I wanted to do a more comprehensive review and update as time goes on. I find the main s24/ultra thread is too mixed with devices and think that each s series phone deserves it's own thread. The plus and regular s24 should have dedicated threads.
After having the Ultra for a little while the thing that is impressive as much as the hardware is the software. Samsung made a lot of improvements in day to day function of OneUI. It has more Pixel like animations which I really like. OneUI 6.1 is the most polished release of OneUI to date and I really like it. I hope that Samsung continues to refine and improve their software. Obviously all of the s24 series have the sane software and all three benefit.
Curved displays have been the bane of my existence on Smartphones since the s6 or s5 introduced them. I hate them so much. Looking at a flat 6.8" squared rectangular screen with 2600 nits brightness and AR coating on the screen is something I have dreamed about since the Note 10(which I loved). It is just so immersive and with the equal reduced bezels it is just a pleasure to stare at. You wouldn't think a square or round corner would make such a difference.
Android phones have lacked a proper anti reflective coating for a long time and I always wondered why it never came to Android when Apple has been using AR coating for years with great success. A flat screen that Apple uses is just more practical than the curved displays.
So to have both a flat screen with an AR coating on the largest bar phone available is something I just can't understate.
All these people complaining about vivid, and the s23 ultra is better must have been so conditioned by Samsung cold and punchy screens that they can't see a natural looking screen without complaining. What Samsung has done is make true tone usable. They have created a much more natural and beautiful display than ever before. It also finally has a pwm of 495.
Using a low grade Titanium frame was the right call. It is closer to the cost of Aluminum while providing a better surface to grip. It looks better, and feels better. I was not convinced until I held the phone and was like I can't go back. Aluminum is fine and I prefer it if it is a choice between better internals or Ti. I will choose Aluminum every time. In this case the Ti feels warmer to the tough and the blasted finish make it grippy. In terms of feel and ergonomics it is an improvement. I didn't expect to like the Ti but I do.
Everything else about the phone. Performance. Speakers. Battery life. S pen. Fit and finish are all very very good to excellent. Best I have seen in a Ultra/Note with the Note 10 as a possible exception.
The cameras oh the cameras. In my testing against the s24 plus the s24 ultra takes better shots in certain circumstances and the main sensor has much more detail on the ultra compared to the plus. The Pixel 8 Pro is a little better but the Ultra is closer than last year against the 7 Pro.
Colors. I like them a lot better than last year. BUT on the Ultra can we have some saturated colors that aren't powder blue or light green but real blue and green. The orange was great and the Purple was good but I prefer the plus purple a lot more. So big improvement over last year but a little more color next year!! I do like the blue, purple, orange and green this year!
Odds and ends. Charging is a lit faster than last year.
Overall once we get the color banding issue resolved this will be phone of the year IMHO!
After having the Ultra for a little while the thing that is impressive as much as the hardware is the software. Samsung made a lot of improvements in day to day function of OneUI. It has more Pixel like animations which I really like. OneUI 6.1 is the most polished release of OneUI to date and I really like it. I hope that Samsung continues to refine and improve their software. Obviously all of the s24 series have the sane software and all three benefit.
Curved displays have been the bane of my existence on Smartphones since the s6 or s5 introduced them. I hate them so much. Looking at a flat 6.8" squared rectangular screen with 2600 nits brightness and AR coating on the screen is something I have dreamed about since the Note 10(which I loved). It is just so immersive and with the equal reduced bezels it is just a pleasure to stare at. You wouldn't think a square or round corner would make such a difference.
Android phones have lacked a proper anti reflective coating for a long time and I always wondered why it never came to Android when Apple has been using AR coating for years with great success. A flat screen that Apple uses is just more practical than the curved displays.
So to have both a flat screen with an AR coating on the largest bar phone available is something I just can't understate.
All these people complaining about vivid, and the s23 ultra is better must have been so conditioned by Samsung cold and punchy screens that they can't see a natural looking screen without complaining. What Samsung has done is make true tone usable. They have created a much more natural and beautiful display than ever before. It also finally has a pwm of 495.
Using a low grade Titanium frame was the right call. It is closer to the cost of Aluminum while providing a better surface to grip. It looks better, and feels better. I was not convinced until I held the phone and was like I can't go back. Aluminum is fine and I prefer it if it is a choice between better internals or Ti. I will choose Aluminum every time. In this case the Ti feels warmer to the tough and the blasted finish make it grippy. In terms of feel and ergonomics it is an improvement. I didn't expect to like the Ti but I do.
Everything else about the phone. Performance. Speakers. Battery life. S pen. Fit and finish are all very very good to excellent. Best I have seen in a Ultra/Note with the Note 10 as a possible exception.
The cameras oh the cameras. In my testing against the s24 plus the s24 ultra takes better shots in certain circumstances and the main sensor has much more detail on the ultra compared to the plus. The Pixel 8 Pro is a little better but the Ultra is closer than last year against the 7 Pro.
Colors. I like them a lot better than last year. BUT on the Ultra can we have some saturated colors that aren't powder blue or light green but real blue and green. The orange was great and the Purple was good but I prefer the plus purple a lot more. So big improvement over last year but a little more color next year!! I do like the blue, purple, orange and green this year!
Odds and ends. Charging is a lit faster than last year.
Overall once we get the color banding issue resolved this will be phone of the year IMHO!
