Samsung launched its Galaxy S24 smartphone series for sale in the UAE on Wednesday as it seeks to attract new customers and regain its leading position in the highly competitive market.
The new flagship series, unveiled on January 17 at the Unpacked event in San Jose, California, is leaning on generative artificial intelligence to build momentum for not just the world's second biggest mobile phone manufacturer, but also for the entire smartphone industry, which has been slowing down over the past couple of years.
The Galaxy S24 series offers seven generations of operating system upgrades and seven years of security updates, Samsung said.
Pre-orders for the devices started right after Unpacked.
“We are inspired by UAE’s ambitious vision … which seeks to leverage AI to improve lives while providing the supporting infrastructure essential to become a test bed for AI,” Fadi Abu Shamat, head of mobile eXperience division at Samsung Gulf, said.
“With enhanced camera capabilities, AI-powered productivity tools and a powerful chipset, users can unleash their creativity and performance in exciting new ways.”
The National takes a look at the key details of the Galaxy S24 line-up.
How many Galaxy S24 devices were launched?
For the fifth straight year, three devices were launched – the entry-level Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+ and the top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Are there any redesigns?
Yes and no. The Galaxy S24 Ultra basically retains the looks of its predecessor – flat top and bottom, slightly curved edges, the S Pen and an overall solid build, which Samsung is known for.
As for the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, Samsung decided to hit the refresh button with a new flat-edged design, which is similar to Apple's current iPhone designs. Smaller bezels too.
What are its memory specs?
The Galaxy S24 comes in only 128GB and 256GB, with 8GB of RAM, losing the 512GB option, while the Galaxy S24+ retains its 256GB and 512GB versions, with 12GB of RAM.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra, meanwhile, doesn't have a 128GB option, and comes in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, all with 12GB of RAM. The 256GB Ultra model has also been upgraded from its predecessor, which only had 8GB of RAM.
How much are they in the UAE?
Prices in the UAE are as follows, ranging from lower to higher storage options:
Galaxy S24: Dh3,199 and Dh3,499
Galaxy S24+: Dh3,899 and Dh4,399
Galaxy S24 Ultra: Dh5,099, Dh5,599 and Dh6,599
While the price tags of the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ remain similar to their predecessors, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's have been increased by Dh150.
What about their cameras?
The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ have a triple-lens camera, with a 50-megapixel main sensor, 10MP telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide lenses.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a quad-lens camera bannered by a 200MP lens, plus two telephoto lenses with resolutions of 50MP and 10MP, respectively, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens.
Interestingly, while one of the Galaxy S24 Ultra's telephoto lenses was bumped up to 50MP, Samsung decided to halve its optical zoom to 5x.
While it looks like a downgrade at first glance, it really isn't: the bigger 50MP sensor compensates for the lower zoom, which should result in better images.
Apart from that, they are practically the same camera specs as last year's S23 series.
As for the front camera on all three devices, you'll get a 12MP snapper – similar to last year's line-up as well.
How big are their screens?
The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ were given a little upgrade in this area, as their displays are now 0.1 inch bigger at 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra retains a 6.8-inch screen.
All three devices feature a Dynamic Amoled 2X display, but the Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra have QHD+, which is basically four times the resolution of a standard high-definition screen, while the Galaxy S24 uses FHD+, which is a step above standard HD.
All of them also feature a “super smooth” 120Hz refresh rate.
Again – these are all practically unchanged from their S23 counterparts.
What are the colour options?
For the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, you can choose from marble grey, onyx black, cobalt violet and amber yellow.
Those match the Galaxy S24 Ultra's titanium options – titanium grey, titanium black, titanium violet and titanium yellow.
To be clear – only the Ultra model use a titanium frame.
The National viewed all the colours, and the violet and yellow options stood out – probably because black and grey have been shoo-in hues for as long as we can remember mobile phones.
How big are their batteries?
Again, the Galaxy S24 Ultra's battery is kept at 5000mAh. In our review of the Galaxy S23 Ultra last year, we were able to stretch that until night-time the following day.
But the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ received some upgrades: their batteries are now up at 4000mAh and 4900mAh, respectively, up from 3900mAh and 4700mAh.
For all three devices, fast charging and Wireless PowerShare – which lets you use the Galaxy S24 to charge other phones – are available.
However, things diverge on how fast they can charge: the Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra can zoom up at 65 per cent in half an hour using a 45W adapter and a 5A USB-C cable (5-amp cables let current flow through faster), while the base Galaxy S24 can only do up to 50 per cent with the same charging gear.
Sneak peek into the all-new Galaxy 24's lineup at Samsung Unpacked
How durable are they?
All three Galaxy S24 devices remain IP68-rated, meaning they are dust and water-resistant – you can submerge them as deep as 1.5 metres in freshwater for 30 minutes.
The emphasis is on freshwater: mobile devices are not meant to be dunked in chlorine-filled swimming pools and saltwater, because the elements will corrode their components and probably brick them.
But even if it's freshwater, make sure you rinse off any residue and dry the device as much as you can afterwards to help the drying process.
How is Samsung positioned globally?
The global smartphone market grew 8 per cent annually in the fourth quarter of last year, reaching 319.5 million units, indicating signs of “stabilisation and recovery”, Singapore-based researcher Canalys said in its latest report released on Wednesday.
Total shipments for the full year of 2023 amounted to 1.14 billion units, marking a 4 per cent annual decline. Apple, iPhone's manufacturer, claimed the top position for the first time with a 20 per cent market share and 229.2 million shipments in 2023.
Samsung followed closely, shipping 225.4 million units and capturing a market share of almost 20 per cent.
What is Galaxy AI?
Galaxy AI is Samsung's newest platform that uses generative artificial intelligence to help users through their daily tasks and help them with other activities.
Basically, it can do things such as helping translate or transcribe calls or texts, in a number of different languages, or use images to search and buy items on the web.
A fun function is using it to manipulate images on Galaxy S24 devices, for example resizing or removing certain elements in a photo.
