After several months of leaks and rumours, Samsung has finally unveiled the Galaxy S24 series devices, which take the top spot in the company’s Android handset lineup. Samsung is betting a lot on the S24 devices, especially since the phones come with some improvements to performance, as well as new AI features made possible with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset (although there’s some fine print to this). With that being said, we’re going to take a look at the new models and see what they have to offer.
As with previous S-series generations, the S24 series consists of the base model Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra. Unlike last year’s S23 phones however, not all models will feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip inside – buyers outside north America will have to settle for the Exynos 2400 SoC on the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, although the S24 Ultra will pack the 8 Gen 3 worldwide, which is great news for folks who prefer Qualcomm’s silicone instead.
With that being said, the 8 Gen 3 has been developed to push mobile performance, productivity and photography, and Qualcomm did put greater emphasis on the chip’s generative AI capabilities, especially given how much AI has been integrated into mobile devices this year.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Up first is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the most premium of the new models. Samsung has made some updates with regards to the handset’s design, as it now features a flat 6.8-inch AMOLED display, finally breaking free of the curved-edge screens that Samsung used for so long on many of its top-tier smartphones. The screen also features a sharp QHD+ resolution, in addition to a peak brightness of up to 2,600 nits – that’s crazy bright. The phone also packs a larger cooling chamber compared to its predecessor, ensuring that intense gaming sessions remain relatively cool for the most part.
Also new this year is the S24 Ultra’s design, which now incorporates a Titanium frame in its chassis, not unlike the iPhone 15 Pro series. We suppose it’s a welcome upgrade, seeing as how you’re paying a premium price tag for the handset. As mentioned, the S24 Ultra ships with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset inside, backed by up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 internal storage, and starts with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Powering the phone is a decently-sized 5,000 mAh capacity battery, with support for 45W charging speeds.
In terms of camera hardware, the S24 Ultra features a setup that consists of a 200MP OIS F1.7 Super Quad Pixel AF sensor, a 50MP OIS F3.4 5x Telephoto sensor, a 10MP OIS F2.4 3x Telephoto lens, and a 12MP F2.2 ultra-wide sensor. The phone will also be able to shoot in 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x optical zoom, in addition to 100x space zoom.
The S24 series will feature an enhanced camera system that according to Samsung can improve photo quality via computational photography and a bit of AI, in addition to the usual suite of photographic features and modes that Samsung likes to add to its handsets. As for video, the S24 Ultra will be able to shoot a maximum resolution of 8K videos at 30 fps, although there’s also an option to shoot 120 fps in UHD resolution.
Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus
Up next is the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus, which make up the more “modest” selection in this year’s lineup. Coming in with a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is the base model S24 with an FHD+ resolution, followed by the Plus variant with a larger 6.8-inch display and QHD+ resolution. Both phones mostly retain the looks of their predecessors especially with the rounded corners and flat sides, although Samsung has added what it now calls “Enhanced Armour Aluminium” which hopefully adds durability for daily usage.
Alongside the Exynos 2400, the S24 ships with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, while its larger sibling starts at 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage – power users will definitely want to go for the Ultra, given the boost in storage and RAM. Unsurprisingly, the same situation can be said for the battery on the base model, which comes with a smaller 4,000 mAh capacity cell and 25W charging, with 4,900 mAh and 45W charging for the Plus model.
Both models pack similar camera hardware specs, which more or less differentiates them from the Ultra – it’s not all that bad though, and Samsung has put in some capable tech in the S24 and S24 Plus. As such, both phones will come with a camera setup consisting of a 50MP OIS F1.8 Dual Pixel AF sensor, a 10MP OIS F2.4 3x Telephoto lens, and a 12MP F2.2 Ultrawide sensor.
Software and AI Features
As expected, the new phones will ship with Android 14 pre-installed, although this is of course layered with a healthy serving of Samsung’s latest One UI 6.1 software, which brings some Samsung-exclusive apps and software services onboard the S24 series. Thankfully, Samsung says that it will provide up to seven generations worth of software support for the S24 series, matching Google’s promise of long-term software support for the Pixel 8 series.
One of the biggest highlights this year however is Galaxy AI – generative AI features have continued to be integrated into mobile hardware and software products, and just like Google before them, Samsung has introduced a ton of AI-powered features that add a bit of convenience to daily tasks.
Galaxy AI Editing Tools are some of the biggest additions this year, allowing users to quickly edit their photos by erasing unwanted elements, as well as re-composing and remastering photos. Furthermore, features such as Live Translate and Interpreter allow users to break down language barriers, allowing for instant communication in a faster and more seamless manner. Samsung has also added other AI goodies which put a focus on productivity, such as Transcript Assist and Note Assist, which uses AI and speech-to-text technology to allow users to note down essential highlights from meetings, lectures and such.
Pricing and Availability
Now for price – the S24 series will be available in the UK starting on 31st January via Samsung UK, as well as partner retailers and carriers. The base model S24 starts at £799 for the 128GB model and £859 for the 256GB variant. Meanwhile, the S24 Plus comes in at £999 for the 256GB configuration and £1099 for the 512 model. Finally, the S24 Ultra is priced at £1249 for the 256GB model, £1349 for the 512 model, and £1549 for the 1TB variant.
Be sure to stay tuned on Gadgetsboy UK for more coverage on the S24 series, including reviews, camera tests and more – visit our official YouTube channel here.
