Galaxy Unpacked | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Flagship smartphone unveiled with an improved telephoto camera, Wi-Fi 7 and tons of AI

After months of leaks, rumours and speculations, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has finally arrived. As always, the deluge of leaks preceding its launch got most of its specs right. It incrementally builds upon its predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra and has little to offer in the way of hardware upgrades. On the other hand, the software side is chock full of AI-driven features, such as real-time translation done on-device, Samsung's take on Google's Live Translate, real-time prompts while typing, audio transcription, and more.

Specs-wise, the Galaxy S24 Ultra uses its predecessor's 6.8-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED panel (1440p, 1-120 Hz, HDR10+). It has a peak brightness of 2,600 nits and comes with a feature called Vision Booster, which amps up the panel's brightness to help with outdoor viewing.

A layer of Corning Gorilla Armour 6 protects the panel from daily wear and tear. Under the hood, all Galaxy S24 Ultra variants pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy SoC, unlike the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, which are slated to arrive in Exynos and Snapdragon flavours.

Fortunately (and unfortunately), the smartphone is available with just 12 GB of RAM. One can pair it with 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB of internal storage with no expansion. Lastly, Samsung has also thrown in a S-Pen with the phone. A 5,000 mAh battery powers the Galaxy S24 Ultra. You can charge it at up to 45 W with a compatible USB-PD charger or 15 W wirelessly. The phone can also be used as a wireless charging pad for peripherals.

Other features include a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7 (Ultra variant only), NFC and a UWB (ultra-wideband) chip. It supports all popular navigation standards such as GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, and QZSS. An under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor handles biometric authentication.

Samsung has switched things up with the Galaxy S24 Ultra's cameras. It uses the same 200 MP wide-angle lens (Super Quad Pixel AF, f/1.7, OIS), a 50 MP telephoto lens (5x optical zoom, f/3.4), a 10 MP telephoto lens (3x optical zoom, OIS) and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle lens. It can record 8K video at 30 FPS, even with 5x and 10x zoom-a 12 MP selfie camera rounds off the setup.

You can pre-order the Galaxy S24 Ultra now starting at $1,499. Goodies vary on a region-by-region basis, so be sure to check your local Samsung retailer for details. It is available in four colour variants: Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow. Some platform-exclusive colourways may be unveiled later.