadgets; built-in S Pen; 100x Space Zoom; 10x optical zoom; UWB for locating different gadgets; 45W wired charging5G (Sub 6, mmWave); VPN by Google One; 7 years of OS, safety and Feature Drop updates; front-facing digicam has autofocus; 13W Qi wi-fi charging; 30W wired charging; USB-3.2 speeds through USB-C; IP68 mud and water resistance; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on entrance and back5G (Sub6, mmWave); Action Button, Always-On show, IP68 water resistance, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, 5x optical zoom (120mm equal), satellite tv for pc connectivity, eSIM, thread networking technologyUS value begins at $1,300 (256GB)$1,200 (256GB)$999 (128GB)$999 (128GB)UK value begins at £1,249 (256GB)£1,249 (256GB)£999 (128GB)£999 (128GB)Australia value begins at AU$2,199 (256GB)AU$1,949 (256GB)AU$1,699 (128GB)AU$1,849 (128GB)