One month with Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: No regrets (yet)

The last time I posted about a phone purchase on this website was back in 2011. That was when I got my very first smartphone. Cut to 2024, got another new phone, and coincidentally this one’s also a Samsung.

Reposting the first paragraph from that 2011 post (it still holds true):

Phones were never a status symbol for me. In fact nothing is. I am an utilitarian, the kind who is always in the look out for paisa wasool (value for money). As someone pointed out in a tweet, that our earnings from inside air conditioned offices isn’t exactly pasine ki kamai (earned through sweat). But then it is mehnat ki (of hardwork) and I always want to extract the most, be it a lemon or a tube of toothpaste.

My first Android: Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830

Unlike 13 years ago, this time around the phone I bought was top-of-the-line, which some say is the best phone around: the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. And despite its price tag, the phone does pack in a lot that makes it worth the spend.

This isn’t exactly a review (I have long ceased being an active technology journalist), but more of a public note for my future self (to justify my purchase).

I rarely regret phone purchases, as I make my purchases after a bit of need analysis and research. But my previous phone – the One Plus 9 Pro – was something I shouldn’t have bought.

It was 2021, and the pandemic was surging. We were mostly locked inside and I needed a new phone. Having owned two OnePlus phones previously, I didn’t give much of a thought before buying my third in a row.

The phone turned out to be a heavy piece of damage-prone glass (at the front, edges and rear. That I have never put any protective covering on my phones didn’t help), that overheated and froze frequently. So much so, that it scared my family, who thought that it was getting dangerously hot. They insisted that I get a new phone at the earliest. The phone was also a battery hog.

My son suggested that I go for the S24 Ultra, as it seemed to be the best phone around. I knew it was, but was it worth spending so much on? I gave it some thought for a couple of weeks and then when I got a sweet enough deal, I exchanged the 9 Pro for the S24 Ultra.

A month of using the phone, I have no regrets (yet).

On the weight side it is heavier than my previous phone (which I labelled as heavy), but doesn’t feel that heavy in my hand. I guess this is because the edges are thicker and therefore the weight gets distributed.

The S Pen is one of the primary reasons why I chose the S24 Ultra. I have always had a thing for pen inputs. Even when I bought my current laptop, I had narrowed down on models that came with a stylus. For the kind of job that I do and the other interests that I have, having a pen is always a great help. Also my daughter loves drawing on my phone. More so, because she doesn’t need to unlock the phone to scribble away happily.

The camera bumps at the rear does make the phone wobbly when kept on the desk and therefore a bit uncomfortable to write on.

My previous phone had a curved display, while the S24 Ultra is as flat as it gets. I didn’t find curved edges to have any advantages, except for the looks. Also they are more prone to breakages. For a phone with a pen, having it flat screen is an advantage.

I am an optical zoom fan. Though in this model they have brought the optical zoom down to 5X from the 10X in the S23 Ultra, it is still good enough for regular usage (and offers an ‘optical-like’ 10X zoom). For my higher zoom needs I have my Panasonic Lumix DC FZ 1000 II.

To add to the top of its top-notch cameras, the AI features fill in the gaps in your photography with ease. And the S Pen only adds to the photo (and video) editing convenience.

Needless to say, the S24 Ultra is a feature-laden phone. Every other day, I discover something new.

With Samsung DeX, it gives a desktop-like experience. As I have standalone monitors on my desk (both at work and at home) along with a wireless keyboard, I can do much of my work without having to turn on the laptop.

The circle to search feature is such a time saver. I see that coming to more phones very soon.

Unlike the other phones that I and my family have recently owned, the S24 Ultra doesn’t boast of any ultra-fast charging abilities (it doesn’t even pack in a charger in the box). But the battery lasts long. Very long. For the first time in many, many years, I have stopped being continuously fixated over the battery percentage. Now I don’t even think of rushing to the nearest charger even when the battery drops to below 50%. I am assured that there is enough and more juice left for the rest of my day.

On the looks side, the S24 Ultra is no head turner. It is a simple looking titanium and Corning Gorilla Armor clad rectangular block with sharp corners and a large 5-lens+sensor bulge at the rear. This is reminiscent of German design – minimalist and functional.

The Corning Gorilla Armour coated display is also anti-glare, which gives good visibility even under bright conditions.

The only thing that I miss in this from my old phone is the OnePlus alert slider. As I need to toggle between different modes – ring, vibrate and silent – at different times of the day, having a tactile slider that didn’t even need taking out the phone from my pocket, was such a convenience.

For the record, here’s a list of all phones I have owned over the years (not including work phones):

1. Motorola T190 (2003)
2. Motorola C350e (2004)
3. LG KG300 Dynamite (2007)
4. Samsung Corby Pro (2010)
5. Samsung Galaxy Ace (2011)
6. Motorola Droid Razr (2012)
7. LG Nexus 4 (2013)
8. Google Nexus 6P (2015)
9. OnePlus 3T (2017)
10. OnePlus 6 (2018)
11. OnePlus 9 Pro (2021)
12. Samsung S24 Ultra (2024)