Early Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra camera samples raise concerns compared to iPhone 15 Pro Max and last-gen Galaxy despite samey hardware
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (curr $1,299.99 on Amazon) dropped yesterday, revealing some very small changes to the overall camera hardware, although software is always a different story. As samples have been making their way into the hands of influencers and online press, a slow drip of camera samples show very mixed results, with many favouring shots by the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max over the new Galaxy device.
The Tech Chap uploaded a set of photos comparing the Galaxy S23 Ultra (curr. $899.99 on Amazon) to the Galaxy S24 Ultra in the same scene, and the results are rather alarming — although neither phone produces an ideal image. Where the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra produces a softer image with skin that looks rather smooth, the Galaxy S24 Ultra seems to over-sharpen the image dramatically, also resulting in a rather unpleasant result.
In his review on YouTube, TechTablets also showed that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra exhibited strange behaviour in portrait mode photos, with smoothed-over skin textures making still images look rather soft.
Another reviewer, Vật Vờ Studio, from Vietnam, uploaded a video comparing the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to the iPhone 15 Pro Max (curr. $1,099.99 at Best Buy) in a number of areas. Critically, the Galaxy S24 Ultra seems to do fairly poorly in low-light scenarios, and especially in video.
The images the Galaxy S24 Ultra produces often seem artificially bright, especially when it comes to faces in low light conditions. Strange bright halos, similar to those demonstrated in MKBHD's recent blind smartphone camera test, rear their heads in low-light images, too. Nighttime photos also exhibit some blown-out highlights and muddy textures.
Video is arguably the most disappointing aspect of the performance in this particular demonstration. Although daylight clips are bright, smooth, and sharp — and there are no distracting lens flares, like those produced by the iPhone, things fall apart quickly when the light wanes. The image stabilisation starts to introduce judders, and the image becomes muddier as the light gets sparse.
At the end of the day, how the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra performs when it officially becomes available on January 31 still remains to be seen, as many of the sample images we are seeing today are likely taken on pre-release software, which could make a world of difference in overall image quality and consistency.
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