The Galaxy S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra smartphones announced today by Samsung during the Unpacked event mark a historic break with the previous range. Or with anything that can currently be found on the market. And we’re not exaggerating.
If there is a break, it is not due to the material. This evolves logically compared to the previous generation. The real revolution comes from the integration of Galaxy AI, the artificial intelligence concocted by the Korean. Before we talk about that, let’s quickly review the hardware aspect of the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Hardware: a logical evolution, but welcome
The S24 Ultra represents the top of the range. Built around a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 12 GB of RAM, it has 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB of non-expandable storage depending on its version.
Small novelty on the display side, its 6.8″ Dynamic Amoled 2x screen (i.e. 17.3 cm diagonal) no longer has curved borders (waterfall). It maintains a variable refresh rate 1-120 Hz, Quad HD+ definition and sees its maximum brightness increase to 2,600 nits.
The S24 and S24+ are equipped with an in-house Exynos 2400 processor. They are offered in 8+128 GB and 8+256 GB versions for the first and 12+256 GB and 12+512 GB for the second.
The Dynamic Amoled 2x screen of the S24 has a diagonal of 6.2″ (15.7 cm) and Full HD+ definition while the S24+ benefits from a larger panel (6.7″, i.e. 17 cm) and ‘a QHD+ definition. Their maximum brightness increases to 2600 nits and the refresh rate varies between 1 and 120 Hz.
The front is protected by Gorilla Glass Armor from Corning, supposed to be more resistant than the Victus 2 and above all less subject to parasitic reflections.
The edges of the S24 Ultra are made of Titanium to be more resistant to shocks. All three models are IP68 certified and benefit from 7 years of software and security updates, putting them on par with Google’s Pixel 8.
The S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra feature a 4000 mAh, 4900 mAh and 5000 mAh battery respectively. The latter two have 45 watts fast charging while the first remains stuck at 25 watts (W). According to the manufacturer, the autonomy of the S24 Ultra would be up by 3 hours 30 minutes compared to the S23 Ultra, that of the S24+ by 4 hours 30 minutes compared to its predecessor while the S24 would benefit from a reduction of 4 hours . To be checked during a test.
Photo and video: a cut above
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a total of five modules (four at the rear, one at the front) while the S24 and S24+ have to make do with “only” four modules (three at the rear, one at the front). ). Their technical characteristics are evolving, suggesting an improvement in low light. Of course, we will tell you everything when we receive our test copies.
Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Main module: 23mm f/1.7 OIS; 200 megapixel sensor (Mpx)
- Ultra wide-angle: 13mm f/2.2; 12 MP sensor
- 10x telephoto lens: 115mm f/3.4; 50 MP sensor
- 3x telephoto lens: 69mm f/2.4; 10 MP sensor
- Front camera: 25mm f/2.2; 12 MP sensor
Galaxy S24/S24+
- Main module: 23mm f/1.8; 50 MP sensor
- Ultra wide-angle: 13mm f/2.2; 12 MP sensor
- 3x telephoto lens: 69mm f/2.4 optics; 10 MP sensor
- Front camera: 25mm f/2.2; 12 MP sensor
All models benefit from optical stabilization and dual pixel autofocus. Samsung ensures that the sensors are larger and thus have more sensitive photosites. We can only believe it, the manufacturer having not yet communicated their physical characteristics.
Video is not left out and it is now possible to record in 8K 30 frames/s on all models. The S24 Ultra also allows a 5x “optical quality” zoom in 8K as well as 4K capture at 120 fps in Pro mode. Enough to produce nice slow motion shots.
Samsung worked hand in hand with the main social networks to best integrate photo and video functions within the apps. From now on, you can benefit from the full camera specifications of an S24 directly from the photo/video interface of the Tiktok, Meta, SnapChat and Google apps. Here too, we can’t wait to test all of this very soon!
Galaxy AI redefines smartphone use. Quite simply.
During CES in Las Vegas, we saw that Samsung was sticking artificial intelligence absolutely everywhere, including in its vacuum cleaners. Therefore, we did not see why smartphones would escape this. This is now done with Galaxy AI. Is it a simple gadget intended to surf the fashion of the moment? Or a redefinition of the use of a smartphone in daily life?
According to the quick overview that we were able to carry out before the official announcement, the second option is undoubtedly very close to the truth. Galaxy AI was designed to simply perform previously complex tasks. Better yet: the majority of operations are carried out locally, without having to send anything to the Cloud.
Here are the main functions of Galaxy AI, classified by usage categories:
Communicate
Instant translation is one of the most impressive aspects. You can therefore chat by telephone (or face-to-face) with someone who does not speak the same language as you.
The AI translates what is said in real time orally, but also in writing in both directions of discussion. Thirteen languages supported at launch, with more arriving in the coming months.
The Message Assistant can format and correct a message typed or dictated to the smartphone. He reformulates it in the style chosen from those available (pro, #social, relaxed, polite or with emojis). Of course, it remains modifiable by the user before sending it.
Get informed
Circle to Search was co-developed with Google. This function can be seen as an extension of Google Lense. Circle an object or text on the screen (movie, photo, website, document) and the assistant will give you information about it.
Samsung has, however, put some safeguards in place: it is impossible to carry out this type of search on human faces or on banking information, for example.
The web assistant is capable of summarizing an article or a web page by touching a button on the interface. Currently, two levels of summaries are offered (quick and detailed).
We couldn’t resist the pleasure of submitting written tests for Clubic… and the result turned out to be very convincing! Same thing for the few information sites where we were able to browse when we got started.
To work
The Transcription Assistant works with the Dictaphone application or from an audio file. It allows you to transcribe a meeting while recognizing up to ten different voices. The transcription is formatted and can be translated on the fly.
Finally, a meeting summary can be generated automatically. For its part, the Notes Assistant recovers your notes (including those taken with a stylus on the S24 Ultra), summarizes them, formats them (titles, etc.) and can compile them into a synthetic text.
Create
Images stored in Samsung Gallery benefit from new editing suggestions, with the processing power of the processor allowing them to be applied without using the Cloud.
Generative AI makes a first appearance: when cropping or straightening the horizon, it can recreate the background of lost areas. However, you will have to accept that your images are processed by the manufacturer’s servers.
Price and availability of Galaxy S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra
The Galaxy S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra are available for pre-order from January 17 to 30 accompanied by two interesting offers (doubling the memory capacity without price change; repurchase of an old model with a bonus of 100 euros). Effective marketing begins on January 31.
The S24 and S24+ are available in black, silver, cream and indigo. The S24 Ultra is available in black, gray, purple and amber. True to form, Samsung is adding three exclusive colors (green, blue, orange) available only from its online store.
Prices are down very slightly compared to those of the S23 at launch. The only exception is the S24 Ultra in 256 GB which increases by €50. We have each time indicated the price variation observed.
- Galaxy S24
128 GB: €899 (-€60)
256 GB: €969 (-€50) - Galaxy S24+
256 GB: €1,169 (-€50)
512 GB: €1,289 (-€50) - Galaxy S24 Ultra
256 GB: €1,469 (+€50)
512 GB: €1,589 (-€10)
1 TB: €1,829 (-€10)
Samsung Galaxy S24
Smartphone
release date: 01-26-2024
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