I tried Samsung's brand new Android phone and it beats the iPhone in three ways

AI is a buzzword that gets used quite a bit these days and Samsung certainly hasn't shied away from it on the new Galaxy S24 series.

The smartphone maker is even making a big fuss about it, calling it the “age of AI.”

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And after testing the Galaxy S24 Ultra over the past few weeks, it's easy to see why, there's a lot to cheer about.

The S24 series isn't cheap – especially the top-tier Ultra we tested – and some of the key AI features won't be exclusive to it forever either, so is it all worth it? Read on for our full verdict.

Beautiful looks

The Ultra screams premium with its titanium body – a first for the Galaxy S series, following in the footsteps of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Titanium is stronger than the usual aluminum, so your device is less likely to suffer nasty damage – especially since the screen has a new Corning Gorilla Armor glass that Samsung says is the “most scratch-resistant yet.”

Although I didn't dare damage the S24 Ultra, this YouTube video suggests that it survives very well.

I'm using a gray model, which is a pretty safe color, but it looks sleek – other options are black, violet, yellow, blue, green and orange.

If you're an Android fan, this really is the best of the bunch

At 232 grams – only two grams lighter than the S23 Ultra – the smartphone fits comfortably in the hand and does not feel very heavy.

The 6.8-inch screen is beautiful, but doesn't change much from its predecessor, other than being a lot brighter.

AI doesn't believe it

Samsung has gone big on features this year and of course it's all in the name of AI.

As a bit of a language buff and a French speaker (albeit a bit rusty) I was keen to try out the new live translation tool.

It basically translates what you hear and vice versa – so even if the other person doesn't have an S24, they benefit from the feature, which is quite handy.

However, you need to be prepared and have downloaded the language before – an unexpected call from Spain without Spanish pre-installed and you will be out of help.

Sure, the AI ​​translation works reasonably well considering it's in real time, but there were some minor errors in detecting the correct word.

All these new benefits will certainly put a strain on the battery, but I was pleasantly surprised

You have to speak quite clearly and for some reason I didn't like my name… sigh.

Other than that, I can see it helping a bit on vacation, as long as there aren't a lot of voices talking. Only 13 languages ​​are currently supported, but more are coming.

Then there's Chat Assist, which works in all apps as long as you use the Samsung keyboard.

You can also translate text with it, but you can also change the writing style, so that the tone is adjusted to make it more or less formal, for example.

I don't see myself using something like this very often – I don't tend to think informally when writing an email to my editor, so I don't need AI to make it more suitable, but it might be useful for others.

I love the AI ​​Note Assist summaries that can break down long text into a fun, quick reading experience for me.

Then there's Circle to Search, which lets you draw literally anything you see on the screen or through your camera, and the program immediately searches for what it sees in front of you on Google. I used it to identify a pillow I saw and wanted – and it worked.

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However, Circle to Search is not exclusive to the S24 or even to Samsung; it's actually a new Google feature that just rolled out to the Pixel 8.

As for the other AI features, Samsung plans to roll them out to some more recent Galaxy S models sometime this year.

Samsung is also considering charging people for the privilege of using its collection of AI tools, although a company boss told The Sun they will remain free until at least the end of 2025.

Perfect picture

The place everyone is likely to use AI features is in their photography.

There are a lot of high-quality cameras on the back, but the specs haven't changed much from the S23 Ultra.

The real changes are happening behind the scenes, where AI and software improve results, especially in things like low light.

I decided to test it out at the Gravesham Light Festival where there were a lot of low light environments around the lights.

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A spooky area of ​​dry ice and entertainment picked up the vibrant colors and objects in extreme detail.

It also impressed with low-light video.

Then there are the AI ​​editing features that let you remove objects and generate what might be behind them.

In a concert photo I was able to remove the head of the person in the front and replace it with the singer's shoes – they looked nothing like the shoes I know she was wearing, but no one else would know better and it certainly improved the image.

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AI has the power

The S24 Ultra also has some serious tech upgrades under the hood, with a mighty new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and generous 12GB of RAM keeping everything super smooth and fast.

All these new benefits will certainly put a strain on the battery, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and larger 5,000mAh battery meant it lasted well into the second day with moderate use.

It's also worth noting that Samsung has committed to providing seven years of software upgrades for the S24 series, so you can rest assured that your investment will last longer.

Pronunciation

It all comes at a very high price, starting from £1,249, which is a big ask for most, although Samsung's trade-in scheme where you hand in your old handset can save a few hundred off it.

The AI ​​tools are great, but I don't think I would be willing to pay extra for them.

That said, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's stunning night-time camera, powerful battery, and solid premium styling beat the iPhone for me.

And if you're an Android fan, this really is the best of the bunch.

All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have changed since then.

Always do your own research before making a purchase.