The Galaxy S24 Ultra feels like Samsung's identity crisis
The Galaxy S24 Ultra might be a great phone, but as our hands-on time proves, it also shows Samsung's total lack of direction
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 / Ultra
- Thread starter Tulani
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I want to love the Pixel, I experience a couple issues that have caused me to not really use it / sitting in drawer at moment. May as well consider trading in toward the S24+ rather than collect dust. That and if I trade in my AW6 the Watch6 classic LTE will cost me $161 out of pocket, which ain't bad. I haven't pulled the trigger though. My ultimate goal is to be done with Apple once and for all. The big hurdle that is Photos was cleared when I got the Pixel, I no longer need iCloud or Photos and have everything going through Google.
Does it mention what the cost will be?
No, it literally says that. In my opinion it doesnt matter what the cost is, they shouldn't be charging of those AI features they are part of the phone. Once I've brought it, I don't want to continue to pay a fee for the phones features.
Making the S24+ so close to the Ultra, I wonder if that will actually drive down sales of the flagship device. I’ve always been impressed that for a bigger phone the plus models are surprisingly light. Shame that in the UK though that the rumour about the + also having SD proved to be false.
That said I’m kind of more interested in the OnePlus 12 which could offer near similiar hardware at a lower price. Especially as the S24 range are all kind of bland looking.
That said I’m kind of more interested in the OnePlus 12 which could offer near similiar hardware at a lower price. Especially as the S24 range are all kind of bland looking.
Last edited:
It says it is free basically until Jan of 2026. So almost two years free guaranteed in writing. They will probably ask owners through surveys and emails about if they are comfortable paying for the AI features they are using. I bet they will get a big No. Or if they just announce it Jan 2026 it is going to anger a lot of people.
There is no guarantee that they will ever charge you at this point and it seems premature to cancel an order over a possible future cost for something you can choose not to use or pay for??
I will certainly raise hell in the Samsung members forum to give Samsung some feedback. But I honestly don't think it will ever happen. I could be wrong and people are push overs but the majority opinion of most people is that they would never pay for it. Samsung has two years to convince us otherwise.
Look, as some have said if there is an extra cost associated with providing AI features beyond just adding the code in the OS like using servers for AI computation or other costs I have no idea about in the day to day running of the new features. Then and only then an at cost fee would be appropriate. In other words if it costs 39 cents a month per device for Samsung to run the AI then that is what we should pay. They shouldn't make a profit off of it. Then I would be okay with a charge. Anything else I will not pay most likely....
Last edited:
I don't think it will hurt Ultra sales one bit. Titanium and s pen, flat screen, Snapdragon everywhere. It will sell just fine.
What the plus will hurt is the vanilla s24. Who would buy it when you pay a little more and get a lot more phone. There are diehards who like smaller phones so they will still get the s24 but everyone else will now be seriously tempted by the s24 plus. It is more expensive than the s24 but it is not the huge difference that the ultra is and you get a lot of ultra goodies.
OnePlus used to be my favorite brand until Carl left and they merged with OPPO. The hardware is great but I can't do their software anymore. Updates aren't as good either. The cameras are obviously way better than the s24 plus but as long as regular shots look good I am happy. But if you like it as an option the OnePlus 12 certainly looks cool and I understand the hardware temptation. Heck, the Nubia Pro 60 or something like that was seriously tempting but the updates and software are way worse than OnePlus.
I’m still using a OnePlus 6 as well as my iPhone so I do have a lot of time for them as a brand, but I know they’ve been in a lull that they’ve only just started to climb out of.
Just as an aside on Amazon you can pay for the Ultra over 12 months but not the other models for some reason.
Hi folks, long time no see.
I've been enjoying my Pixel 8 Pro the past 3 months. I like the FLAT display, the brighter screen, the comfortable rounded size, and it feels smooth and lag free. And the battery life seems much improved, like way batter than the 7 Pro. Plus stock Android with no bloatware, no duplicate apps, or Bixby and stuff.
I was curious about the S24 ultra, but honestly, it does nothing for me, looks like a nice enough smartphone, ya. But not pumped up or super exciting, to me. How is it much better than the S23 Ultra?
I think I'm just getting burned out on new smartphone releases, a lot of the same old, same old, nothing really new, unless you wait 2 to 3 years between upgrades then yes it's a big upgrade, but year to year upgrades lately are just lighting your ca$h on fire.
Even for me, I went from the Pixel 6 Pro to the Pixel 7 Pro, and it was a sidegrade at best, if that, the 7 Pro to me, felt like a 6.25 Pro. A week later I couldn't tell if I was holding the 7 Pro or 6 Pro.
But don't listen to my rants, it's exciting getting new gadgets, it hits those dopamine levels
I've been enjoying my Pixel 8 Pro the past 3 months. I like the FLAT display, the brighter screen, the comfortable rounded size, and it feels smooth and lag free. And the battery life seems much improved, like way batter than the 7 Pro. Plus stock Android with no bloatware, no duplicate apps, or Bixby and stuff.
I was curious about the S24 ultra, but honestly, it does nothing for me, looks like a nice enough smartphone, ya. But not pumped up or super exciting, to me. How is it much better than the S23 Ultra?
I think I'm just getting burned out on new smartphone releases, a lot of the same old, same old, nothing really new, unless you wait 2 to 3 years between upgrades then yes it's a big upgrade, but year to year upgrades lately are just lighting your ca$h on fire.
Even for me, I went from the Pixel 6 Pro to the Pixel 7 Pro, and it was a sidegrade at best, if that, the 7 Pro to me, felt like a 6.25 Pro. A week later I couldn't tell if I was holding the 7 Pro or 6 Pro.
But don't listen to my rants, it's exciting getting new gadgets, it hits those dopamine levels
True, I just think it's very sneaky to advertise these AI features. The AI features do look great, but to show them on stage and not mention that there could be a cost in the future is very sneaky in my opinion.
My last OnePlus was a 7 Pro. I had a 3t and many more. After the 7 Pro I haven't looked back. I am more interested in Nothing phones. Right now they are still in their infancy but give them a couple more years and we might have some real competition to Samsung and Google.
They probably have an agreement with Amazon to help sell the phone. Pretty common on Amazon.
I'm very interested in the Nothing Phone 3, I bet it will give the Pixel Pro some stiff competition.
Well.. that was underwhelming. Pretty much just Titanium and software features. Smartphones have peaked, will stick with 15PM for few years..
I’m going to wait for the Fold 6. I gave up my S23U cause it was too big to be a second phone, and got the Flip 5 which I like a lot. So it doesn’t make sense for me to go for the S24U, and honestly this upgrade doesn’t seem exciting. If I don’t like the Fold 6, then I’ll try the Pixel Fold 2. I just want to go back to a Fold again.
I don't know what people were expecting as the most of rumors were true.
I’ve re-ordered, if they do end up charging a subscription for the AI features I will just use the phone without them. At this price, with the £50 off, the free case and screen protector plus the free storage upgrade and the free Galaxy Watch 6, i would be stupid not to take advantage of it.
Feel your pain. My new obsession is motorcycles after starting to ride again after being away for 20+ years. The upgrade bug gets prohibitively more expensive vs. the periodic smartphone.
Does anyone else feel like with the S24 series it’s a bit of a case of money for old rope? It’s like Samsung are focusing so much on the AI features to try and hide how much the hardware is just a relatively small iteration on the S23 models.
Upgrade S23+ -> S24+ costs just about $350 USD total including tax, (after Rakuten 12% off and 2% on CC) for:
Double the storage of my S23+
50% more RAM
Newer Snapdragon chip iteration
Better display 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~509 ppi density)
vs 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~393 ppi density)
Slightly higher battery capacity
Edit: also, Samsung bumped Android software and security updates to seven years
Total trade-in price- $650.00 (S23+ 256GB)
$75 Instant Samsung Credit (can't use all of this b/c 45w charger is no longer in stock and I really don't need it anyway)
Instant Savings- $120.00
Pre-ordered though I'm on the fence...
Double the storage of my S23+
50% more RAM
Newer Snapdragon chip iteration
Better display 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~509 ppi density)
vs 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~393 ppi density)
Slightly higher battery capacity
Edit: also, Samsung bumped Android software and security updates to seven years
Total trade-in price- $650.00 (S23+ 256GB)
$75 Instant Samsung Credit (can't use all of this b/c 45w charger is no longer in stock and I really don't need it anyway)
Instant Savings- $120.00
Pre-ordered though I'm on the fence...
Last edited:
Samsung says Galaxy AI features will only be free 'until the end of 2025'
Samsung may eventually charge for its Galaxy AI features, and the company only promises they'll be free through 2025.
9to5google.com
Goodbye.Samsung says Galaxy AI features will only be free 'until the end of 2025'
Samsung may eventually charge for its Galaxy AI features, and the company only promises they'll be free through 2025.
That's where the entire smartphone industry is heading... Samsung isn't the only one focusing on AI features, Google has done the same with the Pixel 8/8 Pro.
Heck, Apple is focusing on AI features with the upcoming iOS 18. And nowadays, every smartphone maker has small iteration of their previous models.
I just preordered the ultra my 13 pro is meh anymore. And don’t care for the 15 pro max.
Yeah if I was in the current Samsung eco system I’d be like cmon ? But I’m upgrading form a 13 pro. So will be nice to experience something new to me