The Samsung Galaxy S24 / Ultra

[SteveJUAE]

I do still think that their algorithms opt for slower shutter speeds than pixel/iphone resulting in more blurred action photos

I agree with this 100%.

It's not shutter lag. It's Samsung having the synthetic equivalent of aperture priority over shutter priority, that some notice in lower light conditions.

Obviously some good photo techniques like panning where possible with your subject or having tracking focus on will help, also using burst mode

 

[Tig Bitties]

As you all know I'm a diehard Nexus / Pixel guy, just looking for a slight change and try something new, would like a phone with better battery life and zero lag whatsoever, I'm hyper sensitive to noticing even the littlest bit of lag, if it's just half a second, it pisses me off. My Pixel 8 Pro will have very very minor almost barely noticeable lag on certain things, probably lasts 1/4 a second, but I see it when it happens. I want a phone with ZERO lag whatsoever, always smooth, always fluid. Scrolling in Reddit or other apps my 8 Pro will sometimes once in awhile see some stutter for a brief moment, I want that gone.

One thing I did like with the iPhone when I had one like 3 or 4 years ago was able to individually set the font size per app, which was great, and that setting has never been in Android. And as much as I b!tch about iOS I will say it's a very fluid UI.

First world problems.

 

[keithop]

One thing I did like with the iPhone when I had one like 3 or 4 years ago was able to individually set the font size per app, which was great, and that setting has never been in Android. And as much as I b!tch about iOS I will say it's a very fluid UI.

yep sadly I'm the same.

Any stutter I notice and it irks me. Also, being mega old (how the heck did that happen?) I need to increase the font size and on iOS it works great, on android loads of apps mangle the fonts because they expect the "default"

and yet, I still want to use android really.

A work colleague fairly exploded last week and said just use the iphone and stop going on about it! it works, it's a phone, get over it....

fine yeah but I'm a techie, I love trying stuff, messing with things. I still think my experimenting with phones is cheaper and safer than the experimentation other people do to feel excited..

First world problems.

yeah true enough but hey, I'm not gonna feel bad about it any more, just gonna be me

 

[Mellofello808]

My friend just got a s24 ultra, and has been posting photos this weekend.

I'm not sure what is going on but they look real bad, I'm talking something that wouldn't pass the standard on a phone from 4 years ago.

It isn't one lens either, they posted a few selfies, and shots with the back cameras that are all a blurry, strangely exposed mess.

 

[keithop]

My friend just got a s24 ultra, and has been posting photos this weekend.

I'm not sure what is going on but they look real bad, I'm talking something that wouldn't pass the standard on a phone from 4 years ago.

It isn't one lens either, they posted a few selfies, and shots with the back cameras that are all a blurry, strangely exposed mess.

hmmmm it's not bad to anywhere near THAT extent so that's either a bad unit or user error IMHO

 

[Mellofello808]

hmmmm it's not bad to anywhere near THAT extent so that's either a bad unit or user error IMHO

I mean....

This is unacceptably bad IMHO.

This was by far the worst one, but many of the other pics he posted were really washed out, and soft.

 

[glambutnerdy]

Samsung form factors are beautiful TBH. Especially the Ultras, love the squared look. So elegant and futuristic.

I also love the flip series from an aesthetic and convenience point of view, I would seriously consider switching if each annual release didn’t come across as Samsung using the public as lab rats to test their folding screen experiments.

 

[Technerd108]

That sucks of people have defective units. Hopefully Samsung will rectify the situation immediately.

I have used both the s23 ultra, Pixel 8 Pro, s24 plus and Ultra. 2 will be going back to Samsung. I have tested the cameras on all of them and I haven't noticed any problems with any of the phones.

I have found the s24 ultra to take more detailed shots when compared with the s23 ultra and better looking shots overall. Higher zoom than 20 degrades faster on the S24U but this is the first release of new camera software and I bet with a few updates Samsungs claims of the 5x zoom reaching parity with the 10x zoom but with more detail will be true.

Honestly this is the first year I might actually enjoy using a Samsung camera. They have always had outrageous hardware but the actual real world experience has never matched the hardware because of the software. I think things are finally about to change.

 

[jamezr]

Samsung form factors are beautiful TBH. Especially the Ultras, love the squared look. So elegant and futuristic.

I also love the flip series from an aesthetic and convenience point of view, I would seriously consider switching if each annual release didn’t come across as Samsung using the public as lab rats to test their folding screen experiments.

Ok..I'll bite. What is your phone of choice? Guessing an iPhone? I get the new iPhone every year. I Have had every one since the beginning. Have you been in the iPhone forum after a new release? did you notice how many people say this exact thing about iPhones...especially the mess that is IOS right now.
At least other companies are innovating with different form factors.... Apple not so much.

 

[furbzv1]

Got the phone over the weekend but it's still in the box.. will be setting up tomorrow. Need to get a screen protector for it that doesn't take away from the anti-reflective coating.. is the Samsung branded the recommended one?

 

[Technerd108]

FLOLAB NanoArmour ONETIME PRO for Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 3D Screen Protector ClearVue, Anti-Microbial,Fingerprint ID Compatible, Anti-Rainbow, Anti Reflective Technologies

Shield your Samsung S24 Ultra from scratches and germs with FLOLAB's top-of-the-line screen protector. Anti Reflective and anti-microbial technology included for ultimate protection.

flolab.io

This is the only one I have found.

 

[JohnRckr]

Reading these posts make me so tempted haha, especially after my experience with S23U. But for me it is much harder to justify since I have 15PM and Macbook Pro. But damn iPhones are really boring..

 

[keithop]

Reading these posts make me so tempted haha, especially after my experience with S23U. But for me it is much harder to justify since I have 15PM and Macbook Pro. But damn iPhones are really boring..

hehe that sounds SO much like me. I keep trying to tell myself that boring is ok at this stage of the game with phones or even "desirable predictability" for a trusted device... but the tech in me still craves for some excitement ;-)

 

[yui4]

Ok..I'll bite. What is your phone of choice? Guessing an iPhone? I get the new iPhone every year. I Have had every one since the beginning. Have you been in the iPhone forum after a new release? did you notice how many people say this exact thing about iPhones...especially the mess that is IOS right now.
At least other companies are innovating with different form factors.... Apple not so much.

💯

If you look hard enough you'll find flaws or issues in anything and everything

 

[edubfromktown]

Supposedly Samsung is putting out an update this week to address S24 display murkiness (the gradient full screen test is quite helpful for comparing to older devices).

Hope they are also addressing lame GPS reception! I noticed over the weekend that GPS data accuracy is way off and essentially worthless compared to my S23+ and prior mobile phones that I've used for tracking activities with CycleMeter app (since iPhone 3gs!).

Next time I upgrade, my plan is to wait 3-6 months for all these sorts of things to settle down. The extra money I'll fork out will be far less than the hours spent stumbling through resolving issues.

 

[glambutnerdy]

At least other companies are innovating with different form factors.... Apple not so much.

Yeah, I used to be a huge Apple/iPhone enthusiast but tbh, I find the yearly recycle of the almost 7 year old iPhone X design fatiguing.

The ugly muted colours of this years base line up has been the cherry on top.

 

[jamezr]

Yeah, I used to be a huge Apple/iPhone enthusiast but tbh, I find the yearly recycle of the almost 7 year old iPhone X design fatiguing.

The ugly muted colours of this years base line up has been the cherry on top.

It seems phone makers have assumed the buying public wants paled pastels on their phones? Personally I am not a fan of all the muted pastel colors this year from Apple or Samsung

 

[ios3]

Next time I upgrade, my plan is to wait 3-6 months for all these sorts of things to settle down. The extra money I'll fork out will be far less than the hours spent stumbling through resolving issues.

Waiting it out for real user reviews is the best strategy. It applies to phones and software updates, which seems to have less quality assurance these days(fast market, complex software, etc.). An added plus to this approach is getting these phones for a lower price

 

[jamezr]

Waiting it out for real user reviews is the best strategy. It applies to phones and software updates, which seems to have less quality assurance these days(fast market, complex software, etc.). An added plus to this approach is getting these phones for a lower price

you are very wise with that advice......some of us have an addiction problem....we can't help ourselves from pre-ordering :-(

 

[edubfromktown]

Waiting it out for real user reviews is the best strategy. It applies to phones and software updates, which seems to have less quality assurance these days(fast market, complex software, etc.). An added plus to this approach is getting these phones for a lower price

True, true. Proper QA/QC have gone by the wayside in favor of half-baked rush to market blitzes LOL

At least Samsung finally acknowledged that action is needed to rectify an errant "new & improved" faceplant. GPS signal reception going retrograde is a bit more befuddling.

I'm not generally one to pre-order and did this time because $650 trade-in + $175 additional credit is probably about as good as it is going to get.

 

[keithop]

you are very wise with that advice......some of us have an addiction problem....we can't help ourselves from pre-ordering :-(

very true

 

[SteveJUAE]

Ok..I'll bite. What is your phone of choice? Guessing an iPhone? I get the new iPhone every year. I Have had every one since the beginning. Have you been in the iPhone forum after a new release? did you notice how many people say this exact thing about iPhones...especially the mess that is IOS right now.
At least other companies are innovating with different form factors.... Apple not so much.

I dunno if you can afford $4k you can join the Apple lab rats with the AVP

 

[ios3]

you are very wise with that advice......some of us have an addiction problem....we can't help ourselves from pre-ordering :-(

Oh believe me, I understand the temptation 😂. These days I get a phone to last a few years, but I used to be on top of iPhone releases until the 7

 

[edubfromktown]

Return to sender... S24+ and BudsPro2 boxed up (documented contents and weight as well to avoid industry-rampant "disappearing return syndrome") and headed back to RMA land.

I'm hanging onto my S23+ 8/256 GB and letting earth rotation to continue, uninterrupted /s

Attention Samsug: get some GPS game, gamma correction, font "compatibility", PR resurrection and no falling on face going on FFS!

 

[Technerd108]

Return to sender... S24+ and BudsPro2 boxed up (documented contents and weight as well to avoid industry-rampant "disappearing return syndrome") and headed back to RMA land.

I'm hanging onto my S23+ 8/256 GB and letting earth rotation to continue, uninterrupted /s

Attention Samsug: get some GPS game, gamma correction, font "compatibility", PR resurrection and no falling on face going on FFS!

Well your s23 plus is no slouch so I can see why you are holding onto it.

I personally feel like a lot of the issues you mentioned will get worked out with updates or Samsung will have to replace a lot of defective phones with faulty GPS hardware.

I also personally feel like the s24 plus is the one phone of the 3 in the lineup if you were upgrading from the previous model that you would be most impressed with. From full HD to quad HD with better ppi than the ultra. From 8gb ram to 12gb. Aluminum to armor Aluminum, smallest bezels on a phone, bigger battery, new edge to edge flat display, flat edge armor Aluminum frame.

It is a huge upgrade in my humble opinion and every phone I have ever used at initial launch had some bugs. As long as Samsung resolves the issues appropriately then it shouldn't be a problem.

But there are so many reasons and factors that go into a personal purchase decision I can't even begin to assume anything. You have to do what makes you satisfied and if that is keeping the s23 plus then that is the best plan.

I have known friends who keep their Samsung phones until they have a hardware failure, past software support and they just keep going. I think despite Samsung software long standing complaints a good thing is generally if you get a high end Samsung phone they slow down imperceptibly over years. Samsung does a decent job of keeping their phones feel responsive even after years. I am not talking about stuttering or animations because that would be a separate topic but in general day to day use the phones stay quick. So a lot of people keep their Samsung phones like iPhone users do. I think it is a good thing.

So don't feel pressure to buy a new phone. You got a lot of years left in that s23 plus!!