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2024/08/21

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Impressive Features with Some Few Things to Consider

Toto 8/21/2024 11:21:00 PM

Welcome to another edition of Kwentong Tech, where we dive deep into the latest gadgets and share our honest experiences with you. Today, we’re lucky enough to review a phone that many have been eagerly waiting for: the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Although this device has created quite a buzz, let's take a closer look to see if it lives up to the hype.

A Glance at the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts a range of impressive features that make it a standout in the crowded smartphone market. It comes equipped with a 200MP main camera that promises pin-sharp resolution and vibrant colors. Alongside this, the new 50MP telephoto lens offers 2x, 3x, 5x, and 10x optical zoom, complemented by an AI-powered 100x Space Zoom for clearer and brighter photos. On the front, you have a 12MP Dual Pixel Selfie camera, all housed within a sleek design featuring a 6.8-inch screen and durable materials.

However, despite these standout specifications, is the Galaxy S24 Ultra truly as revolutionary as it appears?

The Reality Behind the Hype

While the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra certainly impresses with its spec sheet, there are a few aspects that may not be as groundbreaking as they seem. For instance, the 200MP camera is remarkable but comes with the downside of quickly consuming storage space. If you plan on using this feature extensively, you might find yourself needing additional storage solutions sooner rather than later.

The AI Features: A Blessing or a Curse?

One of the main selling points of the S24 Ultra is its AI integration. The camera’s AI is designed to make photography and video recording easier. As my wife aptly put it, it's about "easy access," meaning that the device is supposed to be user-friendly with helpful features. While the AI does assist in capturing stunning shots, it sometimes overcompensates by adjusting colors and lighting, which can lead to less natural-looking images.

These two images lightens and illuminates the dark areas.

Photography with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

For content creators, the S24 Ultra’s camera is a mixed bag. On one hand, it captures high-quality images that are crisp and detailed, which is perfect for event coverage. On the other hand, the extensive zoom capabilities, while impressive, may not always produce the most reliable results. For instance, while the 10x zoom is handy for getting close-up shots, it can be challenging to keep the image stable without a tripod.

The 200MP camera is certainly a feature to show off, but it’s worth noting that the storage capacity might become an issue if you're a heavy user. To avoid running out of space, consider opting for a higher storage model or investing in an external drive.

When and Where to Use the Camera Best

The S24 Ultra’s camera excels in well-lit environments. The colors are true to life and stand out vividly in daylight, making it ideal for capturing nature and vibrant scenes. However, the AI’s scene optimizer might not be as effective in low-light conditions, where it can over-brighten darker areas, sometimes altering the intended mood of your photos.

If you’re into dramatic night shots with high contrast, the S24 Ultra’s intelligent optimization can be more of a hindrance than a help. The AI tends to lighten dark areas, which can detract from the dramatic effect you might be going for.

AI Image Erase: A Useful but Flawed Tool

One feature that stands out is the AI image erase, which allows you to remove unwanted objects or people from your photos. This can be incredibly useful for eliminating photobombers or distractions. However, it’s not foolproof. If the object you want to remove is a similar color to the background or subject, the results can be less than perfect. It’s best to use this feature carefully to avoid unsightly patches in your photos.

Video Recording: A Double-Edged Sword

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers a range of video recording options, from HD to 8K. While the 8K resolution delivers incredibly sharp and detailed footage, it also results in very large file sizes that can quickly eat up your storage. Additionally, while the video stabilization is generally effective, the need for a tripod is still evident when using high zoom levels to avoid shaky footage.

The S24 Ultra's AI stabilization is a notable feature, helping to smooth out shaky recordings, but it’s not a substitute for a steady hand or a tripod. For events like concerts, the zoom and video quality are impressive, but remember that your hand’s stability will impact the final result.

Final Thoughts

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a powerful device with an array of impressive features that are certainly worth noting. However, it’s not without its flaws. The high storage demands, occasional overzealous AI adjustments, and the need for additional accessories like tripods can be drawbacks for some users. While the S24 Ultra is undoubtedly a top-tier smartphone, it’s important to weigh these aspects against the potential benefits to determine if it meets your specific needs.

So, whether you're a content creator or simply a tech enthusiast, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers a compelling experience, but it’s essential to understand both its strengths and limitations.

This review aims to provide a balanced view of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, highlighting both its strengths and areas where it might fall short.

2023/06/18

Technology

Review : Samsung Galaxy S23 Series a Must-Have Tool for Vloggers and Content Creators

Toto 6/18/2023 10:36:00 AM

Good day Kwento Ni Toto readers and tech enthusiasts! Today, we're going to share our not-so-nitty-gritty review of the latest gadget that has become an essential tool for vloggers: smartphones. Particularly, we'll be discussing the top-of-the-line smartphones that are part of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series.

Not to step-over with the DSLR Cameras, these smartphones can now serve as alternatives to bulky and heavy DSLR cameras, allowing vloggers to conveniently record their content while on the go without attracting too much attention. Carrying a DSLR can be inconvenient and draw unwanted attention, making smartphones an ideal choice for vlogging purposes. You can also add it's concealment ability, unlike the DSLR camera.

For aspiring vloggers, like us, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, consists of three (3) top quality smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S23, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, is really a must-have. For us these three (3) models can be described as good, better, and best, respectively.

Let's dive into the details.

Like any other top-tier phone, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series boasts several outstanding features. Most of these features, such as the screen, camera, operating system, connectivity, and memory, are relatively similar across the models. Of course, there are few differences and you can not actually differentiate with just a mere glance.

Samsung Galaxy S23

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

For non-tech-savvy individuals, the camera and memory are usually the most important aspects to consider. A better camera and larger storage capacity are desirable. However, for those seeking functionality and performance, factors like the smartphone's operating system, camera lenses (including the number of megapixels for the front and rear cameras), data storage capacity, and user experience are more significant. That's where most of the details pops out.

Design and Aesthetics

In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series offers interesting variations. The S23 model, for instance, is great for those with petite hands, easy to hold, while the S23 Plus and S23 Ultra cater to individuals with larger hands. Although the reasons for the differences in design are unclear, personally, I prefer the corner design of the S23 Ultra, which has a more rectangular shape and a masculine appearance. The other two models lean towards a more feminine aesthetic.

Camera Placement, Design, and Lenses

Smartphone cameras are continually improving, featuring different lenses that benefit photographers and videographers alike. As mentioned earlier, these devices are convenient to carry and use when covering events or vlogging on the streets, minimizing the risk of theft. However, what's intriguing is the design of the cameras, as each brand has its own unique approach.

In the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, I appreciate the separate design of the camera lenses. Unlike other smartphones that try to integrate and squeeze them into a frame at the back of the phone, for Samsung it opted for individual camera holes, much more pleasing to the eye. It's more likely compared to an artwork that boosts its individuality. Thus, providing a better user experience. One drawback, though, is that the camera lenses protrude from the back of the smartphone, making it unstable when placed on a flat surface. However, using a smartphone case or cover can help level it and it can also be a good problem because these phone can easily pick-up. As for the lenses, I find them excellent in terms of clarity and image quality. Here are some sample videos and photos taken during event coverage.

The super telephoto lens of the S23 Ultra is particularly impressive. Imagine capturing videos and photos from the upper box of SM MOA Arena—the camera's zoom capability remains effective despite the considerable distance. However, images may become slightly blurry and grainy at maximum zoom. Nonetheless, this feature is highly appreciated by bloggers and vloggers who cover events.

Regarding the S23 and S23 Plus, while they can still capture distant shots, both photos and videos may appear slightly blurry, especially during action sequences.

These smartphone series features a quad-camera cluster on the back, comprising a 200 MP main/wide lens, a 10 MP periscope lens, a 10 MP telephoto lens, and a 12 MP ultrawide lens. Additionally, the front (selfie) camera is equipped with a 12 MP CMOS image sensor.

The standout feature of the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom, which is currently the best in the smartphone industry. This telephoto camera also enables an impressive 100x zoom feature, allowing you to capture even the tiniest details, such as the pores on your skin. This remarkable zoom capability is achieved through the integration of a periscope lens, designed specifically for powerful zoom capabilities. The combination of these technologies and lenses results in a truly powerful camera.

Other Exciting Camera Features

The Samsung Galaxy S23 series offers a range of other camera features that will surely enhance your photography and videography experience.

The Bixby Vision which you need to download in order to use this feature of Samsung Galaxy smartphones. This is similar to Google lens. This allows you to get information about the object, copy text from the image, translate language, identify objects or it can read about it, all can be done by simply pointing the camera to an object.

More camera and video feature in the MORE tab of the camera, like the Expert Raw, the Pro cam and Pro Video, Night mode, cam setting for Food, the Panorama option, the Director's View, and you have the options of Slow motion and Hyperlapse, and protrait video. You can definite enjoy experimenting on your next photos and videos.

The Operating System

All models in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, ensuring smooth system performance. This processor is currently one of the best in the smartphone market, according to my readings on other reviews. Though we cannot dive deeper into its details of the processor it is guaranted that this phone is on its utmost superb performance. Whether you're browsing through apps, playing games, watching movies, or capturing photos and videos, you'll enjoy a seamless user experience.

The series also runs on Android Version 13, accompanied by One UI version 5.1. This combination delivers an enhanced user interface, further improving the overall user experience.

Other Noteworthy Features

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also boasts IP68 water resistance, meaning the phone remains safe even when submerged in water. It can withstand being submerged up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes, making it perfect for worry-free use at the beach or around water.

The materials used in the Samsung Galax S23 Ultra are recycled or repurposed glass and PET film as part of their commitment for the environment, an eco-conscious materials. I think this is their first eco-friendly produced model.

Another feature is the S-pen of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, that makes it a lot easier when doing some details works on arts or simply writing because you prefer to write rather than type it, especially if you have a huge hand.

Battery Life and Charging

Under normal usage, the battery of the Galaxy S23 series can last for approximately two days. However, if you frequently engage in activities such as photo and video shooting, movie watching, gaming, music streaming, and internet browsing, the battery life may reduce to around 12 to 14 hours or even less.

When it comes to charging, the smartphone can reach a full charge within 1 to 1.5 hours. If you're planning a gig or an event, make sure to plug in your Galaxy S23 series device 2 to 3 hours beforehand to ensure it's fully charged.

Price and availability

Of course, all quality products entails good materials and most of the times good materials and technology comes with a price. So, if you have read about the features and its capacity, I'm sure prices does not matter at all as long as you get the quality and the performance you need.

For the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, it is priced at ₱89,990.00 for the 512GB capacity or you can go lower with its 256GB capacity for only ₱81,990.00. Just note that there's only an ₱8,000 difference for a 256GB storage capacity. So, if you're going to buy opt for the bigger storage capacity.

For the Galaxy S23 Plus it is priced at ₱68,990.00. Almost the same quality with just less of some special features. If you could not get the best, then go for the better, which is the Galaxy S23.

For the Galaxy S23 it is priced at ₱57,990.00, a good choice for a start.

Some stores have different freebies when you buy these smartphones.

Our final verdict

So what we say about these smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series offers vloggers and tech enthusiasts, like us, a powerful tool for their content creation needs. With impressive camera capabilities, advanced operating systems, sleek designs, and other exciting features, these smartphones are a top choice in the market. Whether you prioritize capturing stunning photos, shooting high-quality videos, or enjoying a seamless user experience, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series has you covered.

Remember great power comes with great responsibility and having this powerful tool for content creation gives us the responsibility to produce well-rounded content for the viewers!