Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, S24+ and S24 hands-on review

Camera features and samples

Perhaps the biggest change that comes with the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the camera hardware. While the main 200MP unit and the ultrawide camera remain the same, Samsung focused more on the telephoto side of things and is now using a 3x + 5x combo instead of the old 3x + 10x combo. And while this may seem like a downgrade at first, Samsung argues it's actually an upgrade and we tend to agree if the phone holds up to the marketing hype. Let us elaborate.

With the help of AI-powered algorithms, Samsung is introducing the so-called Quad Tele system. With just two telephoto cameras, Samsung is able to cover 2x, 3x, 5x and 10x magnification levels and every other step in-between, with optical-level quality. So in a way, Samsung isn't dropping the 10x zoom entirely, it just uses the adaptive pixel sensor tech, AI Multi-frame processing and AI Super-resolution to achieve lossless 10x zoom. Moreover, the 50MP 5x telephoto camera uses a big 1/2.6" sensor, which is much bigger than the 10x telephoto from last year.

Our napkin math shows that at 10x zoom, the sensor+aperture combo of this new 5X camera should have the same light-gathering capability as the previous 10X camera on S23 Ultra.

If our past comparisons between the S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are anything to go by, it shouldn't be too hard to get equivalent quality out of a good 5x zoom camera.

Galaxy S24 Ultra: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x • 10x

In addition, the AI processing algorithms are put to use in pretty much all scenarios, including video recording. Better nose-reduction algorithms are in place, and an intelligent system can distinguish the movements of the subject from those of the user taking the video, resulting in more effective noise removal.

Additionally, the new 50MP telephoto camera now has a 2x wider OIS correction angle and 1.6x larger pixels for capturingng details better in the dark.

Galaxy S24 Ultra camera app

We took a couple of indoor samples using all cameras on the Galaxy S24 Ultra to get a grasp of what the device is capable of. It's too early for assessments, though.

Galaxy S24 Ultra: 1x • 3x • 5x • 10x

And while the Galaxy S24 and S24+ retain the exact same camera hardware as their predecessors, Samsung promises similar improvements in overall quality thanks to the said AI-driven algorithm advancements. Unfortunately, the ultrawide unit is once again neglected and lacks autofocus.

Still, we've prepared a couple of camera samples from the S24 and S24+ as well.

Galaxy S24/24+: 1x • 1x • 3x

Aside from the photo and video capture improvements, Samsung has implemented a couple of neat features related to post-processing. Super HDR is now supported in native apps, such as the Gallery app, and third-party apps like Instagram, for example. All images taken with your camera will be displayed with Super HDR with excellent detail in the highlights and shadows. Super HDR is also available in the camera preview before taking a shot. That's particularly useful because you can see how a photo will turn out before hitting the shutter button.

Image editing is becoming smarter too. Thanks to the AI, you will get contextual suggestions on what needs improving in the said frame, and you can go wild with the editing, too - removing or moving objects in the picture with a couple of simple taps.

Playing standard videos in the native Gallery app allows you to play certain sections of a video in slow motion. Tapping and holding on a video while playing will reduce the speed of the video and the AI will insert frames to make the video look smoother. The AI algorithm tracks motion in real-time and intelligently inserts frames.

Early verdict

It's quite obvious that Galaxy AI is doing the heavy lifting this year, with most of the hardware improvements and software features heavily relying on the on-device AI algorithms. For yet another year, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the center of attention with the new telephoto camera, titanium side frame, and flat frontal design.

However, the changes in the Galaxy S24 and S24+ are more than welcome. The slight bump in the battery capacity and the upgrade to brighter LTPO OLED panels are significant upgrades. In fact, the Galaxy S24+, with its higher resolution LTPO panel and 4,900 mAh battery, put it much closer to the S24 Ultra than ever before. We are curious to see how this plays out because some may prefer the S24+ over the Ultra due to their similar feature set and big price gap.

What's more, we are eager to see how the new AI-driven features aid real-life situations and whether Samsung's heavy bet on AI instead of offering more meaningful hardware upgrades is enough to boost sales and spark users' interest.