FIRST IMPRESSION: What did I notice on the new Samsung Galaxy S24?

The Samsung Unpacked event is taking place in San Jose, California, where we were among the first to experience what the focus will be on this year's Samsung Galaxy S24 phones. Many things were already known, especially on the hardware side, but artificial intelligence or Galaxy AI was a bigger unknown.

What language model did they use? Will the use of AI services/features be free? Will it also be possible to use artificial intelligence locally, i.e. offline? What is the situation with Slovenia? Which features are most useful? Do users even need integrated AI solutions in phones? Is this the start of a whole new feature that manufacturers will rally around and compete to see who has the best AI?

Many questions and I had the opportunity to at least partially reveal the veil of mystery surrounding the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series at the Samsung Unpacked event.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – until further notice the best android phone

This is not exactly shocking news, as the same happens every year when a new Samsung Galaxy Ultra is released. Firstč I was able to test the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, although it has been circulating in China for some time. The initial results are within the limits of my expectations. Phones have been working smoothly for some time, even if they don't have the latest and fastest processor, especially if the company at least starts a little software optimization, which is almost never a problem with Samsung phones.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – a good upgrade, especially on the graphics side

With the third Snapdragon generation, we understandably have more available more than last year. I haven't had a chance to do synthetic tests yet, but we still have a few comparisons with the previous generation available.

On top of that, this year we are also supposed to get a slightly special version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for the Galaxy, which means slightly more powerful performance cores. With the Cortex A720 cores, the operating frequency should be slightly reduced (from 3.2 to 3.15 GHz for three cores and from 3 to 2.96 GHz for two cores), which helps with heat dissipation, consistency and battery performance.

The biggest upgrade, as much as 30 %, is with more core capacity, while we can see around 10-15 % improvement in single-core workload. The graphics core (Adreno 750) is better by as much as 30-40 %. Ray tracing capabilities have also been improved, although there are still not many mobile games that can take advantage of this technology (PUBG, Rainbow Six, War Thunder …).

Simply put, it's very good news for gamers and users who need this kind of performance for more productive tasks.

It's also good news that this way, Samsung is again approaching the performance on paper, which is possibly sufficient to run some computer games (Assassin's Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village …). We'll see if game developers respond and adapt their games for Android phones. Until then, I'll still pass the time playing Switch games on the Galaxy S24, which I expect will do great. I also noticed the first dedicated drivers for the new processor, which is a good sign for even more reliable console gaming.

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 have an Exynos 2400 processor, but for now I don't have concrete data on performance and, above all, efficiency.

Where does all this heat go?

The entire Samsung Galaxy S24 series has increased or/improved the heat dissipation system. The steam chamber in the Galaxy S24 Ultra is as much as 1.9 times larger. How this will be known in terms of consistency or heat dissipation, it is difficult to predict at this moment. On paper, performance should be much more consistent than last year, but I'll wait for a more detailed test.

7 years of support

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series will have 7 years of Android support and 7 years of security patches. You may be wondering if this makes any sense. Will the hardware pass the test of time after 7 years? Maybe not, but many people will be able to use the Galaxy S24 as a secondary phone, where the 7-year support will prove to be a welcome addition.

The design rests on titanium with a green touch

The design remained largely the same, with the exception of the titanium, which was certainly inspired by the competition. This means better resistance, a slightly lighter phone and an even greater premium feel. I have not been able to make sure whether the titanium will possibly affect the overheating of the phone. I hope to get the phone for a longer test soon and see how the new design performs. I am also waiting for an answer as to how much of the case actually consists of titanium and how much aluminum was used in the design.

The screen is also a little better. They improved the brightness to 2600 nits, which means clarity and transparency regardless of the amount of daylight. I did not notice any concrete improvements in the quality of the AMOLED screen, but even the previous generation had a very good screen. Maybe I will notice some difference in a deeper test. Importantly, all three Galaxy S24 models have the same LTPO screen, which means that all of them (for the first time so far) can refresh between 1 and 120 Hz, which is great for battery autonomy.

The screen is now flat. Some will miss the premium feel offered by the curved screen, but in return it is more resistant to shocks, especially when dropped on the edge of the phone, there are also fewer accidental touches and the S Pen can be used after full screen.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra also got a new protection – Corning Gorilla Armor, which is said to be 4x stronger than similar solutions, but it is not clear whether the previous Victus 2 is also taken into account in this comparison. The new protection is also supposed to help with reflections, up to 75 % less reflections. The classic Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ will have the excellent Gorilla Victus 2.

Charging is still limited to 45 W, of course we will have to buy the charger separately. I did not get an answer when Samsung will commit to faster charging.

The fingerprint sensor remains the same as last year, i.e. Qualcomm 3D Sonic Gen 2.

This year, there is also a lot of emphasis on recycling. They use recycled cobalt in the batteries, some raw materials and iron in the speakers, plastic on the buttons and the packaging is made from 100 % recycled paper.

Although the Galaxy S24+ and S24 didn't get titanium, they can boast a new, more unified One-mass design, which means that the back and sides are connected seamlessly.

An even better photographer …

… which can be mainly thanks to artificial intelligence and the new periscope telephoto camera. With the latter, we have a larger 50 MP sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) and this time up to 5x optical magnification and not 10x as in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Why up to 5x and not up to 10x? More users use magnification between 3x and 5x. Scenarios where you would need 10x are usually less than 5x. The new sensor also has a wider aperture (f/4.9 vs. f/3.2), which means it can absorb more light. Unfortunately, I will only be able to find out during the test whether this also means better night photos. I took some quick photos and can appreciate the detail at 3x and 5x magnification. At 10x, it is noticeable that the program side needs to shift into a higher gear, but despite the fact that the optics are not present, the results are very good. At higher magnifications (20, 30 and up to 100x), I noticed only a slight improvement compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. For now, the results are good, but I will give my final opinion after the test.

They also improved the End-to-End AI image reconstruction, with which the phone will process the photo even faster and at the same time the time it takes to capture the photo will be reduced, or the delay between pressing and the captured photo will be much shorter. a.

The main 200 MP sensor remains the same, the quality is better at first glance, but at the expense of the already mentioned improved image reconstruction and artificial intelligence algorithms that are more skilled in processing. With the first photos, I noticed that there is not the same exaggeration with the warmth of the colors and exposed highlights, which I like better than last year. This is certainly in favor of users who like more natural color tones.

The second telephoto (12MP) and front camera (12MP) remain the same.

Galaxy AI – the beginning of artificial intelligence in phones

It's rare for software to overshadow hardware components, but that's exactly what happened at this year's Samsung Unpacked. A lot of attention, in fact most of it, was given to Galaxy AI artificial intelligence.

They are supposed to use their own language model, and for certain functions (Circle to Google Search) they rely on partnerships.

First of all, it should be emphasized that Slovenian is not supported in the following functions. 13 languages are supported, and new ones will be added on a regular basis based on demand.

Samsung guarantees that Galaxy AI will be free to use until at least 2025.

Galaxy AI will help us in writing texts, it will also suggest improvements. I was able to test the translation during a phone call in an isolated booth and the feature works very well. It is likely that background noises will interfere a bit in practice, and it may happen that there will be translation errors.

I also tried this Tolmača (English Interpreter), which is used in live conversations. Choose the target and source language and have a conversation with a foreign person in a foreign language, while the Galaxy S24 shows a live translation of the conversation. The function will be very useful for many people, although Slovenian is not supported, but background noises can be a potential nuisance. Tolmač it also works offline, so we will be able to use it on the plane, for example.

Translations are also available in messages, documents and elsewhere, but a network connection and a Samsung computer are required. You can also choose different styles, for example a writing style like Shakespeare or a more relaxed or "cool" style (uses the Google Gemini model). I assume that the transcription function will also be useful (internet connection is required), which will convert the audio text into text and, if desired, also summarize it.

When taking photos, Galaxy AI will help us with corrections, better photo processing, offer the option of removing reflections, and some dedicated functions will also be available. With Generative Edit we will be able to straighten the photo, with the lasso tool we can easily mark the object/subject in the image, move it and Galaxy AI will automatically fill the empty pixels. The photo features work locally, so no connection is required to use them.

Captured recordings can also be easily changed into a slow-mo recording.

In all likelihood, Galaxy AI will be a good complement to the Google Lens tool, with which we can use the camera to translate, identify objects in the image and then search for them online. Galaxy AI allows us to do this anywhere, in any application. You will watch a clip on YouTube and you will be able to mark a certain item and search for it on Google.

The improved security offered by Samsung Knox is also in the foreground. For example, we will be able to choose how much data the artificial intelligence will be able to use for learning. Passkeys will also be available for even more secure online access.

A lot remains unexplored, so I'm eagerly waiting for the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (and other members) to make a pilgrimage to my hands.

Availability and price in Slovenia?

The Galaxy S24 will be available at a recommended retail price of EUR 899, the Galaxy S24+ at a recommended retail price of EUR 1,149, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra () at a recommended retail price of EUR 1,449.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra will be available in Titanium Black, Titanium Grey, Purple and Titanium Yellow. Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 in onyx black, marble gray, cobalt purple and amber yellow.

Pre-orders begin today, January 17, at authorized Samsung partners. Just like last year, some benefits will be available: more of memory space for the price of the basic version and an additional bonus. For all promotion rules and conditions, visit the link.

Main specifications of Samsung Galaxy S24 phones

	Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra	Samsung Galaxy S24+	Samsung Galaxy S24
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Exynos 2400	Exynos 2400
Screen	6.8-inch AMOLED 2X (1-120 Hz), 2600 nits	6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED 2X (1-120 Hz)	6.2-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2x (1-120 Hz)
Cameras	200 MP (f/1.7) main, 50 MP (f/3.4) telephoto, 10 MP (f/2.4) telephoto, 12 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide, 12 MP (f /2,2) front	50 MP (f/1.8) main camera, 10 MP (f/2.4) telephoto, 12 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide, 12 MP (f/2.2) front	50 MP (f/1.8) main camera, 10 MP (f/2.4) telephoto, 12 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide, 12 MP (f/2.2) front
RAM and storage	12 GB and up to 1 TB	12 GB and up to 512 GB	8 GB and up to 512 GB
Battery	5000 mAh, 45-W charging	4900 mAh, 25-W charging	4000 mAh, 45-W charging
The rest	Wi-Fi 7, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, IP68	Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, IP68	Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, IP68