The Samsung Galaxy S24 / Ultra

[Technerd108]

So, I've made up my mind. I'm sending back the S24 Plus.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone, but after comparing it side by side with the S24 Ultra and my old S23 Ultra, I just couldn't ignore the differences.

Yeah, I know the Ultra is a bit of a beast compared to phones like the P8P or the S24 Plus, and it can be a pain to carry around. But there's just something about it that no other phone can match. Once you get used to that massive screen, it's hard to go back. I mean, I spend hours staring at my phone every day, so for me, the screen alone is worth the extra cash. And everything else about the phone is just the cherry on top.

I don't use the S Pen that much, but when I do, it's super handy. And while the cameras on the Plus aren't bad, the Ultra just has a lot more versatility with different focal lengths. It's way more useful in different situations. I think this year, the S24 Ultra's cameras are really gonna give the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max a run for their money.

If I can't afford to upgrade for a few years, I know I'll be happiest with the Ultra. So, I'm going for it!

 

[Tig Bitties]

 

[aggie99]

I can definitely see where the S24U still lags behind the pixel and iPhone camera when taking pics of moving objects but man this phone is a beast. I went nearly 2 days without charging and could have gone longer with about 6 hours of SOT. Been in bed with the flu since Monday so haven't really got to play much with it but it's for sure a keeper. Sending off a P7P as trade in.

 

[samsung4life]

Here are some 10x comparisons between the s23 ultra and the s24 ultra in low light!

can you guess which one is which? 🥸

 

[edubfromktown]

So this thing happened...

Last moment high speed exit back onto the sorta bumpy S24 roadway LOL

I got put in touch with a very knowledgeable tech when confirming my order change, to return S24+ and Buds Pro2 instead of $650 credit for S23+.

Based on the oddities I described, he suggested wiping my phone (which I was doing anyway for return) and starting with a clean install. I asked about doing a Smart Switch data restore later on and he said that should be fine.

Booted up with the basics, let it optimize and then proceeded with smart switch (local) data restore procedure. It was somewhat non-intuitive though worked well.

The fresh install sorted out my GPS wackiness (he mentioned Google Play Services for AR updates can improve urban accuracy for apps in some cases- which was news to me!) and I swear the display looks less murky and yellow tinted.

I'm back in the S24+ driver's seat and sending S23+ off to trade-in land in a couple of days (before the deadline).

 

[Harthag]

Shipped off my APP2 this morning to buyer and picked up a pair of certified refurb Buds2 Pro from Best Buy for $99. Basically like-new and don't appear to be used, aside from missing the medium size ear tips. Who knows. Large is my size anyway. Honestly compared side by side with my Sony XM5 buds they are nearly on par. Sony have more punch but that's because you can adjust EQ. Buds2 Pro sound a bit more open to my ears, and fit 100000 times better / more comfortable. $99 for these is a great deal. Just as seamless as APP with iPhone.

iPhone 15PM will likely be sold in the next week and then I'm out completely.

 

[The Game 161]

Sim back in pixel 8 pro

S24 ultra just awful feel in the hand and can't get used to coming from iPhone and pixel

 

[keithop]

Sim back in pixel 8 pro

S24 ultra just awful feel in the hand and can't get used to coming from iPhone and pixel

well you gave it a good try which is fair enough... to me personally the s24u feels much better in my hand than the i15pm but the pixel feels tiny compared to both of the others which is nice.

I kinda wish I'd kept my p8pro to keep testing the camera

 

[Ludatyk]

Shipped off my APP2 this morning to buyer and picked up a pair of certified refurb Buds2 Pro from Best Buy for $99. Basically like-new and don't appear to be used, aside from missing the medium size ear tips.

Yeah, that’s the route I took… bought a refurb Buds2 Pro. White model… like the fit and integration with my Samsung Devices (Watch and Galaxy Fold).

Sim back in pixel 8 pro

S24 ultra just awful feel in the hand and can't get used to coming from iPhone and pixel

Baring hot or cold to touch, I can’t imagine a phone feeling awful to hold…

 

[drinkingtea]

One Hand Operation+ is one of the biggest reasons why I love Samsung.

 

[keithop]

One Hand Operation+ is one of the biggest reasons why I love Samsung.

Not tried that! I'm off to have a look

 

[edubfromktown]

One Hand Operation+ is one of the biggest reasons why I love Samsung.

Good Lock Camera Assitant floating 2nd shutter is one of my all-time favorite one-handed ops modifications

 

[Technerd108]

So this thing happened...

Last moment high speed exit back onto the sorta bumpy S24 roadway LOL

I got put in touch with a very knowledgeable tech when confirming my order change, to return S24+ and Buds Pro2 instead of $650 credit for S23+.

Based on the oddities I described, he suggested wiping my phone (which I was doing anyway for return) and starting with a clean install. I asked about doing a Smart Switch data restore later on and he said that should be fine.

Booted up with the basics, let it optimize and then proceeded with smart switch (local) data restore procedure. It was somewhat non-intuitive though worked well.

The fresh install sorted out my GPS wackiness (he mentioned Google Play Services for AR updates can improve urban accuracy for apps in some cases- which was news to me!) and I swear the display looks less murky and yellow tinted.

I'm back in the S24+ driver's seat and sending S23+ off to trade-in land in a couple of days (before the deadline).

View attachment 2346760

This is a common Android problem using back ups.

I didn't see the pattern in what you described but it makes total sense.

I have witnessed myself and others on numerous occasions setting up a new Android phone using a back up and it creates all kinds of problems. Several years ago you would get apps that were too old causing issues and now it seems something about data restoration process gets corrupted easily and can cause an odd cascade of issues that can seem random and unrelated. When I see that on a new phone after setup I know I had an issue with the restoration process. If I reset and setup as a new device I generally don't have any more issues unless there is a hardware defect.

This has been going on for years.

I tried using Googles back up and restore on my Pixel 8 Pro from my Pixel 7 Pro thinking since it is just a new version of the same phone everything should work. Well it didn't and I has to set the phone up as new.

The Samsung s24 series is the first I have used the back up and restore feature without a problem. I think it is like rolling the dice. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

I generally stopped using back up and restore systems on Android because they were so bad and seemed to make my phone unstable. I try every so often just to see.

Google really needs to fix the back up and restore on Android. Apple does such a better job here it is not even close.

Glad you were able to sort out your issues! I hope you enjoy the s24 plus!!

 

[Aneres11]

Keep seeing a guy on Instagram popping up showing off his case on his S24 U and its soooo nice.
Brand I've never heard of before, called PITAKA.
This is a screen grab from their website (checked if they made cases for pixels, but seemingly no). It looks so much better in the guy's videos. V nice cases.

 

[jamezr]

Sim back in pixel 8 pro

S24 ultra just awful feel in the hand and can't get used to coming from iPhone and pixel

I have the exact opposite experience with S24U and P8P and 15PM....I tried last weekend to test each phone for a day.
P8P didn't last the day. Feels small and dainty in my hands compared to the S24U. The P8P feels like glass waiting to slip out of my hands and break lol. The 15PM and s24U feel great in the hand. But ultimately the S24U wins out for me.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Keep seeing a guy on Instagram popping up showing off his case on his S24 U and its soooo nice.
Brand I've never heard of before, called PITAKA.
This is a screen grab from their website (checked if they made cases for pixels, but seemingly no). It looks so much better in the guy's videos. V nice cases.

View attachment 2347046

Those cases do look super cool

 

[Tig Bitties]

So I actually ordered from Samsung, the titanium blue S24 Ultra.

Only way to tell if I like a new Samsung phone, is test it out for myself, instead of watching a million YouTube vids or reading forums. I am trading in my old Pixel 7 Pro to Samsung getting $450 for it. But still keeping my Pixel 8 Pro for now.

 

[Technerd108]

So I actually ordered from Samsung, the titanium blue S24 Ultra.

Only way to tell if I like a new Samsung phone, is test it out for myself, instead of watching a million YouTube vids or reading forums. I am trading in my old Pixel 7 Pro to Samsung getting $450 for it. But still keeping my Pixel 8 Pro for now.

First off, Congratulations!!

I don't see how you can go wrong on that trade.

I mean the difference between the Pixel 7 Pro and the s24 ultra is pretty dramatic.

Keeping the Pixel 8 Pro and having the s24ultra either as primary or a back up phone is a great combination. You have the best of Android software and hardware on both but with a different approach. It will keep things interesting.

What I will be interested in is A) if you keep a Samsung phone. B) Which of the two becomes your primary. C) What do you think of the s24 ultra?

I have had every bar phone imaginable over the years. No foldables yet. And I can safely say that when Samsung does it right the Note/Ultra series of phones is unlike anything else. They are small subtle differences like the squared rectangular screen, the s pen when you need it, the cameras, etc. That when taken together offer an experience that no other bar phone can replicate.

Just as one example, the Ultra is the only phone that I am mildly comfortable using to consume media content. Most large phones are still too small and the rounded corners shrink the usable space even further so watching content with 50 plus year old eyes is just not practical. I don't love it on the Ultra but it is doable. A folding phone would be better but I can't so a plastic screen.

So for now this is the only phone that can substitute for a tablet in a pinch. Add in Dex and a keyboard, mouse and monitor and I can use my phone like a Chromebook with a mobile browser to substitute a PC in a pinch. I rarely if ever use this feature but I like knowing that the a24 ultra is kind of like the Swiss army knife of phones. It may not be the very best at any one thing (although often times it is) but it can do almost anything you are going to need done.

So while Pixel UI can be more fun and Pixel devices can be fun so can a Samsung as Samsung is adopting some Pixel UI elements and I think we will see more of that in the future. For example the power button fade in PixeL UI is now in OneUI 6.1.

So we might see OneUI become more of a hybrid of Pixel UI and OneUI? I think that would be great.

Of course duplicate apps, third party apps, and bloat are a never ending problem with Samsung devices. I think that you might be able to overlook the shortcomings because of the overall design and feature set.

 

[Ludatyk]

So for now this is the only phone that can substitute for a tablet in a pinch. Add in Dex and a keyboard, mouse and monitor and I can use my phone like a Chromebook with a mobile browser to substitute a PC in a pinch. I rarely if ever use this feature but I like knowing that the a24 ultra is kind of like the Swiss army knife of phones. It may not be the very best at any one thing (although often times it is) but it can do almost anything you are going to need done.

Have you experimented with DeX on your S24U or any Samsung phone? I'm curious... what aspects do you think Samsung could improve for it?

I'm disappointed that Samsung decided to update DeX only for tablets with OneUI 6.0 and ignored Samsung phones.

 

[Technerd108]

Have you experimented with DeX on your S24U or any Samsung phone? I'm curious... what aspects do you think Samsung could improve for it?

I'm disappointed that Samsung decided to update DeX only for tablets with OneUI 6.0 and ignored Samsung phones.

I have used Dex on s22 plus and s23 ultra and I am 90% sure the s24 series has Dex.

It works well. A little stuttering here and there that could be improved. Latency could be improved. Having a desktop version of Chrome browser would be an improvement. I feel like it is a lot like using a Chromebook without the Menu or extras on a Chromebook. It might be faster than a lot of Chromebooks though Lol.

Haven't tried Dex on s24 ultra yet.

 

[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

Anybody going to try this? They have one for the s23 plus too but it isn't AR coated.

If it matches the display then the anti reflective screen protector should be really useful over regular tempered glass or film.

I would love to hear people's opinions.

 

[Neofox]

Keep seeing a guy on Instagram popping up showing off his case on his S24 U and its soooo nice.
Brand I've never heard of before, called PITAKA.
This is a screen grab from their website (checked if they made cases for pixels, but seemingly no). It looks so much better in the guy's videos. V nice cases.

I used to have their case on my iPhone X back in the days lol
the cases are a bit on the pricy side but pretty nice. But don't expect any kind of protection from them, they are very slim and hard so literally no shock absorption.

 

[Technerd108]

SPECTRUM R // CLEAR (SGGB-SPECM)

ITSKINS is At the Core Of What Drives Us To Create Ultimate Products For You. Best protective phone.

us.itskins.com

This is a case I have used on my Pixel 8 Pro. I love it. It is clear but super thick in certain areas but overall being a slim case with decent protection.

 

[marshallbedsaul]

Had my 24u for a few weeks so nice. I am coming form a 13 pro max. But dang it's snappy and the camera is excellent

 

[Technerd108]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1755448365599637760

Maybe the screen issues are getting fixed. Now we just need a fix to throw color gradient banding.