I've done the 2 phones thing in the past but truth be told, I'm not really into it anymore. I like to try the s series ultra and iPhone pro max each year but 1 always ends up in the drawer for long periods and for me, it doesn't make sense like it once did
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The Samsung Galaxy S24 / Ultra
- Thread starter Tulani
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So been using this new S24 Ultra one week now, how do I like it, and how is it compared to my Pixel 8 Pro?
The S24U is a beast of a phone ( in a good way ) the size, the rectangular shape, the build quality, it's like something from Blade Runner or Cyberpunk.
The display is very sharp and crisp, with great colors, just a joy to look at. The outdoors brightness is incredibly good.
It's a big phone for sure, but not much bigger then my Pixel 8 Pro or 7 Pro. The build quality is superb.
Network and Wi-Fi connections are better than on my Pixel.
Speed wise it's a very fluid and smooth feeling phone, really zero complaints there. Which I'm shocked I thought only the Pixel or stock Android phones like Nothing Phone could be this smooth, but I was wrong, this S24U is buttery smooth all the time.
But ... the camera, yuck. I don't take videos much, mostly still portrait shots, and the Pixel just kills it, especially night mode, wow the Pixel destroys it. I'm rather disappointed in the camera on this S24 Ultra
Stock Android Pixel UI, vs OneUI 6.1. I love the Pixel UI, but this OneUI is surprisingly really good too. But I do just like how the Pixel operates and the user experience is just a more comfortable UI to use on a phone, for me.
There's some magic sauce or something that just makes using a Pixel Pro phone fun and effortless to pick up and go, hard to explain.
But then the S24U huge flat rectangular slab of a display, really is futuristic looking and feeling.
I have to say I'm seriously torn between the two phones, S24U and P8P. Yes the S24 Ultra clearly is the [H]ardware champ, it just feels more premium and is obvious the specs are better, you can just tell by using it for a couple days.
But the camera is clearly better on the Pixel and the user experience is very opinionated but I do find the Pixel UI better, but not by much.
I don't know here. Yes the Galaxy is a better phone, but by how much? I really can't say yet. Need more time with it.
The S24U is a beast of a phone ( in a good way ) the size, the rectangular shape, the build quality, it's like something from Blade Runner or Cyberpunk.
The display is very sharp and crisp, with great colors, just a joy to look at. The outdoors brightness is incredibly good.
It's a big phone for sure, but not much bigger then my Pixel 8 Pro or 7 Pro. The build quality is superb.
Network and Wi-Fi connections are better than on my Pixel.
Speed wise it's a very fluid and smooth feeling phone, really zero complaints there. Which I'm shocked I thought only the Pixel or stock Android phones like Nothing Phone could be this smooth, but I was wrong, this S24U is buttery smooth all the time.
But ... the camera, yuck. I don't take videos much, mostly still portrait shots, and the Pixel just kills it, especially night mode, wow the Pixel destroys it. I'm rather disappointed in the camera on this S24 Ultra
Stock Android Pixel UI, vs OneUI 6.1. I love the Pixel UI, but this OneUI is surprisingly really good too. But I do just like how the Pixel operates and the user experience is just a more comfortable UI to use on a phone, for me.
There's some magic sauce or something that just makes using a Pixel Pro phone fun and effortless to pick up and go, hard to explain.
But then the S24U huge flat rectangular slab of a display, really is futuristic looking and feeling.
I have to say I'm seriously torn between the two phones, S24U and P8P. Yes the S24 Ultra clearly is the [H]ardware champ, it just feels more premium and is obvious the specs are better, you can just tell by using it for a couple days.
But the camera is clearly better on the Pixel and the user experience is very opinionated but I do find the Pixel UI better, but not by much.
I don't know here. Yes the Galaxy is a better phone, but by how much? I really can't say yet. Need more time with it.
Lol just read your post on Reddit and came here and re read it. I agree on almost all points. Much prefer my P8P or 15PM for the camera. As for the UI, I'm actually really good with the S24U. OneUI has improved with every version and operation is as smooth as any phone out there. I just prefer the Pixel UI aesthetics a bit more and call screen on the pixel is hard to beat.
I keep wanting to switch my sim back to the Pixel just because I like using a Pixel better. BUT, I just love the S24U too much. Between the display and how great it performs outdoors in sunlight, the scratch resistance, S-pen, network performance, and just how smooth the device operates, it is hard to move back to another device. That is not even taking into account the battery life which has been crazy good for me.
MKBHD did a video debating iOS vs Android recently and the basis is how we as users put more stock into different areas of a smartphone... for instance, one might prioritize features while another on camera/video quality.
Maybe it’s about customization versus ease of use…. so, it’s really according to the individual. Some users might view the Pixel 8 Pro the better phone because of certain areas they hold in higher value.
Great point, I'm in the same boat. I want to put my SIM back in my Pixel 8 Pro, but then don't want give up using this beast of a super phone.
Hopefully the incoming S24 update this week will improve the camera for a lot of people. I'm not really holding my breath, but we'll see soon enough. When is your return period up? Hopefully you'll have a fair bit of time after the update this week.
Quick question, how do I get voicemail on the default Samsung phone app like my Pixel?
On the Pixel, voicemail is a tab in the Phone app, and I can easily access it and listen to it or read vm transcribed.
How do I enable that on the S24U?
On the Pixel, voicemail is a tab in the Phone app, and I can easily access it and listen to it or read vm transcribed.
How do I enable that on the S24U?
I ignore all of mine
Have you configured visual vmail?
Yes just figured I had to configure the visual voicemail, which I just did.
But that didn't make a voicemail tab appear in the Phone app, and I don't see a separate voicemail app in the app drawer either. And when I did listen to a voicemail, there wasn't an option to read it transcribed texted out.
For testing I then installed the Google Phone app which I'm obviously very familiar with from the Pixel's, and it has a native voicemail tab on the far right, it's like a 4th tab on the Google Phone app.
So I installed it, and no voicemail tab. Nothing at related to visual voicemail on the Google Phone app, even though it's absolutely there on my Pixel phones. Hmm...
I haven't found a way either. VVM can be accessed in the default phone app, within the keypad tab. You need to press on the 3 dots at the top right of the screen, it's in that menu.
Thank you, that helps.
But wish there was a permanent tab in the Phone app for visual voicemail.
Just really strange, that the Pixel has a default built-in visual voicemail baked into the default Phone app, I think the Apple iPhone does too. But for some reason not Samsung.
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Hmm maybe I deleted when I uninstalled a bunch of apps I didn't think I needed.
But now can't seem to find that app, nor do I see it on the Play Store or Galaxy Store.
Very nice review.
I think I warned you about this a while back. If you compare features based on price you will never justify the extra cost of the Ultra over the P8P. If we are talking close to MSRP prices then it is a very hard sell, specially if you prefer Pixel UI.
In my personal opinion the S24 Ultra is better or worth the extra cost over the P8P in some ways and the P8P is good enough in others. But let's be honest, I can go through a list of components, build quality, features that are clearly better and unique to the Ultra.
Honestly a $300 difference on an already expensive purchase doesn't seem crazy when you get the Ultra. Yes the screen, the build quality, better internals, better lenses/sensors, decent software, same support on Android updates, s pen.
But is the screen better to you? The Pixel screen is amazing, the best on any phone until the Ultra.
Are the internals important when performance and fluidity feel very similar?
Who cares about 200mp when the main camera on the Pixel ends up taking better motion shots?
I can go on and on and I can twist the argument to make either device clearly better but the reality is the best one is the one you like best. Comparing cost, specs, etc is a losing game if in the end none of it matters.
We bond with tech emotionality. Pixel and the phone is a unique experience and it is fun. They never have had the best hardware and yet they are becoming more and more popular every year. There is a good reason. I would say a lot of us use Pixel phones despite Google. So we must really feel that there is something intangible but special to put up with Google and continue to buy Pixels.
So you are doing great. Giving an honest and objective evaluation. But you may nit make a decision that looks best on paper and may keep that Pixel and ditch the s24 ultra no matter what it has and I am only saying this because somehow it seems on these forums you can only buy the "best" or you are wasting money on blah when you could have had this for only a little more??? And on. No one here walks in your shoes.
I know as much as I love the Pixel I would give it up to keep the Ultra if I had to make that choice. My reasoning is probably different than yours and we all have to decide in the balance what is best for each of us.
I wish you the best learning what is best for you and look forward to you continuing sharing your thoughts.
Samsung care plus was a little bit of a chore. Wow. Got an email saying they needed a 20mb video of all sides of the device. Not easy.
Anyway it looks like it is active now. I may cancel in a couple months but at least for the first 90 days it is good to have.
Samsung needs to make the process a little more streamlined and automated.
Anyway it looks like it is active now. I may cancel in a couple months but at least for the first 90 days it is good to have.
Samsung needs to make the process a little more streamlined and automated.
It is a carrier offered/enabled service. You can try to manually enable it by:
opening the phone app
Tap ...
Open Settings
Open visual voicemail
If it is not offered by your provider (or available in either store), there is a roundabout way to enable the feature:
Download and install Google Voice
Obtain a new number
Forward your carrier-provided number to the Google Voice number
Image post-processing is still over the top in my opinion. It can't be adjusted... yet, maybe Samsung will dial it down or give us options to tame it in a future update.
For now, changing the following settings may improve results:
Turn off Intelligent Optimization and Scene Optimizer
Turn off Auto HDR from the Camera Assistant app
If you use Gallery, turn off the Super HDR option in the app
This morning, when I did my exercising, ruck sack hiking with the doggies, and then pull-ups and push-ups, etc... I had the Pixel 8 Pro with for YouTube Music listening, and I was thinking what a friendly fun easy to use phone.
Then when getting ready to leave for the office, grabbed the S24U, and was immediately like whoa, this is quite a beast, the big flat rectangular display, and the vibrant deep pretty colors, it looks and feels like an upgrade more futuristic phone than the P8P.
Then when getting ready to leave for the office, grabbed the S24U, and was immediately like whoa, this is quite a beast, the big flat rectangular display, and the vibrant deep pretty colors, it looks and feels like an upgrade more futuristic phone than the P8P.
This pretty much sums up my thoughts. Honestly, if it had the camera the P8P has I wouldn't even have another thought about the Pixel. But I did some low light video and pics of kids and pets this weekend and had to use my Pixel. The S24U was really disappointing in this area. I'm praying they work some magic in the upcoming software update. This device really is amazing and I'd love to go with it all in for my daily and use my Pixel Fold on my work line.
That's frustrating I'm sure. I didn't even take the screen protector off of my phone and they accepted my photos. At least it got resolved. The process was a tad unnecessary.
Is it normal to be thinking about iPhone daily? Because when I had iPhone(s) I sure as heck wasn't thinking about other phones daily. It's the damnedest thing. It isn't FOMO I don't think, there isn't any feature I miss from iOS. It's like I lost a sense of security by moving on, a feeling that I can't get rid of. Maybe it's familiarity over all these years always using / having an iPhone handy. Normally at this point I'd use my iPhone for a bit and then swap the SIM back into Android. To get my fix. I'm glad I sold my iPhone + APP + watch so I don't have an opportunity to revert back this time.
My swipes, inputs, and actions are done faster on the Galaxy, multi-window view and switcher via HomeUp is a game-changer, my typing is faster as the keyboard is more responsive to me vs. iPhone. Galaxy Buds sound better than AirPods Pro, loving the Watch 6 classic. There are so many features on the Galaxy that blow away iPhone, yet I can't stop wanting it back for some reason. Links within Google Drive spreadsheets + opened by Office 365 wouldn't open due to "browser not being associated with this profile" error. Immediately I thought, "this wouldn't happen on iPhone, this is trash." Then adjusted a couple settings within the appropriate apps to not open links within apps, and it worked again.
Apple's marketing is ingenious, I don't have an addictive personality or anything and never buy anything based on ads. Yet I am still affected by it. First world problem and a bit pathetic, I'm fully aware. 😂
Hopefully the feeling will subside. It's just a phone FFS. I think it's the fact that I've had an iPhone since the iPhone 4 and use my phone several hours a day for work and play, just accustomed to the routine within iOS. Brain needs to be re-wired and accustomed to Android, I think.
Do you have a iPad? That’s what kind of helped me get over the familiarity hold the iPhone had over me. Because I think you’ll still have some desire to go back especially when fall season comes around…. heck, WWDC brings some level of hype to the iPhone too.
Yes, I dug up an ancient iPad Mini 4 that is nearly unusable, to take photos of the new phone to register the Care+ warranty. Briefly thought of trading it in for a Mini 6 but doubt I will do it. I'm sure I'll be tempted again in September. We'll see.
There’s plenty of iPad sales going on currently that you can take advantage of (some refurbs out there too).
Come September the iPhone hype doesn’t faze me because some of the features that get announced are part of the iPad as well.
I'm still using a 9.7" iPad Pro with a logi keyboard case for a couple of things, on very rare occasions. It supports using Microsoft Word (entire office suite) for free.
Works great despite being dead-ended (still receiving updates for who knows how long) on IOS 16
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The one I'm using only goes to iOS 15.8 I believe? Really slow and choppy / stutter city.I'm still using a 9.7" iPad Pro with a logi keyboard case for a couple of things, on very rare occasions. It supports using Microsoft Word (entire office suite) for free.
Works great despite being dead-ended (still receiving updates for who knows how long) on IOS 16