Warm Winter Good Thing Award
If the rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S24 release date are true, there is still about a month to go before the next event, and Samsung is expected to show off its next-generation flagship phone.
Of the three models that could be launched in early 2024, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has garnered the most attention, and for good reason – it showcases the biggest improvements in Samsung's phone lineup. Not coincidentally, it may also have the highest ** label.
It is widely believed that Samsung will equip the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-chip, even if other S24 models mix the chipset or the Exynos 2400. The camera setup on the Galaxy S24 Ultra will likely feature a new telephoto lens, and the main camera may feature a larger sensor to capture more light. Samsung may even follow Apple's lead and use titanium in the frame of the S24 Ultra. While all of these details seem more likely, we still have some questions about the rumors of the upcoming release of the Galaxy S24 Ultra in January. Here's what we hope to know about this upcoming phone in the coming weeks.
Samsung seems ready to adopt titanium sides for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. (Other models in the S24 series are also likely to feature this feature, albeit less likely.) While this should improve the appearance of the ** ultra, the question is what other benefits will come with the transformation of the material?
Apple's switch to titanium on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max offers some clues. Both iPhones weigh less than their predecessors, 19 grams to be exact.
The Galaxy 24 Ultra's weight reduction may be less noticeable. One leaker claims that the new phone will weigh up to 233 grams, which is 1 gram lighter than the 234 grams of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Note that Samsung's current Ultra uses a very light aluminum frame, while the iPhone 15 Pro model switches from stainless steel to titanium.
Titanium is not only lighter than these materials, but it is also more durable. As such, we'd like to hear some clarity from Samsung on whether the Titanium-based Galaxy 24 Ultra will be better able to withstand the rigors of everyday use.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a pair of telephoto cameras, both with a 10MP sensor that supports different optical zooms. One Galaxy S24 Ultra telephoto lens offers a 3x zoom, while the other supports a 10x zoom. Together, they support 100x space zoom, which really allows you to shoot up close (although you may need to have a tripod on hand to minimize shake when shooting with super zoom).
Galaxy S24 Ultra camera rumors suggest that a 10MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom is giving way to a 5MP lens with 50x optical zoom. This seems to represent a step backwards for the Ultra's zoom capabilities – a strange move, given that the S23 Ultra is the best camera phone out there with the advantage of its zoom capabilities.
Higher resolution will result in sharper, more detailed shots, even if it does result in shorter zoom lengths. But we'd like to hear Samsung explain how this is an improvement and what the switch of lenses means for the new phone's space zoom feature. Some demos** during Galaxy Unpacked may help explain the reason for this change.
Samsung's track record when it comes to device assistants isn't the best. Bixby came to Galaxy S phones in 2017, and I think the biggest interaction you have with that assistant is to turn it off in your phone's settings.
The rumored Galaxy S24 Ultra AI features include generative text assistance, real-time AI translation, and editing capabilities, with tools in style that can be fine-tuned, and even move the subject around the image to improve the shot.
If the on-board AI feature is as important as Samsung suggests, then the phone maker really has to sell the concept to people very clear about what their Galaxy S24 Ultra will be able to do.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra increased wired charging speeds from 25W to 45W, but Samsung's high-end flagships have stayed at that level since. It's great to see the Galaxy S24 Ultra get up to speed, especially the OnePlus 12 — powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset as Samsung, possibly with the S24 Ultra — offering 100W charging in some parts of the world.
OnePlus has its own proprietary charging technology, so it's not exactly a fair comparison. But it's great to see Samsung making some progress in this area, especially since its high-end phones tend to appear on our list of the best phone battery life. The increase in charging speed will be another sign favored by Samsung.
Starting with the Galaxy S21 in 2021, Samsung added S Pen support to the Galaxy S series and began introducing stylus as part of its Ultra models the following year. The update to the Galaxy S22 Ultra made the S Pen faster, but no real changes to the stylus have since then. (The Galaxy S23 Ultra does reduce the curves of the display, which makes the S Pen easier to use.) ）
It feels like it's time to add new features to the S Pen, especially if there's some way to trigger the new AI features that will supposedly be available on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The included stylus is one of Ultra's most unique features, and not making any improvements feels like a wasted opportunity for Samsung.