Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra — Everything We Know So Far
© Cheez technician nullWhile the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still a newcomer to the best phones list, rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra have started to surface. But smartphone makers are always on the lookout for their next device, meaning next year's model is already in the works.
As a result, expect a steady stream of Galaxy S24 Ultra in the coming months, and the pace should pick up as we get closer to the phone's expected launch in early 2024. While that's still a long way off, there's enough information to give us. An overview of what Samsung may be planning for its next flagship phone.
From some early Galaxy S24 leaks, along with some Ultra model rumors, here's what we've heard so far about the Galaxy S24 Ultra, along with what we can expect from Samsung's premium phone.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra release date and estimated price
With the Galaxy S23 lineup arriving in February and the mid-range Galaxy A54 also making its debut, Samsung's next agenda is to release new flexible phones in the second half of the year. . Before the Galaxy S24 Ultra, we can expect to see the long-rumored Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Galaxy S phones are usually launched within the first three months of a new year, and Samsung chose the February announcement to present its newest flagship. With that in mind, we expect the Galaxy S24 Ultra to launch in February 2024, along with the rest of the S24 lineup. That's just speculation, and more specific rumors about a launch date will emerge. In the next few months.
It's too early to talk about the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Our biggest hope is for Samsung to drop the price or find a way to lower the price of the phone from the Galaxy S23 Ultra's $1,199 starting price. Samsung will be gambling on lowering the price, given all the key features included in that model and the increase in the price of smartphone components. We'd love to see the same starting price of $1,199, especially considering the price increase that reportedly came before the launch of the Galaxy S23 earlier this year.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra design and rumors showcased
While Samsung introduced an Ultra design for this year's Galaxy S23 lineup, and its budget Galaxy A phones are very similar to the Ultra, we didn't expect a radical design change for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Samsung clearly likes having a series of vertically sliding camera lenses on the back of its phones, and will likely go with this approach (although some of the concepts we mention in this article suggest a new, more radical idea). ).
Also, the latest Ultra model has a 6.8-inch panel, one of the largest screens you'll find on a non-foldable phone. We hope Samsung keeps that 6.8-inch screen for the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The biggest change to the display is probably the refresh rate. Starting with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the gigantic screen has a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Screen motion is more static and newer models can drop down to 1Hz.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra can mix things up by bumping up the maximum refresh rate to 144Hz. This claim comes from gossip site SamLover which has some alleged details about next year's Samsung Flash phone. While most are gaming phones, there are other devices with 144Hz screens. The gaming capabilities of the Samsung Ultra models - fast processors, large screens, internal cooling systems designed to reduce performance lag - aren't too hard to explain on this unique feature of the S24 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Camera Rumors
Samsung's biggest camera change came with last year's Ultra model, when the Galaxy S22 Ultra's 108MP main sensor was replaced by a 200MP shooter. Although Sam Lover has said that Samsung will make some improvements to the sensor, we don't expect a huge step forward. This could mean improvements in color reproduction, from allowing more light through a wider aperture.
Another tip from Samlover concerns the Galaxy S24 Ultra's telephoto lens, which should improve zoom capabilities. The S23 Ultra's camera setup includes two telephoto lenses, one with 3x optical zoom and the other with 10x zoom, which can be combined for a 100x spatial zoom function. You might think the increased zoom means we can get closer to the subject, though we'll need to hear more details before we're sure.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra introduces a new front camera, so if Samsung is planning to make changes, we can only expect a few changes. This only leaves a 12MP wide-angle lens on the back of the phone as room for improvement.
Rumors about the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
You can't imagine Qualcomm's top-of-the-line silicon will be in the Galaxy S24 Ultra this time next year. After Samsung has incorporated its own Exynos chip for years, the Galaxy S23 lineup is powered by a Qualcomm chip. For next year's S24 phones, Samsung will stick with Qualcomm's approach.
If Qualcomm sticks with the name, we think it will be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. We should hear more about this silicon later this year when Qualcomm introduces its newest high-end chip. That said, one rumor suggests that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 could arrive earlier than usual, though we're not putting too much weight into that claim.
Apple's A17 Bionic chip is said to be the only one built on the 3nm process this year, which could undermine Qualcomm's upcoming silicon in terms of speed and energy efficiency. Rumor has it that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will support UFS 4.1 storage, but since the storage specs haven't been revealed yet, we consider that claim to be doubtful.
One Galaxy S23 feature not seen on this year's phone is satellite connectivity. Samlov hopes to change that with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which will allow the phone to match features in the iPhone 14 and allow people to send emergency messages offline. It's unclear whether this is a super-exclusive feature or whether Samsung will follow in Apple's footsteps and make satellite connectivity a feature of all its flagship models.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: What we wanted to see
Given how thin the rumored Galaxy s24 Ultra is at this point, this gives us plenty of room to fill in the gaps with the features we can see. After all, as good as the Galaxy S23 Ultra is, there are still some areas that Samsung could improve on.
New S Pen Features: Samsung added S Pen support with the release of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and with the arrival of the S22 Ultra, they figured out how to incorporate the stylus into the phone's design. However, the S Pen upgrade is not with the Galaxy S23 Ultra as Samsung is focusing on other areas.
We wish the Galaxy S24 Ultra focused more on the S Pen, adding support for new features. This could include new S Pen Air actions or maybe a remote control for additional functions for the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Fast charging : The Galaxy S23 Ultra stalls with 45W charging, although other Android phones, especially devices like the OnePlus 11, let you charge your phone faster. We'd love to see better charging speeds for phones with the Ultra name.
No price changes: We've covered that above, but hopefully Samsung's change to the Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn't lead to a price change. This is the situation of our friends on the other side of the world after Samsung overpaid for the Galaxy S23 Ultra after adjusting for currency fluctuations.
While the Ultra model boasts more than flagship features, $1,199 is still a hefty price tag for a smartphone. Samsung would do well to remember that not even the best phones can cost that much since they are out of reach of most buyers.
