Samsung S24 Ultra Review: Galaxy Brain

Summary

The transcript covers a review of the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra phone. It discusses the phone's design and build materials like titanium, the display upgrades, the cameras with new AI features for translating conversations and summarizing recordings, and other software enhancements utilizing Google's Gemini AI. However, the reviewer feels somewhat underwhelmed since many features won't stay unique to Samsung and questions if the upgrades justify the high price tag, especially compared to rival phones like the Pixel 8.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a slimmer design with a titanium frame and upgraded Gorilla Glass.
• 📱 The S24 Ultra display is brighter with reduced reflectivity compared to the S23 Ultra.
• 📷 The rear camera array has been changed - it now has a higher resolution 5x zoom instead of a 10x zoom.
• 🎥 Video stabilization has been improved on the S24 Ultra.
• 💡 AI features like real-time translation in the dialer app and voice memo summarization are handy additions.
• 🔋 Battery life is slightly improved on the S24 Ultra due to the lighter titanium frame.
• 🤖 Many of the touted AI features rely on Google's Gemini AI model, so may come to other Android phones too.
• 💰 The S24 Ultra has a starting price of $1300, with insane trade-in deals from Samsung.
• 📈 Samsung is providing 7 years of software updates for the S24 Ultra.
• 😕 Some feel the S24 Ultra improvements don't fully justify the high price tag.

Q & A

What are the key hardware changes in the Galaxy S24 Ultra compared to the S23 Ultra?

The S24 Ultra has a lighter titanium frame instead of aluminum, a brighter display with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and more symmetrical bezels around the display.

What AI capabilities does the Galaxy S24 Ultra have?

It has real-time translation, voice recorder transcription and summarization, generative photo editing like horizon adjustment and subject manipulation, and video slow motion generation.

Why did Samsung change the camera setup from 10x zoom to 5x zoom?

Based on user data, Samsung found people used the 5x zoom more often than the 10x zoom, so they optimized for that usage.

How does the Galaxy S24 Ultra compare to other flagship Android phones?

Many of the AI features like voice memo summarization and photo editing will come to other Android phones like the Pixel 8 soon after the S24 launch.

What is the concern around Samsung charging for AI features in the future?

Some key AI capabilities depend on Google's Gemini model, not Samsung's own AI, so it's unclear if Samsung can charge for those.

What are the pros and cons of the Galaxy S24 Ultra's hardware?

The hardware is very good with the bright display and titanium frame, but may not fully justify the high $1300 starting price tag.

How does the Galaxy S24 Ultra software compare to previous Samsung flagships?

It doesn't push the envelope much on software compared to past models that added more hardware perks.

What are some cool customization options for the Galaxy S24 Ultra?

It has interchangeable backplates called Flip Covers that trigger animated wallpapers when attached using NFC.

What are the S24 Ultra's video recording capabilities?

It has improved video stabilization and can generate slow motion video from regular footage.

What is the review's overall assessment of the Galaxy S24 Ultra?

While impressive, many key features will come to other Android phones soon, so it may not fully justify the high price tag.