My Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has arrived! – First impressions and unboxing

My Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra arrived this morning and it feels like Christmas day. I've been waiting three years now for a worthy smartphone upgrade – and this is it. The free Galaxy Watch 6 pre-order offer with a student discount helped to sweeten the deal too, and I can't wait to try everything out!

I chose the S24 Ultra because camera quality is a key, if not the most important, feature for me as a photographer. Especially as I use a lot of social media like Instagram for photo sharing. During its unpacked event, Samsung announced that it had partnered with Instagram to allow for HDR uploads with the S24 series, and this alone was enough for me to pre-order instantly, let alone all of the amazing new AI features on offer. 

I'm upgrading from the older Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra model, so this is a bit of a generational jump. I'm already familiar with the Ultra series and am a long-time Android user, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get acquainted with the S24. Take a look at my unboxing video below and share the excitement with me. 

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♬ Kawaii Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

As you can see from the video above, the Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Violet is absolutely glorious. I love the design, the clicky S-Pen mechanism that pops in and out kind of like a SIM card, and it feels extremely premium to hold too (don't worry - I've already put on a case and screen protector since recording the video!). 

My new phone wouldn't turn on at first until I connected it to a USB Type-C charger, which I already had handy, and then it was a matter of minutes before I was up and running through the setup process. 

The device prompted me to transfer my settings over from my old Galaxy phone using my Google account, and I didn't have to do anything really. It copied over my apps, photos, home screen layout, and widgets from my S21 Ultra – I didn't even need to enter the WiFi password. Technology is amazing. 

As I proceeded to set up my phone (which barely required any effort) I noticed that there are SO MANY new advanced intelligence features. We all know about real-time translation during voice calls, but there's also a live interpreter feature to translate spoken conversations happening around you into a text output, and Samsung can now automatically organise and generate notes for you too. 

I feel like Apple should just quit, to be honest. But we're not done yet. Did I mention that it has a photo editor with on-device AI generation and background removal that beats even the Google Pixel 8 Pro?

The display also has an antireflective coating – a feature which I'm pretty sure Samsung didn't even mention during Unpacked – which essentially means that your phone becomes more visible and useable in daylight, especially in dark mode.

I'm gonna go tinker around some more with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but these are my initial impressions and honestly, I'm blown away. If you're on the fence about ordering one of the latest-gen Samsung S24 devices, this is your sign. You'll find the best deals in your region below.