S24 Ultra after Feb 2024 update: I am considering returning it

[Slavvd]

Just got the February 2024 update on my S24 Ultra.

This update promised a lot of improvements in the cameras department. 

I have to admit updating it improved the camera quality a little (emphasis on little). 

However, I also happen to own an iPhone 15 (cheapest one), currently used as a work device. 

After comparing the two phone's cameras I can honestly say: There is no competition, iPhone wins hands down. 

I took the same pictures with the phones side by side and using default camera camera apps settings. Then compared them on the same device (iPhone) to avoid display bias. I can summarise it as:

- Colors are better after the update but still not quite to the iPhone level

- IPhone takes 24MP shots by default, resulting in much more detail than the default 12MP Galaxy shots

- Switching to the Expert Raw mode on galaxy and taking 24MP shots (otherwise default settings) results in severely oversharpened and overall way worse photos than the standard 12MP ones.

- Switching the iPhone to take 12MP shots makes makes them about even in the details department but not colors. 

- The IPhone is much better in preserving details when a photo has both very lit and very dim areas. (think a light bulb in a dim room that **bleep** one side of your face and casts a shadow on the other) 

I just can't stand the fact that a £650 device can just blow a £1300 device to pieces when it comes to camera. 

For this reason I am seriously considering returning my S24U and using the iPhone full time. What's the point of spending £1300 extra and having to live with 2 phones when I can't even take a decent picture with the S24U?

I love android but this phone is a disappointment. 

[Slavvd]

Nope. The head was manually set to be in focus (by pressing on the screen) and taking the picture while the square showing what's in focus is over the face. So both are in focus.

The difference in detail comes primarily from the fact that the right one is a 24MP shot (iPhone 15 camera default) while the other is 12MP (S24U camera default). Note that taking a 24MP shot with the S24U's Expert Raw camera produces an oversharpened image and looks even worse than the 12MP shot.

But even if we assume you are correct and it's not in focus, there is still the color problem. As you can see it's washed out, dull, not lively, whatever you want to call it.

For context: the picture on the right is closer to how it looks in the real world.


My biggest advice to the Samsung devs is:

When tweaking the camera compare against a current gen iPhone. Try to make it at least as good as the cheapest current gen iPhone. People don't care about camera raw MP count, 13636x zoom and other gimmicks. 99% of users want a point and shoot portrait camera that doesn't make them look sick.

P. S. Looking forward to hear what you think about the S24U camera after comparison with the IPhone.

[Joeeye]

You could do the same argument against an IPhone 15 Pro Max. What exactly is your point?

If your only judgement of the phone is based off a single selfie shot in front of a mirror and nothing else, by all means you have that right. But you're broadcasting it to everyone like it's defacto the only measure of it's value. If you don't like it, return it. You expecting people to jump ship with you or something?

Also look closely at your picture. You can clearly see the photo on the left is balanced more for focus in the foreground I.e. the phones. The one on the right focused on you the subject. This is a user error and nothing to do with how good or bad the camera is.

[Slavvd]

IPhone 15 pro max has the same main cameras as the regular one but adds a 3x and 5x telephoto, which the S24U has anyway. Not that this matters here since both shots are taken on 1x.

My point is that the cheapest current gen iPhone takes significantly better photos than the most expensive current gen Samsung phone.

Do I need to post all the comparison pictures I took just to satisfy you? I summarised it pretty clearly in my original post what the main issues are. I then posted this photo just to prove I am not making stuff up.

Looking at how many people are complaining in the community - I don't need to convince anyone. People are already convinced.

[Slavvd]

I don't get your point?

I'm making a comparison against the cheapest current gen iPhone and it's still better than the S24U.

I have summarised the main issues with the S24U camera in my original post. I then uploaded the comparison photo just to prove I am not making stuff up. Do I need to upload every comparison photo I took just to satisfy you?

Also looking at how many people in the community are complaining I don't need to convince anyone to jump ship or return theirs. They are already doing it.

[Slavvd]

I don't get your point?

I'm making a comparison against the cheapest current-gen iPhone and it's still better than the most expensive Samsung phone on offer - the S24U.

In my original post, I summarised the main issues with the S24U camera. I then uploaded one set of comparison photos to prove I am not making stuff up. Do I need to upload every comparison photo I took to satisfy you?

Also looking at how many people in the community are complaining I don't need to convince anyone to jump ship or return theirs. They are already doing it.

[Joeeye]

Then why the post?

[Slavvd]

Why do the others post?

Shouldn't we have the right the complain?

[Joeeye]

Sure, but nothing you've presented, nor my personal use, tally with anything you claim. Your comparison photo looks terrible to anything I've shot on mine.

[Slavvd]

I can only suggest going to an apple store (or borrowing a friend's iPhone) and taking a few shots with each.

For example take a photo of another person on 1x zoom and default settings. On focus and everything.

First difference you will notice is how more natural the colors are on the iPhone. Then zoom in/crop to see the details on a particular area. You'll see the same thing as the picture I posted.

It's hard to notice it when you don't have anything to compare against. But I guarantee you if you compare against the iPhone you will notice.

[Joeeye]

I have no complaints over the camera so, I don't see why I'd compromise by switching to an iPhone even "if" the camera is subjectively better in your view.