Samsung S24 Ultra Long-Term Review: Should You Buy It in 2026 After the S26 Ultra Launch?

Let me be honest with you. When Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 Ultra on February 25, 2026, my phone stopped being the newest kid in the room. I’ve been using the S24 Ultra as my daily driver for over two years now — through One UI 7, through the Galaxy AI hype, through two monsoon seasons, through thousands of photos and late-night S Pen doodles. And I’ve got some real things to say.

Not the PR fluff. Not a spec-sheet comparison you can find on any website. The actual truth about whether this phone — currently available for as low as ₹71,999 in India — is still worth your money in 2026, or whether you’d be better off saving up for the shiny new S26 Ultra.

Let’s get into it.

Samsung S24 Ultra: Full Specs at a Glance (2026 Context)

Design & Build: Two Years Later, It Still Looks Like a Statement

The first thing people still notice about the S24 Ultra in 2026 is its design — and not in an ‘old phone’ way. The titanium frame, sharp corners, and that unmistakable boxy silhouette give it a presence that the S26 Ultra has actually moved away from. Samsung rounded the corners on the S26 Ultra to make it more ergonomic. More comfortable, yes — but also more generic.

The S24 Ultra’s design is deliberately angular. It’s a direct descendant of the Galaxy Note DNA, and it looks purposeful. Like a tool built for power users who don’t want their flagship phone to be mistaken for a mid-ranger at a glance. In 2026, after two years of daily use, the titanium frame on my unit still has zero visible wear. The Gorilla Armour coating on the display hasn’t picked up a single scratch despite zero screen protector use.

The S26 Ultra is lighter at 214g vs 232g for the S24 Ultra. You will feel the difference if you use your phone for extended gaming or reading sessions. But the S24 Ultra’s weight contributes to that tank-like sense of quality that budget buyers at ₹70–80K are absolutely going to appreciate.

Display: Still One of the Best Screens You Can Buy at This Price

The 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 1Hz–120Hz adaptive refresh is, frankly, still stunning in 2026. At 2600 nits of peak brightness, it handles outdoor use in harsh Indian summer sunlight better than most phones at its current price point.

The S26 Ultra bumps this to 3000 nits and adds the ‘Privacy Display‘ — a hardware-level feature that narrows your screen’s viewing angle so bystanders on the Metro or in a coffee shop can’t read your screen. It’s a genuinely clever, useful innovation. For professionals who work on sensitive documents in public, it’s compelling enough to justify the upgrade alone.

But if you’re not commuting on Delhi Metro reading confidential spreadsheets every day? The S24 Ultra’s display will not make you feel like you’re missing anything. The colours are accurate, the blacks are inky, and the 120Hz scrolling remains smooth whether you’re on Instagram Reels or a PDF document.

One Display Win the S24 Ultra Still Holds

The S24 Ultra is built with Gorilla Armour 1 — which includes a proprietary anti-reflective coating that Samsung introduced with this device. It genuinely reduces glare better than standard Gorilla Glass, and it’s one of those features you notice most in bright environments. The S26 Ultra uses Gorilla Armour 2, which is superior in scratch resistance, but the anti-reflective experience is comparable. Either way, you’re getting a premium glass experience.

Performance: Is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Still Relevant in 2026?

Short answer: yes, absolutely.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ‘for Galaxy’ was already an over-engineered chip when it launched in 2024. Two years later, it remains more than capable of handling everything the Indian user ecosystem throws at it — from BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile at max graphics, to 4K video editing in CapCut, to running multiple Gemini AI queries simultaneously.

The S26 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is legitimately faster — 19% faster CPU, 24% better GPU, and a 39% improved NPU for AI processing compared to the S25 Ultra. That NPU improvement in particular matters because some of the newer Galaxy AI features are designed to run on-device rather than in the cloud on the Gen 5 chip.

But will the average Indian user — even a power user — hit the ceiling of the 8 Gen 3 in daily use? Highly unlikely. The phone handles multi-window multitasking, heavy gaming, AI features, and DeX mode without breaking a sweat. Benchmarks are one thing; real-world experience is another, and the S24 Ultra still delivers the latter comfortably.

Galaxy AI in 2026: Useful Tool or Overhyped Gimmick?

This is the section that matters most in 2026, because Galaxy AI was Samsung’s entire pitch for the S24 Ultra at launch. ‘The AI Phone‘, they said. Two years on, let’s give an honest verdict.

Features That Are Actually Useful

• Circle to Search: This is the one Galaxy AI feature that has genuinely changed how I use my phone. Hold the Home button, draw a circle around anything on your screen — a product in a YouTube video, a dish in an Instagram Reel, a plant in a photo — and Google Search opens with results for exactly what you circled. I use this every single day. Indian users will find this particularly powerful for shopping and recipe lookups.
• Live Translate: During video calls in WhatsApp or Google Meet, Live Translate provides real-time translation of the other person’s speech. For Indian users communicating across languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada — this has real practical value, especially in business contexts.
• Note Assist & Transcript Assist: If you take notes in Samsung Notes or record meetings, the AI-generated summaries and action item extraction are genuinely helpful. Not perfect, but useful enough that I rely on them.
• Generative Edit in Gallery: The ability to remove objects from photos, extend backgrounds, or reposition subjects has improved significantly with software updates. It’s not Photoshop, but for quick social media edits, it works surprisingly well.

Features That Felt More Like Marketing

• Chat Assist: The ‘Tone Adjustment’ feature for messages is cute but rarely used in practice. Most Indian users have preferred AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini for serious writing tasks.
• Interpreter Mode: Solid concept, but the Hindi interpretation in particular was rough at launch and has improved only marginally. Google Translate still outperforms it for Indian language pairs.

Here’s the honest take: Galaxy AI on the S24 Ultra is a collection of features, some of which are genuinely brilliant and some of which were clearly added to the spec sheet. The S26 Ultra’s stronger NPU means newer on-device AI features will land there first. Some features coming with One UI 8.5 may not fully work on the S24 Ultra’s older chip. That is a real consideration if you plan to hold this phone for another 3–4 years.

Also Read Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Hidden Features 2026: 15 Settings You Must Change Now

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Launch Date, Full Specs, Price in India & Ultra 200MP Camera Review (2026)

Camera: The 200MP Beast Still Punches Hard in 2026

The S24 Ultra’s quad-camera system — 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 50MP 5x periscope telephoto, 10MP 3x telephoto — remains one of the most versatile camera setups on any Android phone. Period. And at its current India price, nothing else even comes close to this level of hardware.

What’s Still World-Class

• The 200MP main sensor produces extraordinary detail in good light. Zooming into a photo to pixel-peep fine textures — fabric, foliage, human hair — reveals a level of detail that genuinely impresses two years after launch.
• The 5x periscope telephoto is arguably the S24 Ultra’s most underrated feature. 50MP at 5x means you can shoot subjects 20–30 metres away and still extract a usable crop. Ideal for wildlife photography, wedding photography, and cricket match shots from the stands.
• Night mode has gotten noticeably better through software updates. The computational photography pipeline keeps improving with each One UI release, which means your S24 Ultra literally gets better at taking photos over time.

Where the S26 Ultra Genuinely Improves

• The S26 Ultra’s main and periscope sensors have wider apertures — f/1.4 and f/2.9 versus f/1.7 and f/3.4 on the S24 Ultra. More light means better low-light shots, especially in scenes like dimly lit Indian restaurants, night markets, or indoor weddings.
• The upgraded 50MP ultrawide (vs 12MP on S24 Ultra) is a significant hardware bump. In practice, S24 Ultra ultrawide shots are slightly softer and have more distortion than the main sensor. If ultrawide is important to your photography, the S26 Ultra is meaningfully better here.
• 8K video recording with the APV (Advanced Professional Video) codec on the S26 Ultra is a notable addition for video content creators. The S24 Ultra records 8K, but without the professional codec.

Camera verdict: The S24 Ultra is still a top-5 Android camera in 2026. You will not feel like you’re missing out in everyday shooting situations. But if low-light photography and ultrawide quality are critical — and you have the budget — the S26 Ultra does offer real improvements.

The S Pen: The One Feature That Makes the S24 Ultra Irreplaceable

Here’s the elephant in the room that no one is talking about loudly enough: the S24 Ultra is the last Samsung phone with a Bluetooth S Pen. The S25 Ultra removed Bluetooth. The S26 Ultra kept it removed.

What does Bluetooth in the S Pen actually give you?

• The ability to use it as a remote shutter for photos (stand 10 metres away and tap the Pen to take a selfie or group shot).

• The ability to click through presentation slides without touching the screen.

• The ability to scroll, swipe, or navigate the phone with pen clicks. Samsung’s Air Actions — gesture-based shortcuts triggered by S Pen button presses — are unique to the Bluetooth version.

For content creators, photographers, presenters, and students who annotate PDFs and documents with the S Pen, this is not a minor loss. It is a fundamental downgrade. If you use the S Pen’s Bluetooth functionality, the S24 Ultra is not just the better value option — it’s the better phone, full stop.

Beyond Bluetooth, the S Pen experience itself remains excellent in 2026. 2.8ms latency, 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, and the full Samsung Notes / Noteshelf integration. Students writing notes, designers sketching concepts, and professionals annotating contracts will still find this to be the best stylus experience on any phone.

Battery Life & Charging: Good, But the S26 Ultra Finally Improves Here

The 5000 mAh battery on the S24 Ultra delivers a solid full day of use for most Indian users. At moderate usage — WhatsApp, social media, navigation, an hour of video streaming — you’ll comfortably hit the end of the day with 20–30% remaining. Heavy use (gaming, camera, hotspot) will have you reaching for the charger by evening.

Where the S26 Ultra represents a genuine quality-of-life upgrade is charging speed. The S24 Ultra’s 45W wired charging takes roughly 65–70 minutes for a full charge. The S26 Ultra’s 60W charges from 0 to 75% in just 30 minutes. If you’re the type of Indian user who charge-juices for 15 minutes before rushing out the door, the S26 Ultra’s charging experience will feel meaningfully better.

Wireless charging on the S24 Ultra is limited to 15W. The S26 Ultra moves to 25W wireless. Not a dealbreaker, but worth noting if you use a wireless charging pad on your desk.

Battery Health After Two Years

After two years of daily use, my S24 Ultra’s battery health sits at approximately 88–90% of its original capacity — fairly typical for a flagship at this stage. Samsung’s adaptive charging (which learns your charging habits and slows down to protect battery health) deserves credit here. If you’re buying the phone new in 2026, you’re starting with a fresh battery that should last you comfortably through to 2029 with normal use.

Software & Updates: 7 Years of Support Is a Massive Deal for Indian Buyers

Samsung promised 7 years of OS and security updates for the Galaxy S24 series. That takes the S24 Ultra through to 2031 — Android 21 territory. This is arguably the single most compelling reason to buy the S24 Ultra over any competing Android phone in its current price range.

In India, where smartphones are significant purchases held for 3–5 years, a software commitment of this magnitude changes the value equation entirely. You’re not buying a phone that’ll feel abandoned by 2028. You’re buying into a platform that’ll keep getting features and security patches alongside the S26 Ultra for years.

One UI 8.5 is expected to land on the S24 Ultra by April 2026 — bringing several of the AI and interface features that launched with the S26 Ultra over to the older device. One UI 9, based on Android 17, is projected for July 2026. Your phone will keep getting meaningfully better.

The caveat: some AI features that rely heavily on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s NPU will be hardware-gated. Samsung has not confirmed a full list of which Galaxy AI features will and won’t come to the S24 Ultra via updates. If having access to every cutting-edge AI feature as soon as Samsung ships it matters to you, the S26 Ultra is where those features will always land first.

Samsung S24 Ultra Price in India 2026: Where to Buy & What to Pay

Should You Buy the Samsung S24 Ultra in 2026? The Honest Verdict

This is the section you scrolled to. Let me give you a straight answer based on who you are.

Final Verdict: The S24 Ultra Is One of the Best Value Flagships in India Right Now

Two years into its life, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has aged the way only genuinely great flagships do — gracefully. It still has the best S Pen Samsung has ever shipped (with Bluetooth, which they’ve now removed from newer models). Even it still has a world-class 200MP camera. It still runs circles around most phones in its current price bracket. And it will continue to receive software updates until 2031.

The S26 Ultra is a better phone in specific ways: faster charging, a lighter design, a stronger chip with better on-device AI, and that clever Privacy Display. If you have ₹1.3 lakh to spend and want the absolute latest, go for it. But if you’re in India, making a considered purchase decision at the ₹72,000–₹84,000 mark, the S24 Ultra is not a compromise. It is a deliberate choice — and a very smart one.

The fact that Samsung is still selling this phone, and that search interest in it has spiked again after the S26 Ultra launch, tells you everything. People recognise the value. The market agrees.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is the Samsung S24 Ultra still worth buying in 2026?

Yes. The Samsung S24 Ultra remains an exceptional flagship smartphone in 2026. Priced from ₹71,999 in India, it offers a 200MP camera system, the only Bluetooth S Pen available on any current Samsung phone, a stunning QHD+ AMOLED display, and 7 years of software support until 2031. For its current price, nothing in the Android ecosystem comes close to this combination of hardware.

Should I buy the S24 Ultra or S26 Ultra in India in 2026?

It depends on your budget and priorities. The S26 Ultra (starting ~₹1,29,999) offers faster 60W charging, the new Privacy Display, a lighter design, and a more powerful processor. The S24 Ultra saves you roughly ₹50,000 and actually gives you the superior Bluetooth S Pen that Samsung removed from newer models. If budget matters, the S24 Ultra is the smarter choice for most Indian buyers.

How long will the Samsung S24 Ultra receive software updates?

Samsung has committed to 7 years of OS and security updates for the Galaxy S24 series, which means the S24 Ultra will receive updates until 2031. This includes major Android version upgrades and Galaxy AI feature additions via One UI updates.

What is the Samsung S24 Ultra price in India in 2026?

The Samsung S24 Ultra is currently available in India starting at ₹71,999 for the 256GB variant and ₹83,999 for the 512GB variant (new). Refurbished units from Cashify start at ₹66,599 with a 6-month warranty. Prices can vary across Flipkart, Amazon India, and Samsung’s official store.

Is Galaxy AI on the S24 Ultra still useful in 2026?

Several Galaxy AI features on the S24 Ultra are genuinely useful in 2026 — particularly Circle to Search, Live Translate, and Generative Edit in the Gallery. Some newer AI features that require the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip (in the S26 Ultra) may not be available on the S24 Ultra. However, the core Galaxy AI experience remains functional and practical for everyday use.

Does the Samsung S24 Ultra have a Bluetooth S Pen?

Yes — and importantly, the S24 Ultra is the last Samsung Galaxy Ultra phone to include a Bluetooth S Pen. The Galaxy S25 Ultra and S26 Ultra removed Bluetooth from the S Pen, turning it into a passive stylus only. If you rely on S Pen Bluetooth features like remote camera shutter, Air Actions, or presentation clicker functionality, the S24 Ultra is the better choice.

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