SAMSUNG’S S24 LAUNCH COULD SPUR SMARTPHONE RESURGENCE
▶ Generative AI among top features of South Korean company’s new line-up released at its Unpacked event
Samsung has launched the 2024 smartphone battle with the Galaxy S24 series, as the South Korean company seeks to maintain its leadership in the highly competitive market.
The new devices are leaning on generative artificial intelligence to build momentum for not just the world’s second-biggest mobile phone manufacturer, but also for the entire smartphone industry, which has been slowing down over the past couple of years.
For the fifth straight year, Samsung launched three devices – the entry-level Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+ and the top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra retains the looks of its predecessor – flat top and bottom, slightly curved edges, the S Pen and an overall solid build, which Samsung is known for.
The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, Samsung decided to hit the refresh button with a new flat-edged design similar to Apple’s current iPhone designs. Smaller bezels too.
The Galaxy S24 comes in only 128GB and 256GB, with 8GB of Ram, losing the 512GB option, while the Galaxy S24+ retains its 256GB and 512GB versions, with 12GB of Ram. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, meanwhile, does not have a 128GB option, and comes in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, all with 12GB of Ram. The 256GB Ultra model has also been upgraded from its predecessor, which only had 8GB of Ram.
Prices in the UAE for the Galaxy S24 are between Dh3,199 and Dh3,499, while the Galaxy S24+ costs Dh3,899 to Dh4,399, depending on lower and higher storage options. The Galaxy S24 Ultra will set you back by Dh5,099, Dh5,599 and Dh6,599 for 256GB, 512GB and 1TB models, respectively.
While the price tags of the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ remain similar to their predecessors, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s have been increased by Dh150.
Bookings started right after Wednesday’s Unpacked event in San Jose, California.
Camera in focus
The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ have a triple-lens camera, with a 50-megapixel main sensor, 10MP telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide lenses.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a quad-lens camera bannered by a 200MP lens, plus two telephoto lenses with resolutions of 50MP and 10MP, respectively, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens.
While one of the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s telephoto cameras was bumped up to 50MP, Samsung decided to halve its optical zoom to 5x.
While it looks like a downgrade at first glance, it really isn’t. The bigger 50MP sensor compensates for the lower zoom, which should result in better images. Apart from that, they are practically the same camera specs as last year’s S23 series. As for the front camera on all three devices, you will get a 12MP snapper – similar to last year’s line-up as well.
Bigger screens
The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ displays are a tenth of an inch bigger at 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra retains a 6.8-inch screen.
All three devices feature a Dynamic Amoled 2X display, but the Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra have QHD+, which is basically four times the resolution of a standard high-definition screen, while the Galaxy S24 uses FHD+, which is a step above standard HD.
All of them also feature a “super smooth” 120Hz refresh rate. All these features are practically unchanged from their S23 variants.
Colour options
For the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, you can choose from marble grey, onyx black, cobalt violet and amber yellow.
Those match the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s titanium options – titanium
grey, titanium black, titanium violet and titanium yellow.
To be clear – only the Ultra model uses a titanium frame.
The violet and yellow options stands out, probably because black and grey have been shooin hues for as long as we can remember mobile phones.
Battery upgrades
The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s battery is kept at 5000mAh. In our review of the Galaxy S23 Ultra last year, we were able to stretch that until night-time the following day.
But the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ received some upgrades. Their batteries are now up at 4000mAh and 4900mAh, respectively, up from 3900mAh and 4700mAh.
For all three devices, fast charging and Wireless PowerShare – which allows the Galaxy
S24 to charge other phones – are available.
However, things diverge on how fast they can charge. The Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra can zoom up at 65 per cent in half an hour using a 45W adapter and a 5A USB-C cable (5-amp cables let current flow through faster), while the base Galaxy S24 can only do up to 50 per cent with the same charging gear.
All three Galaxy S24 devices remain IP68-rated, meaning they are dust and water-resistant – you can submerge them as deep as 1.5 metres in freshwater for 30 minutes. But make sure you rinse off any residue and dry the device as much as you can to help the drying process.
Galaxy AI
Galaxy AI is Samsung’s newest platform that uses generative AI to help users through their daily tasks and helps them with other activities.
It can help translate or transcribe calls or texts in a number of different languages or use images to search and buy items on the web. A fun function is using it to manipulate images on Galaxy S24 devices, for example resizing or removing certain elements in a photo.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has the looks of its predecessor – flat top and bottom, slightly curved edges and the S Pen