[Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra] Myrmeko:
So, i wanted to write a reply to an already existing thread, but i ended up writing so much that i decided to make a whole new thread.

I have a few problems with the launch of the S24 Ultra, because it seems like a step back from what the S23 Ultra was., which was more or less a step back from the S21 Ultra.

To start this rant-thingy, i'll begin by saying that the display has some issues. Weird gray tones, washed out colors in certain circumstances, which are both extremely weird and weren't a thing on the previous models. Probably just a software thing, hopefully. Day one patch incomming, i guess?

The next issue is the removal of the 3-slide gesture thingy. Now it only has the iOS controls clone, which can't be hidden also. That's cringe and i hope they listen to the backlash.

They removed the 10x Zoom camera. The exact reason to why i bought a S23 Ultra, instead of waiting, like, 2 more weeks for a S24 Ultra.

I had a lot of fun with the S22 Ultra, especially with the versatiliy of the camera setup, but i needed more power.

Having a 3x Zoom and a 5x Zoom is literally pointless. They could have made the 3x Zoom a slightly higher resolution and just crop to 5x without losing quality.

The most pointless camera setup i've seen on a phone.

Another pointless thing is the Google Lens anywhere. It's a selling point only for those who use Google Assistant.

You can't have Google Lens without the whole Google app, which is extremely annoying.

They went back to Snapdragon in the USA and Exynos in EU, another reason to not buy the S24 Ultra.

The rest of it is basicaly an S23 Ultra, because since S22 Ultra they stopped changing the design, only the dimension of the rim around the cameras, not the cameras themselves, just for the sole reason to stop people from using S22 Ultra cases on S23 Ultra. Which is just lame... Literally a waste of plastic. They could have made an interchangeable case for all of them and actually be more eco-friendly. Oh, and it still lacks the "Protective Stand Case" or the "Silicone Conver With Strap", another huge minus. If they made it so eco-unfriendly, they could have went the whole way and offer the whole set of cases.

It's just pointless... It's not that good of an upgrade.

Upgrading from a Note 20 Ultra, only gets you the 100x Zoom, but a smaller screen.

Upgrading from a S21 Ultra only gets you the pen inside the phone, but a worse front camera and the 5x Zoom camera instead of 10x Zoom.

Upgrading from a S22 Ultra gets you a worse front camera and a worse Zoom camera.

Upgrading from a S23 Ultra only gets you a worse zoom camera.

The processing power difference is literally pointless for the average user. Only if you're using emulators the processing power actually shines through. Or if you're doing professional work, like drawing huge artworks in Infinite Painter, editing 4k/8k videos and other stuff.

Only if you have an older device like a Note 10+, Note 9 or Note 8 it actually makes a difference.

Although... Coming from a Note 9, the upgrade was pretty hard to make. There are many annoyances introduced with the bezelless series of Samsung phones.

The lack of a physical pressure-sensitive home button was the biggest loss. Next was the lack of an SD Slot, because i had the "so-called 1TB Note 9" with the Samung Evo 512GB SD Card that launched at the same time, but now i have a random SD i can't find a purpose for.

The heart rate sensor and oxymeter were useful. HRM can still be obtained though apps that use the LED flash for the measurements, but the oxymeter is gone and that was very useful for people with health problems. I guess you have the watches for that... But still. It's almost a 2000$ phone. You'd expect it to have all the features.

And, finally, the LED notification. That can be brought back with AOD Notify though. But it's as bright as your screen, so not a true notification light. Still... Better than nothing.

Maybe they bring back some of the features in the S25 Ultra. I see the S24 Ultra as a complete failure.

It's too expensive for how little it does. I can only hope for the return of the IR Blaster, which a lot of chinese flagships still have.... Which i would buy if it weren't for the lack of an integrated pen.