The Samsung Galaxy S24 / Ultra

[Ludatyk]

Well honestly I was hoping to save some money this year.

Well, at least you are not in my shoes. I have two tech purchases on my radar this year.

The OLED iPad Pro... which will cost me north of $1500, according to the rumors! And then the Fold 6... there's no indication of a price increase, but I have a feeling Samsung is going to go all in with foldables this year. So, I wouldn't be surprised if the cost jumps.

You can't go wrong with either but the Ultra is a special beast. The improvements to the screen and frame with the flat screen really are impressive and that and unique design of the Ultra are worth the extra cost to me.

Well, that's always been the cycle annually. The Ultra takes the top spot at the beginning of the year up until the fall... when the new iPhone and Pixel arrives.

I can see all the YouTubers declaring to switch to the Ultra (while wearing an Apple Watch in the video) ... only to switch again in the fall.

 

[keithop]

The OLED iPad Pro... which will cost me north of $1500, according to the rumors! And then the Fold 6... there's no indication of a price increase, but I have a feeling Samsung is going to go all in with foldables this year. So, I wouldn't be surprised if the cost jumps.

I have a 2022 ipad pro 12.9, I dont know that they'll be able to convince me to upgrade tbh. The m1 is still a beast and the screen is great!

Fold 6 would have to have the cameras of the S24ultra (or at least the s23u) + a built in spen for me to be interested

Well, that's always been the cycle annually. The Ultra takes the top spot at the beginning of the year up until the fall... when the new iPhone and Pixel arrives.

I can see all the YouTubers declaring to switch to the Ultra (while wearing an Apple Watch in the video) ... only to switch again in the fall.

yeah for sure, if you're living off youtube views, it's always the latest phone to be released.

I hope this years iphone is more exciting, don't know how though... and pixel, well I'd need a pixel 9 ultra to be released I think. p8pro had potential for sure, especially in the camera, but just not good enough.

 

[Technerd108]

Well, at least you are not in my shoes. I have two tech purchases on my radar this year.

The OLED iPad Pro... which will cost me north of $1500, according to the rumors! And then the Fold 6... there's no indication of a price increase, but I have a feeling Samsung is going to go all in with foldables this year. So, I wouldn't be surprised if the cost jumps.


Well, that's always been the cycle annually. The Ultra takes the top spot at the beginning of the year up until the fall... when the new iPhone and Pixel arrives.

I can see all the YouTubers declaring to switch to the Ultra (while wearing an Apple Watch in the video) ... only to switch again in the fall.

I got the Galaxy tab s9 last year when I traded my tab s8. I don't like super large tablets for what I use them for.

So getting an Oled screen was a game changer for an 11" tablet.

I don't see why you don't get the tab s9 or maybe there will be a tab s10 this year?

The 8 Gen 2 is very capable, OLED screen, lots of ram. Unless there is an iPad OS specific app you use I don't see why you don't get an s tab with OLED unless you already do and just want an OLED iPad.

I will wait until 2030 when the Oled screen gets released on the air. 😆 Lol

 

[Technerd108]

I'm running no screen protection on 24+ as I did on 23+.

Even with dusty/dirty/muddy/snowy MTB riding stupidy (and snapping photos while riding), among other things... no scratches of any sort.

So how do you like your s24 plus.

I think it is pretty sweet. It is better than the Pixel 8 Pro for everything but the AI and cameras.

The bezels are really cool and I like the flat edge to edge display.

The weight and size with the display are pretty nice. Light but heavy enough not to feel cheap.

 

[drinkingtea]

Loving this phone. What do y'all think?

 

[Tig Bitties]

That looks super cool 😎

How is this phone compared to the Pixel 8 Pro?

Loving this phone. What do y'all think?

 

[edubfromktown]

So how do you like your s24 plus.

I think it is pretty sweet. It is better than the Pixel 8 Pro for everything but the AI and cameras.

The bezels are really cool and I like the flat edge to edge display.

The weight and size with the display are pretty nice. Light but heavy enough not to feel cheap.

Performance and battery runtime are impressive as are the fit and finish. I'd say S23+ held its own against Pixel 8 Pro and S24+ surpasses both.

One UI 6.1 seems a bit rushed out the door and a little too buggy.

Gamma correction is definitely not accurate- display colors are muted compared to S23+ and there is a yellow-ish hue with white and light colors.

Having a few (so far insurmountable) software issues with Work Profile container creation (during Intune install) and other things.

Hate to give up the $650 trade-in but considering a return and waiting for a later and more polished release to try again.

 

[Technerd108]

Performance and battery runtime are impressive as are the fit and finish. I'd say S23+ held its own against Pixel 8 Pro and S24+ surpasses both.

One UI 6.1 seems a bit rushed out the door and a little too buggy.

Gamma correction is definitely not accurate- display colors are muted compared to S23+ and there is a yellow-ish hue with white and light colors.

Having a few (so far insurmountable) software issues with Work Profile container creation (during Intune install) and other things.

Hate to give up the $650 trade-in but considering a return and waiting for a later and more polished release to try again.

Completely understandable.

Alternatively, you could wait and see if the issues are resolved. You could wipe the cache of the phone by turning the phone off and then on with volume up. Once Samsung logo appears stop holding the power button but keep pressing volume. Then release once you are in the recovery menu. Navigate to wipe cache. Follow prompts and reboot. Maybe that will help short of a reset.

No matter what you decide I am sorry about your troubles and wish you the best luck!

 

[drinkingtea]

That looks super cool 😎

How is this phone compared to the Pixel 8 Pro?

I will write a review when I am not so busy with school! Definitely no regrets with switching.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Performance and battery runtime are impressive as are the fit and finish. I'd say S23+ held its own against Pixel 8 Pro and S24+ surpasses both.

One UI 6.1 seems a bit rushed out the door and a little too buggy.

Gamma correction is definitely not accurate- display colors are muted compared to S23+ and there is a yellow-ish hue with white and light colors.

Having a few (so far insurmountable) software issues with Work Profile container creation (during Intune install) and other things.

Hate to give up the $650 trade-in but considering a return and waiting for a later and more polished release to try again.

All the issues I have had with work profiles and Intune have been due to our IT policy changes

I have to jump through hoops now on every change of phone and MS error reporting logs are useless

I would not be pointing the finger 1st at Samsung in my experience

Daft things like forcing pin changes from 6 to 8 digits took days to resolve via our help desk

Best of luck with your issues but it can be exhausting

 

[edubfromktown]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

After letting the S24+ sit overnight, the Work Apps folder automagically appeared!

Had no idea that it would take that long (didn't with S23+). Maybe Microsoft's cloud was laggy or partially jacked up.

Also figured out:

My rejected Secure Folder Google Play Store login (errored out.. "account already logged in") was resolved by omitting @gmail.com at the end of the username.

Had to clean my S23+ screen to get Duo scan code to be picked up correctly by S24+

The remaining hurdles are low, so it looks like I'll hang onto the supercharged lil beast and send S23+ back for $650 ducketts credit

 

[hovscorpion12]

My order finally changed status to “in process“. Hopefully it ships early. Still has a Feb 14th date.

 

[Ludatyk]

I don't see why you don't get the tab s9 or maybe there will be a tab s10 this year?

The 8 Gen 2 is very capable, OLED screen, lots of ram. Unless there is an iPad OS specific app you use I don't see why you don't get an s tab with OLED unless you already do and just want an OLED iPad.

I will wait until 2030 when the Oled screen gets released on the air. 😆 Lol

It’s more so to have access to Apple Ecosystem on-the-go (Find My, iMessage, Photos… etc)… don’t care to carry an iPhone, so I went with a cellular iPad instead.

And having a OLED for the iPad is not necessarily a priority for me, I’m focused on what other areas Apple plans to market the iPad. I know it’s going to be faster, but what iPadOS capabilities will unlock specifically for it… because as much as I like Galaxy Tab devices.

They are not as polished as the iPad… I mean, one key point comes to mind is trackpad support (tried it before and it’s not smooth) along with keyboard shortcuts. And yeah, I like using Affinity suites… which are non-existent on Android.

But I’d rather not derail the subject. What are your thoughts on the S-Pen?

 

[SteveJUAE]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

After letting the S24+ sit overnight, the Work Apps folder automagically appeared!

Had no idea that it would take that long (didn't with S23+). Maybe Microsoft's cloud was laggy or partially jacked up.

Also figured out:

My rejected Secure Folder Google Play Store login (errored out.. "account already logged in") was resolved by omitting @gmail.com at the end of the username.

Had to clean my S23+ screen to get Duo scan code to be picked up correctly by S24+

The remaining hurdles are low, so it looks like I'll hang onto the supercharged lil beast and send S23+ back for $650 ducketts credit

Well done and I am not surprised

My MS mandatory 2 month password change was instant on authenticator but my laptop lagged nearly a day LOL

 

[edubfromktown]

Well done and I am not surprised

My MS mandatory 2 month password change was instant on authenticator but my laptop lagged nearly a day LOL

Ironically- I had just changed my pwd a couple days ago.

Teams stopped ringing on my bloody winblows 11 laptop weeks ago and out of nowhere automagically "healed" itself yesterday lol

 

[contacos]

Checked out the Ultra at the store today and it looks very nice. From the thin bezel, to the overall impression. It actually makes my 15 Plus feel dated.

However, the selfie camera looked pretty bad from the Quick Look at it and 10 zoom is obviously just a gimmick right? Seemed unusable

Waiting for the Fold 6 to decide if it’s time to try something else

 

[SteveJUAE]

Ironically- I had just changed my pwd a couple days ago.

Teams stopped ringing on my bloody winblows 11 laptop weeks ago and out of nowhere automagically "healed" itself yesterday lol

I think teams got updated to "new teams" recently, expect it was that

Else

The work profile on Samsung phones is nice and completely sandboxed and no need for a second phone IMO

 

[Tig Bitties]

 

[drinkingtea]

Changed it up a little bit again to make it simpler. (That text is a quote from Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona.)

 

[Zito Abroad]

I guess the hype is real. I just helped a buddy set up and customise his S24 Ultra. He's not a tech nerd, but he likes tech, just not to the extent of most tech nerds. It's his first Android phone. Calling him overwhelmed would be an understatement. In a good way, though. The funniest thing was that it was the simple things that just made him shake his head. One consistent back button, Customizable gestures via Onehand Operation, moving icons, pausing a video while recording, T9 dialing, and clipboard, just to name a few. When I set up afew routines...mind blown. Lol. I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually got a Fold.

 

[sunking101]

So how's the camera Vs. the S23U? Does that 5X zoom leave you wanting? Do deep reds still come out as being much lighter?

 

[Technerd108]

So how's the camera Vs. the S23U? Does that 5X zoom leave you wanting? Do deep reds still come out as being much lighter?

I can't tell a difference. At anything below 30x zoom there is literally no difference. I haven't tested really past 10x-20x and shots look great. They have more details. It seems like Samsung was mostly right. Obviously at very high zoom the 10mp 10x zoom on the s23 ultra is better but since most shots in those higher zoom ranges aren't very useful it doesn't make much of a meaningful difference but the higher resolution does.

I wish we would have gotten a 10x 50mp sensor and nothing g lower than 24mp on all sensors. Bur alas the cameras on the s24 are better beyond the hardware this year. There are software enhancements that seems to be processing and taking shots different. I still think the Pixel 8 Pro is the smartphone camera king and I don't see anything but niche phones with huge camera sensors beating it.

But overall the s24 plus and s24 ultra take better shots than their predecessors. If Samsung continues to improve the camera software with AI it could add a lot of beneficial for Samsung users even with older sensors.

The only thing I noticed was an over sharpening of the photo. No color shift. Color balance seemed fairly natural for Samsung. Reds seem fine but I will take some photos later and test reds specifically and I will post the s23u and s24u and you can make up your mind what you think.

As I will be sending the s23 Ultra back in a few days if anyone wants a comparison write up, video, has any specific questions just reply and I will post back. Once my s23u leaves I won't be able to do this so happy to answer questions while I have both in my possession.

 

[Technerd108]

My reception on the s24 ultra is very good. Testing in a bad area and I am getting higher bars.

It is similar to my Pixel 8 Pro which oddly enough has been the best phone in reception until now.

 

[sunking101]

Reds seem fine but I will take some photos later and test reds specifically and I will post the s23u and s24u and you can make up your mind what you think.

That would be awesome.😎

 

[Tig Bitties]

So close on pulling the trigger on the S24 Ultra through Samsung's site for the true unlocked version in that blue color with the black frame.

But just not sure ...

Samsung is giving $450 for my old Pixel 7 Pro as trade-in. I would still keep my 8 Pro, and if I like the S24U could easily sell my Pixel 8 Pro locally.

Hmm....