Artificial intelligence is coming – for real – to phones. And Samsung does it in particular with the S24, a model that focuses entirely on AI. Indeed, on “advanced” intelligence, as the Korean company calls it, with ad hoc functions that promise a new experience. We especially tried the Samsung Galay S24 Ultra.
The body, the display and the S-Pen
The first impression you get when you take the device out of the box is certainly that of being in front of a phone high end, of excellent workmanship, but also very large and heavy. With its 232 grams and a 6.8″ display, the S24 Ultra certainly cannot be called compact. The quality of the materials is also excellent to the touch: the titanium body and the rounded edges make it less slippery and allow a firm grip even those with small hands. Beautiful rendering of the display Dynamic Amoled 2X and anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Armor glass, especially thanks to the return to the flat screen which eliminates many reflections and allows use right up to the edges of the integrated stylus. There S-Pen it is in fact hidden inside the body and you just need to remove it to appreciate all its functions: taking notes for example, but also selecting a part of the screen to do a search (with the “Circle and search” developed with Google), a screenshot, cropping and much more. The fingerprint reader is under the display and is quite precise. The colors are vivid and in general the screen is comfortable both in the dark and in direct sunlight.
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Advanced intelligence
The device features Samsung’s One UI 6.1 interface, based on Android 14, and with a series of easily uninstallable apps from the Korean company. The first configuration is quick and intuitive: the passage of data from one smartphone to another is practically automated and simplified, also thanks to Samsung Smart Switch which allows you to migrate from iOS to Android with just a few clicks. But the flagship of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is certainly theadvanced intelligence, perhaps one of the first practical applications of the infamous AI that we have been hearing about for months. There are various functions that exploit it: ranging from support in writing and revising a text to image editing. But the most innovative one concerns the audio. In fact, it is possible to have simultaneous translation (currently in 13 languages) of voice calls, but also to have a voice assistant answer who will ask you the reason for the call and transcribe it into a chat. This involves a few seconds of waiting during which the person on the other end of the phone will be notified of the translation in progress, which could lengthen call times. As long as the interlocutor doesn’t mistake you for an annoying call center and hangs up before the AI can explain the reason for the call…
Photo and video
As you can expect from a high-end smartphone, the photographic sector is one of the strong points. There are five cameras in total: a 200 MP main rear camera – which is flanked by a 12 MP ultra-wide angle lens, a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and a 50MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom – to which is added the front one 12 MP. In short, highly respectable hardware that is supported by software that exploits AI to the maximum, from shooting to post-production.
Battery
The Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 5000 mAh battery with 45W charging with a Usb-C to Usb-C cable or with wireless charging. However, the battery charger is not included in the package. However, a recharge allows you to get to the evening with the phone at around 30% after a working day (therefore with average use). With intense use you may notice some overheating, but within acceptable limits.
The cost
A sore point is the list price, which – as one might expect – is “top of the range” which mainly targets the business world. They range from 1499 for the 256GB version, up to 1619 euros for the 512 GB version and 1859 euros for the 1TB one. They all have 12GB of RAM. Furthermore, Samsung currently guarantees that AI functions will remain free until the end of 2025, so it is reasonable to expect a cost from that point of view too.
The final judgement
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra convinced us with materials and performance that justify a decidedly high cost. Less in size and weight which make it less practical than other devices. It certainly marks a turning point from a software point of view and in the practical application of artificial intelligence.