Samsung Galaxy S24 series hot take

21 January 2024
The return of Exynos, 5x is the new 10x, AI all the things!

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Agree that the vanilla model is to be skipped and the plus model is actually competitive this time around. But for $1300, I don't see much reason to get the S24 Ultra over the S23 Ultra. I guess it's the only US phone with a SD8G3.

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    • Anonymous
    • HAK
    • 22 Jan 2024

    Claiming 5x is better is a massive L

      DarlingYext, 21 Jan 2024"Samsung gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a flat display and ... moreWell, they slimmed down the top and bottom bezels, and it does look better than before - it's uniform now.

      And the fact that they are using Exynos chipsets seems to show that they are also confident with making it compete with Snapdragon 8 gen 3.

        "Gone are the times when Samsung made huge strides in its yearly updates."

        You should've said that a year ago.

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          • Anonymous
          • NMv
          • 22 Jan 2024

          Anonymous, 21 Jan 2024More can be done. But price is what keeps brands from doin... moreExactly! Thanks for summarizing it hope Samsung reads this comment ..

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            • Anonymous
            • 0p}
            • 22 Jan 2024

            Anonymous, 21 Jan 2024More can be done. But price is what keeps brands from doin... more10) usb 4.0
            11) cutout free screens ( even without UDC)

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              • Anonymous
              • 0p}
              • 21 Jan 2024

              Digdigfig, 21 Jan 2024I see so many people complaining how phones aren't inn... moreMore can be done. But price is what keeps brands from doing it.

              1) quantum dot blue oled 12bit
              2) super wide zoom lens 12-18mm
              3) zoom telephoto 80 -160mm
              4) state solid batteries
              5) global shutter sensors
              6) mmwave hardware on all sides, like sony pro (2020)
              7) tool-free sim slot
              8) cameras with glass lens instead of plastic
              9) I.B.I.S on all cameras

                "it's clear not many people want a smaller phone these days. Yes, we know small phone fans are out there but sales figures don't lie."

                It's not true at all.
                Iphone non plus and non max sales are huge and so are the ones of vanilla S23.

                  In the ultra, the only real upgrade is in the periscope camera
                  In S24/S24+ there´s no real upgrade: Same camera sensors since S22 with AI and software tricks
                  No galaxy S line this year here, more exciting phones coming soon to west ( magic6 pro, X100 pro, X14 Ultra...)

                    I see so many people complaining how phones aren't innovative anymore. What do you want them to bring that isn't already here? Screen resolution is where it should be. No reason to go higher. Brightness isn't a problem anymore. LTPO is getting better and better. Build quality and materials are (imo) more of a marketing thing rather than making a real difference. What exactly do you want them to improve more on? (This question is for all manufacturers not just samsung)

                      Let's be honest. Brilliant hardware and awful, bad, no good ridiculous and messy software. Nothing has changed since note 10 days. Nobody wants this half baked AI stuff from Samsung. Nobody wants duplicate apps that can't be disabled. Nobody wants two app store, two assistants, two smart home platforms, two galleries, two messaging apps, two phone apps, two calculators, two note apps, nobody wants to make a Samsung account that is used to spy on you like crazy, making Google look innocent in comparison. Samsung health, Samsung browser, Samsung this and Samsung that. I would tolerate it if only they could be fully uninstalled, NoT disabled. But no, Samsung throws at you everything they've got and a kitchen sink. No. Just no.

                      Ok, most people don't care, as they are not tech savvy, but to me it's a no go. I was a Samsung fan for many years, I even tried going all in on their software and apps (plus tvs, appliances, tablets, notebooks, cameras), but every time I go back to google made apps. Tvs don't update so it's either Sony or LG OLED now. Software -- gmail to files, photos to docs. They are better. Period. Even chrome is better now than the Samsung browser. Dex is something I kind of miss. But it's such a niche product that will never take off completely. Also Samsung puts a crap load of Microsoft and other partner apps, and this is unacceptable for a flagship. I don't want Netflix, outlook or Rogers app baked in. Keep it Sammy.
                      So, bottom line, it's a pixel or iPhone.

                        Akarius, 21 Jan 2024And which phone's bezels are?Every other new flagship's, including the S24 and the S24 Plus.

                          DarlingYext, 21 Jan 2024"I think what's misleading you, as it did for me,... moreAnd which phone's bezels are?

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                            • SA466
                            • HJG
                            • 21 Jan 2024

                            veloce, 21 Jan 2024That makes no sens. Why would you need 12mm with 2x lossles... moreYeah they could've just written 200 MP, 50 MP, 50 MP. Also S24 standard resolution for the main cam is now 24MP, meaning that a higher megapixel ultrawide could use that.

                              jiyen235, 21 Jan 2024The bezels are definitely much thinner, on the bottom and M... more"I think what's misleading you, as it did for me, is the shiny frame which makes it seem like the phone has a thick bezel around it."

                              I've seen both the S24 Ultra and the S23 Ultra before, and the older model looks better, and the bezels aren't nice for a 2024 flagship that's more than $1200.

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                                • AlienNextDoor
                                • 0mU
                                • 21 Jan 2024

                                DarlingYext, 21 Jan 2024Yet looks like it has at least 5% better, and since screen-... moreYeah I'm disappointed with the bezels as well.
                                I have an S23 ultra, and despite the chin I always liked the small bezels on the sides. But now with the s24 ultra the metal sides are really bulging out. They're really ugly.

                                Gripping the s23 ultra you touch the screen, but gripping the s24 ultra your fingers stay on the rails, they're that thick.

                                Seriously, this year, the only viable S24 phone is the S24+ with Snapdragon.

                                  hmz1122, 21 Jan 2024Actually, samsung does sell the Exynos version in Korea, in... moreHuh my bad then, anyways they have SD going to the US, where 90% of people get their tech knowledge from so they're gonna be pretty biased and stuff about the SD SoC, basically giving false advertising for the most part. Also, the S24 U gets the SD SoC and the S24 doesn't, just goes to show that even they know it isn't a super premium chip lol
                                  Finally, why even separate, like just sell exynos to everyone, why should some people be treated differently?

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                                    • SA466
                                    • HJG
                                    • 21 Jan 2024

                                    Anonymous, 21 Jan 2024You can see the rectangular shaped outer element That's true, I missed that, the GSMArena specsheet doesn't mention it. Same issue with the Oneplus 12 btw. Your original point might be correct, I couldn't come up with a regular telephoto that has a Sensor that big at similat focal length.

                                      S23+ looking fine right about now.

                                        DarlingYext, 21 Jan 2024"Samsung gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a flat display and ... moreThe bezels are definitely much thinner, on the bottom and MAYBE on the sides. The chin is the key culprit, compare it with the S23 U and you'll see it's gone. The key selling point is the symmetry of the bezels, which I agree is an aesthetic +. I think what's misleading you, as it did for me, is the shiny frame which makes it seem like the phone has a thick bezel around it.

                                        Also, wdym 2600 nits isn't impressive? Lmao, I feared this would happen due to the Chinese manufacturers pushing the brightness wars narrative. But basically, the 4500 nits is for 1% APL in HDR in harsh sunlight, basically in the worst case scenario and even if it does hit it, it does so for at best 1 minute because it's the peak brightness, GSM arena does tests on 75% APL in SDR I think and the industry standard for HDR is 10%. I think anything above 1000 nits is good enough for HDR as phones just don't utilise DV as well as TVs do, like where will you get DV blu rays yk? Most HDR content is mastered to 1000 nits due to being limited by the HDR container. Anyways, Samsung advertised 1750 nits on the S22 and S23 U and they got 1200-1300, so basically 70-74% of the claim. So I'm guessing on GSM arena's tests we'll see 1800-2000 nits, which is imo quite impressive and judging by the results from the ROG Phone 8 Pro I'd say it's a pretty good guess. We all use SDR 95% of the time on our phones and a 75% APL is close to the worst case scenario so THAT is the most important aspect. Being able to view in sunlight is a definite win. What is more important though is how long they can hold it. Shame that GSM doesn't test stuff like that, haven't really innovated their reviews for a while except for that battery test, just like Samsung nowadays, stagnant. Maybe that's why they're Samsung fanboys, they see themselves in them.