Doing (and costing) the most

Consider the most important, most complex Swiss Military Knife you’ve ever seen, one with extra instruments than you possibly can ever use. Now, give it a USB-C port, a stylus, and 4 cameras on the again. Congratulations, you’ve bought the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely. That is likely to be oversimplifying one of the crucial succesful Android telephones in the marketplace, however the analogy isn’t too far off. Let’s get into our Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely evaluate, and also you’ll see what I imply.

There’s just one place to begin with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, and that’s with AI — Galaxy AI, particularly. It’s the primary occasion, the large concept, no matter else you need to name it. Samsung talked about the phrase a whopping 50 instances throughout its first Unpacked occasion of 2024, promising a laundry listing of options to make your smartphone smarter and much more useful. Now, take that with a grain of salt as a result of we’re nonetheless very a lot within the experimentation part of on-device AI, however I’ve discovered just a few Galaxy AI options that ought to in all probability stick round.

We’ll come again to the pictures options like Photograph Help (basically Samsung’s model of Magic Editor) later, however there are many different methods to make texting, calling, and even note-taking simpler. One which I’ve been utilizing is Chat Help, which lives throughout the Samsung Keyboard. It reads by messages as you sort them, providing ideas for spelling and grammar, however it will possibly additionally offer you various tones to attempt. Chat Help has tones like Skilled and Informal to be used with bosses and coworkers and a #Social tone, which hundreds your message with emojis and hashtags, like a tweet from again when X was Twitter.

As a author, I can normally do with out Chat Help, however the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s Be aware Help is a lifesaver. It covers just a few completely different AI options, together with the power to summarize a webpage right into a extra concise set of notes, one thing I’ve sorely wanted whereas researching how on-device AI works. Be aware Help additionally covers reworking my horrendous S Pen handwriting into legible notes when I’ve to scribble out a fast reminder throughout a Zoom content material assembly.

Among the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s extra refined AI options, nonetheless, are these co-developed with Google. Choices like Circle to Search and the power to generate wallpapers based mostly on just a few prompts are already out there on the Pixel 8 sequence, and now they’re on Samsung’s newest flagships as properly. Circle to Search works like Google Lens, although it’s a bit simpler to regulate now that you may pick particular parts from a extra cluttered picture. Samsung’s generative wallpapers are the identical as these on the Pixel 8 Professional, proper right down to the listing of prompts you may decide from, however they’re enjoyable both approach.

Our Galaxy S24 Extremely additionally got here with Android 14 and One UI 6.1 out of the field. Samsung’s Android 14 expertise doesn’t really feel a lot completely different from its earlier setup, although it has just a few good tweaks. The short settings menu has been slimmed down, shifting to smaller buttons that appear to drift above your private home display screen somewhat than block it out. Samsung’s color-coordinated theming is best, too, with extra app icons matching your background shade as an alternative of completely the first-party choices. The most effective software program information is that the Galaxy S24 sequence is in line for seven years of upgrades — a stable bump from its earlier 4 years of Android variations and 5 years of safety patches, and one which places it again according to Google relating to replace insurance policies.

As soon as you progress previous the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s AI-fueled coronary heart, you’re left with the cellphone itself. It appears like a Galaxy S23 Extremely with a bit extra polish throughout all features. The 2 telephones look nearly equivalent, with boxy corners, digital camera rings that dot the satin-textured rear glass, and an S Pen that hides away alongside the underside edge. So, in the event you like Samsung’s current flagship design, you’ll in all probability discover lots to love in regards to the up to date model. And but, these adjustments supply simply sufficient quality-of-life enchancment to make them price mentioning.

For starters, Armor Aluminum is out, and titanium is in. Apple already switched from chrome steel to titanium on its iPhone 15 Professional sequence, and now it’s Samsung’s flip. Nevertheless, Samsung is upgrading its body for a really completely different purpose. Whereas Apple made the change to avoid wasting just a few grams from its hefty Professional fashions, the Galaxy S24 Extremely adopted titanium purely for its improved sturdiness. It solely shaved a few gram off the load of the earlier Galaxy S23 Extremely, however the titanium body has a slight texture, making it way more snug in hand than the earlier mannequin. Oh, and the textured end is pleasingly fingerprint-averse, too.

Samsung additionally upgraded its top-tier flagship to the newest and biggest glass that Corning has to supply — as typical. The sweeping 6.8-inch Dynamic 2x AMOLED is now manufactured from a particular low-glare sheet of Gorilla Armor, whereas the remainder of the Galaxy S24 sequence hangs onto Gorilla Glass Victus 2. We’ll have to attend and see if Gorilla Armor is the hardest glass that Corning has to supply, however the glare-resistant therapy is already a simple win for Samsung. It gives an evening and day distinction in the way it handles shiny daylight in comparison with the earlier show, making it a lot simpler to make use of in broad daylight. The Galaxy S24 Extremely additionally tops out at 2,600 nits of peak brightness, which doesn’t damage its efficiency on sunny days.

Samsung’s remaining show modification might be the one you’ll discover first — it’s flat. The Galaxy S24 Extremely now matches its extra reasonably priced siblings by dropping the curved edges, so that you now not have to fret about unintentional presses or squeezes. As somebody with smaller fingers, I welcome the change, as I can hold the body in a tighter grip whereas utilizing this beast of a cellphone with two fingers. Granted, the swap ends in barely extra noticeable facet bezels, however I’d name it a good commerce.

Though its Galaxy AI options briefly contact on the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s status as an influence consumer’s greatest buddy, there’s much more to cowl with regards to efficiency. For starters, Samsung has lastly accomplished away with break up ranges of RAM, placing all Galaxy S24 Extremely configurations on equal footing with 12GB as an alternative of limiting the bottom mannequin to simply 8GB. The elevated RAM pairs properly with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, an overclocked model of Qualcomm’s newest silicon to present Samsung probably the most energy doable.

That further energy interprets to a number of the greatest benchmarking scores in an Android cellphone proper now. The Galaxy S24 Extremely topped every part however the iPhone 15 Professional Max in our Geekbench 6 run, got here up only a hair in need of the ASUS ROG Cellphone 8 Professional (in its high-performance X-Mode) within the graphically intensive 3DMark checks, and topped the charts in our PCMark race. Samsung’s robust numbers had been much less inspiring throughout our stress checks, tailing off to extra modest outcomes after just a few runs, however they had been nonetheless adequate to remain forward of most rivals. Though the Galaxy s24 Extremely was left behind by the ROG Cellphone 8 Professional, it achieved its outcomes with out attempting to burn a gap by our desks, which means that you possibly can take pleasure in its efficiency, in contrast to the ASUS mannequin. Take a look at our devoted Galaxy S24 benchmarks article for a deeper dive.

After all, none of this benchmarking efficiency means a factor if the day-to-day expertise suffers. Fortunately, we all know Samsung properly sufficient to count on a consumer expertise matching its lofty lab numbers. I completely loved how the complete Galaxy S24 Extremely package deal got here collectively throughout my weeks with the cellphone, providing greater than sufficient energy for gaming, social media, and its generative AI options with out ever actually coming near the thermal troubles of Google’s early technology Tensor choices.

The Galaxy S24 Extremely landed proper between just a few of my busier durations of labor journey, which means that it bought to be my journey companion somewhat than a enterprise associate, powering my GPS and Spotify playlist for a drive from Baltimore to Philadelphia and again. Whereas in Philly for a buddy’s birthday, I put the Galaxy S24 Extremely by loads of work as a go-to digital camera for each stills and movies and likewise used it to stream the divisional spherical of the NFL playoffs utilizing T-Cellular’s 5G community. Though the cellphone warmed whereas streaming the sport, it by no means reached some extent the place it was uncomfortable to carry, nor did I really feel just like the battery drained too rapidly.

Mentioning the battery, it hasn’t modified. I can nonetheless push the 5,000mAh cell past a day of blended utilization, averaging a day and 1 / 4 to a day and a half earlier than I’ve to succeed in for a charger. After all, after I’m leaning on Samsung’s generative AI capabilities, the outcomes are barely decrease, nearer to a fair day. And sure, it’s straightforward to toss out anecdotal battery outcomes, however the Galaxy S24 Extremely backs it up within the lab, too.

We put it by a battery stress check, which covers 4K video recording, 4K video playback, internet shopping, and a simulated Zoom name, amongst different widespread duties, with the Galaxy S24 Extremely popping out forward of its predecessor practically throughout the board. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powered Samsung’s newest flagship to a forty five% enchancment in 4K video playback, in addition to smaller 16% bumps to gaming, internet shopping, and video recording. There’s a very good probability that Qualcomm’s extra environment friendly chipset is to thank for lots of the outcomes, although its superior picture processing comes with a tradeoff of 33% decrease digital camera efficiency. All of which means sure, the Galaxy S24 Extremely gives higher battery life than its predecessor, and you must simply have the ability to push it previous a day of utilization, however you’ll need to be aware of how a lot time you spend on every job.

Whenever you inevitably want a charger, the Galaxy S24 Extremely nonetheless helps 45W wired — with a USB PD PPS charger — and 15W wi-fi speeds. It takes a hair over an hour to cruise from an empty battery to a full one with a suitable charger (no, there nonetheless isn’t one within the field), which is barely quicker than the earlier technology. Our wired charging check confirmed a remaining time of about 62 minutes for the Galaxy S24 Extremely in comparison with round 64 minutes for the Galaxy S23 Extremely — an enchancment, however a minor one.

By now, you’ve in all probability picked up on the truth that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely will get quite a lot of issues proper. It’s as highly effective as you may ask for, delivers stable battery life and charging, and sports activities an upgraded body with more durable Corning Glass. Nevertheless, all that success comes at a price — each literal and figurative.

The literal half of that price comes within the type of a $100 worth bump unique to the Galaxy S24 Extremely. It calls for an eye-watering $1,299 on the base configuration, whereas the top-tier model with 1TB of storage reaches all the best way to $1,659 — only a hair beneath the folding Galaxy Z Fold 5. After all, worth will increase occur, but it surely’s more durable to justify the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s bump while you break down what you’re getting — or somewhat, what others aren’t.

For starters, the Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24 Plus get entry to the identical Galaxy AI options because the Extremely. Meaning you don’t should go the $1,000 barrier to make use of Photograph Help, Chat Help, or translate your cellphone calls from one language to a different in actual time. These two telephones additionally get the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset within the US (or the Exynos 2400 in lots of world markets) and the identical seven years of software program updates. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Extremely is the one one to get a titanium body, however even that doesn’t matter a lot when you add a protecting case.

Even the earlier generations of Galaxy gadgets will get entry to a few of Samsung’s greatest AI options. The corporate inadvertently let slip that Circle to Search, Stay Translate, Be aware Help, and Photograph Help could be coming to a minimum of the Galaxy S23 sequence, and also you gained’t have to fret a few $100 worth bump on any of them.

There’s room for the literal price of the Galaxy S24 Extremely to extend, too, with Galaxy AI options solely at present assured to remain free by the top of 2025. Meaning, must you select to maintain your Galaxy S24 Extremely by the top of its life cycle in seven years, you’ll in all probability spend 5 of these years paying for the AI-powered options that you just already paid further for. After all, Samsung has but to element its plans for Galaxy AI previous the top of 2025, but it surely has instructed it would offset a number of the anticipated subscription charges by introducing extra new options — we’ll simply have to attend and see.

As for the figurative half of the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s price, it’s an enormous cellphone — there’s no approach round it. Samsung’s 6.8-inch show may supply extra display screen actual property than anybody wants, but it surely comes at the price of being nearly not possible to make use of one-handed. Granted, the presence of the S Pen suggests that you just’re not supposed to make use of one hand anyway, however most individuals gained’t use a stylus always. Pair that with the large rectangular body with its perpetually uncomfortable corners, and the Galaxy S24 Extremely turns into a tricky system to pocket for the smaller amongst us. Truthfully, I don’t all the time really feel like I’ve the pocket house for it, even when I wished to hold a cellphone this large.

Circling again to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely’s AI options, simply do not forget that we’re nonetheless within the comparatively early days of on-device capabilities. As such, a number of the options are nonetheless hit and miss, together with the real-time translations and the Photograph Help edits. Whereas efficient for brief, casual chats, Samsung’s translations get tough across the edges with extra difficult sentences and topics. Not the entire Chat Help suggestions are notably useful, both. The #Social tone, particularly, appears like an out-of-date throwback with an overabundance of hashtags and emojis that I might have utilized in center college. Asking the Galaxy S24 Extremely to translate, transcribe, and summarize a protracted textual content can even push its gears to their restrict, typically bailing on the duty midway by.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely’s digital camera doesn’t look completely different from its predecessor’s, which is an efficient factor. The Galaxy S23 Extremely earned its place as probably the greatest digital camera telephones we utilized in 2023 with a formidable mixture of long-range zoom and in-depth professional options, so it’s truthful to count on the Galaxy S24 Extremely to fit proper within the earlier cellphone’s place. It largely does — don’t fear — however there are extra adjustments to speak about than people who meet the attention, together with many who happen after you press the shutter button.

We solely should spend a second or two on the {hardware} adjustments, as there’s just one price mentioning. Samsung ditched its longstanding 10MP 10x optical telephoto sensor in favor of a shorter however increased decision 50MP 5x optical telephoto sensor. Meaning the Galaxy S24 Extremely gives full-resolution images at 5x zoom and applies a sensor crop for optical high quality photographs as much as 10x zoom, whereas the earlier Galaxy S23 Extremely used a mixture of digital zoom and post-processing for every part between 3x and 10x zoom. The brand new sensor additionally packs a wider most aperture of f/3.4 as an alternative of f/4.9, which permits extra gentle to succeed in the sensor in addition to a shallower depth of area.

Outdoors the telephoto swap, the Galaxy S24 Extremely has the identical 200MP main sensor as its predecessor, full with a large f/1.7 aperture. It’s backed by 10MP 3x optical telephoto and 12MP ultrawide sensors, which stay unchanged from the earlier technology. The 12MP punch gap selfie digital camera is unchanged, too.

Samsung’s default digital camera app hasn’t modified, both — it’s nonetheless loaded with customizable taking pictures modes and a mountain of professional options. Nevertheless, the little Galaxy AI brand of stars pops up while you open your digital camera roll or the Samsung Gallery app. It’s each the button you faucet on to start making AI-powered edits and the tiny watermark that exhibits up as a reminder that Samsung’s algorithms performed a job in your edited shot. Oh, and no, you may’t do away with the watermark utilizing AI, however you possibly can crop it out of your shot — although that may additionally lower out the edits you so rigorously generated. I’ll add some edited samples beneath, however first, just a few unedited photographs.

Samsung’s 200MP main sensor delivers wonderful photographs in nearly any type of shiny lighting situation. Whether or not it’s the brilliant, sunny pagoda or the pair of flags within the shade, the Galaxy S24 Extremely captured loads of element and recreated correct colours — a welcome change from Samsung’s typical love of reds and greens. The close-up picture of the balloons additionally exhibits good textures on every, with some showing shinier, like the grey one to the precise, whereas others are extra matte. My portrait mode picture of a duck additionally exhibits a lovely depth of area, retaining the duck in focus however not instantly eliminating every part round it with synthetic bokeh.

One side of Samsung’s cameras that’s usually critiqued is its points with transferring targets, and sadly, that is still a difficulty right here. I gained’t go into an excessive amount of element right here as my colleague Rita El Khoury has already accomplished that — try her deep dive into how the Galaxy S24 Extremely handles individuals and pets for samples.

The change from a 10x optical zoom to 5x additionally works properly for Samsung in shiny daylight. Whereas the earlier Galaxy S23 Extremely would have required quite a lot of post-processing for the 5x shot of the Domino Sugar manufacturing unit, the brand new digital camera captures it at full decision earlier than binning right down to a 12.5MP remaining consequence. It picks up respectable particulars for being on the far facet of a large harbor, with solely a slight shift within the shade profile the place the constructing displays on the water. Samsung’s 10x zoom shot makes use of a crop from the middle of the schedule, which isn’t fairly the identical as true optical high quality, but it surely’s a good commerce to get higher mid-range images. The manufacturing unit’s 30x and 100x zoom photographs are noticeably softer, with a lot of the brick constructing being decreased to purple and white rectangles — appropriate for social media to point out off that you may zoom to this point, however that’s about it.

Testing the Galaxy S24 Extremely at evening delivered maybe probably the most shocking outcomes throughout my time with the cellphone. I’m used to calling Google’s newest flagship the nighttime king, however the Galaxy S24 Extremely turned in higher coloration in my selfie, extra particulars above the water line within the ultrawide pattern, and far, a lot better particulars within the 5x zoom picture of Mr. Trash Wheel. The final of these three outcomes might be due to the upper decision telephoto sensor, however Samsung’s Galaxy AI picture processing shines throughout the complete slate of outcomes.

Now, the modifying check you’ve all been ready for… it’s good, however not nice. I expanded the picture of my espresso cup and shifted the angle to see how Samsung would sort out producing a part of my laptop computer, and it did simply tremendous. It recreated Apple’s Starlight end appropriately however added a little bit of texture to the in any other case clean laptop computer and recreated the wooden grain of the desk as a sequence of strains. One of many extra spectacular particulars is that Samsung lower off the pot within the right spot and appropriately guessed the lighting by a window that wasn’t throughout the body.

The pattern picture of my cat tells an identical story — shut however imperfect. It largely erased my hand and my blue shirt, however somewhat than extending the blue of my pants off the facet of the picture, the Galaxy S24 Extremely halted it early, making my leg look extra like a pillow than a human leg. Samsung didn’t hassle to generate the remainder of my cat’s paw, although the bokeh does a fairly good job of hiding what would in all probability be a stunted paw in a clearer image.

I don’t have a lot to say in regards to the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s selfie digital camera, primarily as a result of it hasn’t modified since final yr. It’s nonetheless a 12MP punch gap, which stays a extra dependable guess than the earlier 40MP monster from just a few years again. Selfie cameras shouldn’t must bin by default, particularly while you’re in all probability not going to make use of the completed product for way more than social media. Samsung hasn’t modified its video capabilities an excessive amount of, both, providing as much as 8K high quality at as much as 30fps when utilizing Professional Video mode or 4K decision at as much as 120fps.

The Galaxy S24 Extremely is Samsung’s most refined extremely flagship thus far. Its flat show does away with unintentional presses, whereas the titanium body is delightfully fingerprint-free, and it’s nonetheless powerful to match the brilliance of Samsung’s high-end shows. The beast of a smartphone stays a dream for energy customers, too, with outstanding efficiency from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a number of other Galaxy AI options stepping in to make calling, texting, and even note-taking simpler in your each day life.

We’ve come to count on greatness from Samsung’s Extremely yr in and yr out, and it continues to ship. The Galaxy S24 Extremely packs 4 extremely versatile rear cameras, providing a number of the greatest zoom functionality you’ll discover on a flagship and a shade profile that’s slowly however absolutely inching towards pure. Galaxy AI has a job right here, too, particularly when eliminating undesirable objects out of your photographs. Combine in an replace promise that after once more leads the Android class (or a minimum of ties with Google), and it’s straightforward to see the Galaxy S24 Extremely incomes a spot in your pocket for a very long time.

Nevertheless, it’s simply as straightforward to go over the Galaxy S24 Extremely as an improve you don’t want. Its $100 worth improve is hard to justify when the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus didn’t get the identical therapy, and the Galaxy S24 Extremely appears to be lacking a killer purpose to improve now that lots of its cloud-based Galaxy AI options have already been confirmed as coming to the older Galaxy S23 sequence. Samsung’s titanium body isn’t vital, both, because it barely saves any weight, and also you’ll in all probability overlook it’s any completely different from Armor Aluminum as quickly as you place your cellphone in a case.

Should you resolve the Galaxy S24 Utlra isn’t for you, its greatest various is only one step down the Samsung totem pole. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus ($1119.99 at Samsung) is the best member of the trio to suggest, providing the overwhelming majority of the Extremely expertise with out the complete brunt of the excessive price ticket. It’s only a tenth of an inch smaller at 6.7 inches however packs a 4,900mAh battery and equivalent charging specs to Samsung’s costliest flagship. As talked about, the Galaxy S24 Plus additionally will get the identical slate of Galaxy AI options, which means that you may circle to look, faucet into name or chat help, and edit your images with out the uncomfortable corners of the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s boxy body digging into your hand. You’ll should stay with out the second telephoto sensor and the S Pen, however the financial savings are greater than worthwhile.

You may additionally resolve to skip Samsung’s Galaxy ecosystem altogether, by which case it’s time to take a look at a number of the greatest Galaxy S24 Extremely alternate options.

The primary choice that springs to thoughts is Google’s Pixel 8 Professional ($999 at Amazon). Though priced according to the extra reasonably priced Galaxy S24 Plus, the Pixel 8 Professional is a real Galaxy S24 Extremely rival. It beat Samsung to the punch with Magic Editor for images, its long-term replace dedication, and even the swap from a curved show to a flat one. After all, the in-house Tensor G3 chip nonetheless doesn’t maintain a efficiency candle to Qualcomm’s highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, nor does the Pixel 8 Professional cost practically as rapidly because the Galaxy S24 Extremely. Finally, although, selecting between these two could come right down to which taste of Android you favor — Google’s gentle, stock-like expertise or Samsung’s heavier, feature-rich One UI.

One other wildcard price is the OnePlus 12 (on the product’s web site). It’s as soon as once more extra reasonably priced than the Galaxy S24 Extremely (most telephones are), but it surely packs a spec sheet that punches properly above its price ticket. The OnePlus 12 stuffs an enormous 5,400mAh battery into its slim body, then backs it with 80W wired charging and eventually brings again 50W wi-fi charging after a number of years on hiatus. It matches the Galaxy S24 Extremely with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset underneath the hood and both 12 or 16GB of RAM. The partnership with Hasselblad continues to repay for OnePlus, too, with a trio of highly effective, high-resolution sensors and a shade profile that’s come a great distance. That stated, the OnePlus 12 places the least emphasis on new AI-powered options, so it is likely to be one to keep away from in the event you’re trying to get generative.

Oh, and given the sky-high worth of the Galaxy S24 Extremely with 1TB of storage, it is likely to be price a foldable Android cellphone as a greater use of your cash. Each the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 ($1799.99 at Samsung) and OnePlus Open ($1499.99 at OnePlus) are wonderful choices, with the previous providing lots of the similar software program options because the Galaxy S24 Extremely. It gained’t obtain as many updates, nor does it have the identical slate of AI options, but it surely permits you to customise the inner and exterior shows independently — one thing most foldable telephones ignore. The OnePlus Open is a type of foldables, but it surely makes up for the limitation with a way more usable cowl show and lighter general development.

Must you select to enterprise outdoors of Android altogether, Apple’s iPhone 15 Professional Max ($1199 at Amazon) is the one iPhone price contemplating. It’s the one system to outpace the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in our Geekbench 6 scores, and Apple’s top-tier flagship stays the digital camera to beat with regards to taking pictures smartphone video. It grabbed a titanium body earlier than Samsung did, and Apple has lastly softened its sharp iPhone edges, a minimum of just a little bit. The iPhone 15 Professional Max set the unique commonplace for software program replace commitments, and it continues to match Google and Samsung every time they enhance their promise. After all, you’ll should get used to iOS and its quirks, however you’ll lastly present up as a blue bubble to your entire iMessage-toting pals.

All advised, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely is a wonderful smartphone. It takes up the mantel of its predecessor and carries it additional, including a titanium body and a number of other Galaxy AI options to the combination whereas sustaining the already wonderful digital camera setup. It’s Samsung’s most full expertise thus far, providing energy that may fulfill probably the most demanding of customers at a worth that’s excessive sufficient to doubtlessly flip away nearly all others.