The Samsung Galaxy S24 / Ultra

[Tig Bitties]

Yesterday I thought to myself. Hey I've got this badass phone the S24 Ultra. Let me put my SIM back into it and use it. That lasted half a day before I ejected it and put it back into my Pixel.

And I'm not ragging on Samsung, not at all, the S24U is a premier flagship top dog phone. #1 Android phone of 2024. And OneUI 6.1 is fantastic, super smooth and lots of customization I like.

I'm a weirdo for liking the Pixel 8 Pro more than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and I don't know why? The Galaxy is clearly the better phone.

Funny thing is, I love using the s24 ultra at home though more than the pixel, I'll use the Galaxy as more of a mini tablet, it's like a small iPad to me. But while I'm at work and on the go I just like the feel and pocketability and lighter, smaller in hand use while on the go with the Pixel. But at home, sitting on the couch or at my gaming computer I like the large S24U better.

 

[drinkingtea]

Yesterday I thought to myself. Hey I've got this badass phone the S24 Ultra. Let me put my SIM back into it and use it. That lasted half a day before I ejected it and put it back into my Pixel.

And I'm not ragging on Samsung, not at all, the S24U is a premier flagship top dog phone. #1 Android phone of 2024. And OneUI 6.1 is fantastic, super smooth and lots of customization I like.

I'm a weirdo for liking the Pixel 8 Pro more than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and I don't know why? The Galaxy is clearly the better phone.

Funny thing is, I love using the s24 ultra at home though more than the pixel, I'll use the Galaxy as more of a mini tablet, it's like a small iPad to me. But while I'm at work and on the go I just like the feel and pocketability and lighter, smaller in hand use while on the go with the Pixel. But at home, sitting on the couch or at my gaming computer I like the large S24U better.

I miss Pixel UI so much that I might opt for the Pixel 9 Pro this year. There's something magical about the Pixel that Samsung just misses despite how good Samsung's hardware is.

Despite how much better OneUI has gotten, it is still janky in comparison to Pixel UI.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

Can someone sell me on some of these launchers like Niagara or Nova? I downloaded Nova but I'm just not creative enough to know where to start in terms of customization and a lot of the icon packs and wallpapers cost money. I find myself always going back to the safe and comfortable choice of One UI.

Also, Apple Music on Android Auto is somewhat limited. I do have Spotify and that seems to work but with AM, I have playlists in folders and Android Auto doesn't let me see those playlists. It would always go back to the player. While I like Spotify, I do wish the UI was better and they would just let us use the shuffle button on the album screen.

 

[robvalentine]

Despite a killer deal, I think I'll return the s24u and stick with the pixel

 

[Fille84]

For me Pixel 8 Pro still feels kinda laggy in some apps which is not the case on S24 Ultra. The sound with my earbuds are better on S24 Ultra which is a huge deal when I consume a lot of music, it's just more detailed and a more balanced bass. The screen on S24 Ultra is just something else, going back to Pixel 8 Pro with that glossy look just feels somehow outdated, almost the same feeling when I first tried a high refresh screen and went back to a 60hz screen.

 

[robvalentine]

For me Pixel 8 Pro still feels kinda laggy in some apps which is not the case on S24 Ultra. The sound with my earbuds are better on S24 Ultra which is a huge deal when I consume a lot of music, it's just more detailed and a more balanced bass. The screen on S24 Ultra is just something else, going back to Pixel 8 Pro with that glossy look just feels somehow outdated, almost the same feeling when I first tried a high refresh screen and went back to a 60hz screen.

My headphones use a better codec (Sony xm4's and senheisser momentum 4s) on my pixel. Not that I could probably tell tbh. Agree with the lag, but the form factor is better on the pixel. As is the camera.

 

[Fille84]

My headphones use a better codec (Sony xm4's and senheisser momentum 4s) on my pixel. Not that I could probably tell tbh. Agree with the lag, but the form factor is better on the pixel. As is the camera.

Yeah i have wf 1000xm5 and use ldac on both phones. Pixel is more comfortable to use, even though I don't have any huge issues with the S24U. I've taken so many pictures with both devices to compare, and in my opinion it goes back and forth. Some pictures are better with the Pixel while others are better with S24U. Video is better on S24U.

 

[Tig Bitties]

For me Pixel 8 Pro still feels kinda laggy in some apps which is not the case on S24 Ultra. The sound with my earbuds are better on S24 Ultra which is a huge deal when I consume a lot of music, it's just more detailed and a more balanced bass. The screen on S24 Ultra is just something else, going back to Pixel 8 Pro with that glossy look just feels somehow outdated, almost the same feeling when I first tried a high refresh screen and went back to a 60hz screen.

I don't disagree here. Yes the S24U has the better hardware for sure, the phone is smoother in apps like Reddit and Threads, etc... And I LOVE the matte non-reflective screen on the S24U ( except that it gets smudgy and yucky way too easily, not sure if it's the matte coating, but this display can get grimy fast ) where my previous phones screens or P8P didn't get so yucky as fast. With the S24U I'm having to wipe the display very often with a microfiber cloth.

But not sure why I gravitate towards the P8P for my daily driver now? Almost like, yeah the S24U is clearly the better phone, no question. But there's some special magic Pixel dust Google sprinkles on their phones LOL that just make it a bit more enjoyable to use, and easier for me. Call screening and a lot of the specific Pixel features that Samsung can't get or doesn't have are nice to have on the Pixel.

Also why is GBoard just better on the Pixel? I have both phones setup to use GBoard and it's just more accurate on the Pixel, for both typing and voice-to-text.

 

[psp123]

But not sure why I gravitate towards the P8P for my daily driver now? Almost like, yeah the S24U is clearly the better phone, no question. But there's some special magic Pixel dust Google sprinkles on their phones LOL that just make it a bit more enjoyable to use, and easier for me.

For me I think it's the snappy animations and haptic feedback that is used throughout the system.
For example when pulling down the notification panel or swiping between recent apps there are subtle vibrations.

It makes the phone feel more alive and fun.

The vibration motor on the Pixel 8 Pro is one of the best I've used.

Pixels feel more personal than other phones and I think At a Glance have something to do with this. I really like seeing upcoming meetings, weather and other useful information on the AoD and home screen.

 

[Bkdodger]

I can't even tell you people how many times I had the S24U in cart on Samsung ready to buy.. 512 GB with all discounts for like $900.. but I just can't pull the trigger.. I know that once I start using it I would love the phone but I can't pull away from the pixel UI..

 

[yui4]

Last pixel I tried was the pixel 7. I returned it purely as there was some sort of security when accessing my work WiFi that prevented it. Can’t remember what it was exactly now

 

[Tulani]

 

[SteveJUAE]

Out of interest anyone getting a persistent "Email Syncing" notification on OUI 6.1 with Samsung email app?

 

[edubfromktown]

I can't even tell you people how many times I had the S24U in cart on Samsung ready to buy.. 512 GB with all discounts for like $900.. but I just can't pull the trigger.. I know that once I start using it I would love the phone but I can't pull away from the pixel UI..

I did the same (initially with S23+ before pulling the trigger and again with S24+ upgrade months later).

Pixel 6 and 8 Pro laggy performance, barely improved P8 radio reception, and doggedly slow charging were the nails in the Google coffin for me.

No regrets running with Samsung for now. Maybe P9/10 will have more to offer than just better photo results in certain situations (along with some sort of discount!).

I do not find OneUI to be arduous and with added internal features (Secure Folder #1!) plus GoodLock, ... there are a number of positives.

 

[Dominican]

I guess I’ll be keeping s24 ultra 1 TB unless Samsung comes up with some crazy design something worth upgrading

 

[Zito Abroad]

Just a quick off topic mention. Earlier I was recommending to wait for the Tab S10 Ultra, for anyone planning on getting the Tab S9, but based off the history for the Galaxy Tab releases, it won't be coming out until the S25. So I just grabbed a Tab S9 Ultra 512GB with a $300 discount. I love this thing, but since I won't be upgrading my phone until the Flip7, I'll be handing down the S9 Ultra and grabbing the S10 Ultra when it comes out. That being said, there's nothing better than dropping a glass screen protector perfectly on the screen the first time. Lol

 

[DeepIn2U]

My headphones use a better codec (Sony xm4's and senheisser momentum 4s) on my pixel. Not that I could probably tell tbh. Agree with the lag, but the form factor is better on the pixel. As is the camera.

Form factor, wht do you mean?
You're talking about the Pixel 8 Pro vs the S24u - both are candy bar phones. IF you mean the hypothentical Pixel 9 Pro which is a foldable - wait until it debuts and gets initial and 3month reviews.

less reflection sorry an industry first just makes the S24u a better product in the same form factor as teh Pixel 8 Pro. I'm still not even clear what you mean by 'form factor.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Yesterday I thought to myself. Hey I've got this badass phone the S24 Ultra. Let me put my SIM back into it and use it. That lasted half a day before I ejected it and put it back into my Pixel.

And I'm not ragging on Samsung, not at all, the S24U is a premier flagship top dog phone. #1 Android phone of 2024. And OneUI 6.1 is fantastic, super smooth and lots of customization I like.

I'm a weirdo for liking the Pixel 8 Pro more than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and I don't know why? The Galaxy is clearly the better phone.

Funny thing is, I love using the s24 ultra at home though more than the pixel, I'll use the Galaxy as more of a mini tablet, it's like a small iPad to me. But while I'm at work and on the go I just like the feel and pocketability and lighter, smaller in hand use while on the go with the Pixel. But at home, sitting on the couch or at my gaming computer I like the large S24U better.

I get that.

Seems to me in your alternative universe life you could've been a die-hard iPhone 12/13 mini user

Curious why didn't you try the S23/S24 against your Pixel - was it solely for the periscope camera to avoid those 2 models?

 

[DeepIn2U]

Got a question for S23U/S24U users that heavily use Dex.
Anyone get a windows, macOS, or Linux desktop like smoothness using a Logitech mouse and if so which model do you use?

I've got MX Anywhere 2S and no matter the speed setting or the scroll setting (basically zero), I find fine manipulation in Dex to be very odd, almost .7+ secods delayed. I don't recal lit being this bad with 5.1.1 or nitially with 6.1 release but after February's security patch its been a pain.

example:
free-scroll wheel or click-scroll in any browser or Notes or Members app or anywhere else it seems scrolling jumps more than what I'm targeting.
Mouse pointer movement seems to take too long for me to isolate and pin-point the X to close an app window grr. I'm thinking of reducing the mouse pointer size to see if that works before upgrading the mouse to the Anywhere 3S.

 

[robvalentine]

Form factor, wht do you mean?
You're talking about the Pixel 8 Pro vs the S24u - both are candy bar phones. IF you mean the hypothentical Pixel 9 Pro which is a foldable - wait until it debuts and gets initial and 3month reviews.

less reflection sorry an industry first just makes the S24u a better product in the same form factor as teh Pixel 8 Pro. I'm still not even clear what you mean by 'form factor.

I mean the size of it... P8p is nicer in the hand

 

[PaddyFowler]

I mean the size of it... P8p is nicer in the hand

ladieeeessss...... you know the procedure

 

[Ludatyk]

Got a question for S23U/S24U users that heavily use Dex.
Anyone get a windows, macOS, or Linux desktop like smoothness using a Logitech mouse and if so which model do you use?

I've got MX Anywhere 2S and no matter the speed setting or the scroll setting (basically zero), I find fine manipulation in Dex to be very odd, almost .7+ secods delayed. I don't recal lit being this bad with 5.1.1 or nitially with 6.1 release but after February's security patch its been a pain.

example:
free-scroll wheel or click-scroll in any browser or Notes or Members app or anywhere else it seems scrolling jumps more than what I'm targeting.
Mouse pointer movement seems to take too long for me to isolate and pin-point the X to close an app window grr. I'm thinking of reducing the mouse pointer size to see if that works before upgrading the mouse to the Anywhere 3S.

Well, I just fired up DeX to see how the experience is... I use MX Master 3.

Currently using it with Fold 4, latest 6.1 update. And I keep my scrolling at the lowest possible, I find the scrolling better that way. Not experiencing any issues that you have.

 

[Sensamic]

I did the same (initially with S23+ before pulling the trigger and again with S24+ upgrade months later).

Pixel 6 and 8 Pro laggy performance, barely improved P8 radio reception, and doggedly slow charging were the nails in the Google coffin for me.

No regrets running with Samsung for now. Maybe P9/10 will have more to offer than just better photo results in certain situations (along with some sort of discount!).

I do not find OneUI to be arduous and with added internal features (Secure Folder #1!) plus GoodLock, ... there are a number of positives.

Another big win for Samsung is that now they are offering 7 years of updates, just like Google and Apple. So there's less and less differences between the big three nowadays. Before, one used to go Apple for the long software support, but that's not the case anymore, which is great and gives us more "freedom" of choice.

 

[MarkX]

Another big win for Samsung is that now they are offering 7 years of updates, just like Google and Apple. So there's less and less differences between the big three nowadays. Before, one used to go Apple for the long software support, but that's not the case anymore, which is great and gives us more "freedom" of choice.

I barely have a phone 7 months nevermind 7 years!

 

[jameseld82]

I barely have a phone 7 months nevermind 7 years!

I can relate to that ha ha