Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

At Rs. 434,999, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the most expensive Android phones in Pakistan. It is not good value on paper, but it is one of the most complete phones you can buy.

Main advantages:

• A flat, anti-reflective QHD+ screen that is among the best on any phone
• Fast, cool everyday performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12GB RAM
• Versatile cameras with 3x and 5x optical zoom and excellent portraits
• A built-in S Pen and seven years of OS and security updates

Main disadvantages:

• Video is noisier in the dark than the best iPhones
• Heavy at 232 g, with a boxy shape that is less comfortable one-handed
• Charging tops out at 45W wired, and there is no magnetic wireless charging
• Some AI tools depend on Samsung's online servers

Alternatives: the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (Rs. 294,999) costs much less, has 16GB RAM and the same seven-year update promise, but its video is softer. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Rs. 481,499) costs more and leads in video quality, but has 8GB RAM and no stylus.

Verdict: worth it for power users who will actually use the S Pen, the zoom cameras and the long update support. If you mainly want great photos and a big screen, the Pixel 9 Pro XL gives you most of that for much less money.

Official specs: a 6.8 inches Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel at 1440 x 3120 resolution, with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and up to 2600 nits peak brightness. Corning Gorilla Armor protects both the front and back.

Real-world use: this is one of the best screens on any phone. It is sharp, colourful and extremely bright outdoors, yet it also dims very low at night without the uneven banding seen on some rivals. The screen is now completely flat, with thin, even borders on all four sides.

Anti-reflective glass: the biggest upgrade is reduced glare. The Gorilla Armor coating removes most reflections from windows and sunlight, so content stays clear in conditions where other phones wash out. It also makes framing photos outdoors much easier.

Fingerprint sensor: the ultrasonic in-display sensor is very fast and reliable.

Limitations:

• The glass is tougher, but it can still collect small scratches over time
• The matte frame finish shows shiny marks where it gets scuffed
• Samsung no longer pre-installs a screen protector

The Galaxy S24 Ultra uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) with 12GB RAM in every version.

Everyday use: this is one of the fastest phones on the market and a multitasking champion. Apps open instantly, and One UI feels smoother than before, with fluid scrolling and consistent animations.

Gaming: demanding games run at high frame rates, and the chip supports ray tracing. A vapour chamber that is 90% larger than the previous model's helps it sustain performance. The phone can even emulate PlayStation 2 games in HD, one of the most demanding tasks a phone can do.

Heating and throttling: under prolonged synthetic stress tests the phone gets hot and performance drops noticeably. A dedicated gaming phone can squeeze out a few more frames per second in sessions longer than an hour. In normal use, everyday gaming and emulation, no noticeable slowdown appears.

Bottom line: performance is not a concern for any buyer. Only hardcore gamers who play for hours at a time will notice its limits.

Official specs: a 200 MP main camera with OIS, a 12 MP ultrawide, a 10 MP 3x telephoto and a 50 MP 5x periscope telephoto, plus a 12 MP selfie camera.

Daylight photos: the main camera is fast, consistent and has good dynamic range. Photos have Samsung's slightly bright, contrasty look. By default it shoots 12 MP images; full 200 MP shots only make sense in excellent light, and 24 MP mode is limited to the Expert RAW app.

Zoom: the new 5x camera replaced the old 10x lens. Shots between 5x and 10x are sharper than before, and the extra 3x camera keeps quality high across the whole range. Opinions differ on very long zoom: some tests found 100x shots weaker and more processed at launch, while later tests after updates found Samsung ahead of the iPhone at long range.

Portraits and selfies: portraits at 3x and 5x are a highlight, with reliable edge detection and natural background blur. Selfies are sharp and flattering most of the time, though faces can occasionally come out soft.

Night: night photos are comparable to the iPhone, with a cooler tone and more sharpening. Moon shots are excellent.

Video: the S24 Ultra records 8K and true 4K slow motion at 120fps, and stabilisation is strong. However, dark areas get noisy, colours can shift in mixed lighting, and video recorded inside Instagram or Snapchat loses much of its quality.

Ultrawide and macro: the ultrawide is wide and fun to use, but automatic macro mode often produces poor results, so it is worth switching off.

Official specs: a 5000 mAh battery with 45W wired charging (about 65% in 30 min), 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

Real-world use: this is one of the best batteries on a Samsung flagship. Screen-on time ranges from a little over 6 hours with heavy use at QHD+ and high brightness, up to 8 to 9 hours on average with lighter use. Careful users can stretch it to two days.

Drain under load: battery use depends heavily on the task. A 30-minute session of a demanding game can take 5 to 8% of the battery, while browsing and social media use very little.

Charging: 45W wired charging is quick but not class-leading. A compatible 45W charger is needed for full speed. There is no magnetic wireless charging like MagSafe, which some users miss for propping the phone up while it charges.

Bottom line: most users will end the day with plenty of battery left.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra launched with Android 14 and One UI 6.1, and has since been updated to One UI 8.0. Samsung promises seven years of security updates and up to 7 major Android upgrades, one of the longest commitments on any phone.

Everyday experience: One UI now looks and feels polished, with smooth animations, a neat quick panel, customisable lock screen widgets and a softer dark grey dark mode. Good Lock adds deep customisation, and video call effects such as background blur work across calling apps.

Galaxy AI features:

• Circle to Search for instantly searching anything on the screen
• Chat translation inside messaging apps, plus live call translation, which is less reliable
• Web page summaries in Samsung Internet and Note Assist for organising notes
• Generative Edit, Erase Reflections and Sketch to Image in the Gallery
• Instant slow motion on any video

Limitations: several AI features rely on Samsung's online servers and need an internet connection. At launch Samsung said these would be free until the end of 2025, so check the current terms. The software also pushes Samsung services such as Samsung Pass quite often. Face unlock is slow, especially at night.