One ui 6.1

[facu1ty]

After happily giving my S24+ exynos trash back a few weeks ago, I noticed the AOD notifications were not colourful anymore and couldn't be changed to colour. Just a dull and boring white. I hated it. Anyways, purchased a lovely S23 ultra for dirt cheap and I read somewhere that when the S23 models get the one ui 6.1 upgrade, they too will have the same. Could anyone clarify if this is this true please? 

[smiley]

I have only seen the S24u once in a retail store. It seems that the flat display and other improvements look good.

When we have mid-season summer sales... if the deals are good enough then I might consider an upgrade from my S23u. Although right now the S23u still holds up well with any other phone on the market IMO.

[facu1ty]

Loads of YouTube videos showing better pictures taken on the older S23 ultra. I owned the S24 + and honestly my S23 regular from last year took better pictures. Strange how people's experiences differ lol..

[facu1ty]

I used it in store and the S23 ultra aswell. I actually did prefer the newer design of the S24 ultra especially with slightly more width and slightly smaller build. Was nicer to hold but really not much in it. I really don't see the slight curvature of the S23 ultra screen an issue at all. It's fine. I personally think anyone who owns the S23 ultra should wait for the S25 ultra. And many are doing that. I agree that it holds up well with any other phone today.

[smiley]

That may be true in some ways... but remember that the new S24u has only newly released and not had the full optimisation done.

The S23 has had regular updates for more than a year.

If the trade in deals are appealing for the S24u then I will consider it.

However my original decision mid-jan was that the S23u is a very capable phone and I wouldn't upgrade for the incremental improvements. That decision is based upon preordering issues and early release software.

Believe me, the S24 issues with colour and stability of some functions is not unique to the s24... it also happened with all the previous generations. Different 'bugs', but nonetheless there were plenty of them with the S21u, s22u and s23u upon release date.

It is understood that the high price demands perfection, but equally the cost of wanting the latest most advanced hardware means sometimes minor 'niggles' are found in the first instance.

I have no doubt that anyone experiencing any issues with s24 will find within the next couple of months that the performance will get better and better. You can't rate a new handset based upon its software and optimisations upon release.

By mid-year it will be a lot more robust, functions fixed, and overall a great experience.

[facu1ty]

I agree with everything you said! Trouble is, the camera's should be much better than what's on offer. Bigger sensors etc.. they should be able to give us customers best of the best in cutting edge technology as it's the ultra we're talking about. The selfie camera is also very important for me as I take plenty of pictures with my son. It's not that bad, but the consistency just sucks. An ir blaster would be very welcome aswell. Even if the deals are great for an upgrade to the S24 ultra, I really don't see any point after what I've mentioned as the S23 ultra is just as capable as the S24 ultra for me, and many others. Honestly, very happy with my purchase and happy to wait until the S25. The S24 ultra is just not giving me a must have vibes at all. Hopefully they will make the S25 ultra lighter aswell. Can't beat a lighter device in the hand. Maybe we can also get a charger and case in the box. I read somewhere that apparently in certain countries, the law states that apple and Samsung must provide the charger in the box. Mental that lol...

[smiley]

Looking at various reviews from real photography publications rather than those from youtubers that just point and shoot (sometimes badly), I believe the cameras are cutting edge for a mobile device.

This is just my opinion... but part of the art of grabbing a good photo and perhaps post processing it with a raw version in light room is all part of the experience.

For me, I dislike all the fake optimisations and AI that seem to automatically occur in many images. Kind of fun some of them... like magic eraser etc... but if I don't want a person in my photo I will wait until they are gone... or take a different shot.

It is only if you go hunting, zooming in, and looking for artefacts in the images that generally any issues can be seen.

There is a definate skill and an art to photography... getting the right conditions... optimising the shutter and ISO for the best shot.

Although the S24 cameras are not completely optimised yet, I have to disagree with the comments on the camera system on the ultras... they are amongst the best... If you use them correctly.

A lot of complaints I have seen have been someone taking a picture of their coffee table in a bad light condition, or expecting if they take an image from long distance at 10x and then expect to be able to zoom into that image with no loss... perhaps they need educating into the limitations of a camera in general... a lot of these cases are not even possible with a top end DSLR.

[smiley]

https://amateurphotographer.com/apawards/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-wins-smartphone-camera-of-the-year...

Written by photographers... for photographers.

[facu1ty]

The thing is, point and shoot is what a majority of the people want. All this faffing around to get the best picture they don't want. Sony Xperia is a great example of that. The oppo and pixel does point and shoot great. I agree that Samsung have always had great camera's, but there is better out there. My old S105g with TOF sensors front and back were exceptional. Plenty of wonderful memories I have with that phone which is 5 years old now. Back then, Samsung were throwing their weight around proper and it was a case of "look what we can do!" Nowadays downgraded specs and overpriced. I take Plenty of pictures when out and about with my boy so would consider myself to know a little about the experience. I too, don't dabble with filters. Don't get me wrong, I love this S23 ultra I'm using and fairly happy with the camera experience. It's just not very consistent and not much better than the S105g I had. This is real world usage my end. I'm always out in the country. Fields and lakes I see a lot of. Let's face it, point and shoot for a mobile phone is much better than the faff involved which you mentioned especially for non professional photographers. I absolutely get it, but would rather not go through that process given the choice..

[Joeeye]

Downgraded specs? What has Samsung downgraded on the S24 Ultra compared to previous exactly?

[facu1ty]

No headphone jack, IR blaster, TOF sensors, AOD notifications not being colour coded anymore, notification led light what a lot of us loved and being much heavier than previous generations. You can't discuss a gram over last year especially with nonsense titanium which everyone thought would be much lighter. Oh, a price increase aswell 🤷