Stephen Radochia / Android Authority
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is still a fantastic smartphone. It features enough of the Galaxy Note heritage many of us love, and it includes a full-featured S Pen. It even has some of Samsung’s newer innovations, such as the anti-reflective screen. It’s currently the sweet spot for people who want a flagship Samsung experience without the wallet-punishing price of a Galaxy S26 Ultra.
A significant reason it’s so much easier to recommend older flagships is the extended software support. I would never tell anyone to buy a Galaxy S21 Ultra two years after release, because the value wasn’t there. That’s no longer the case, and despite being released in 2024, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will still enjoy almost five years of software support and upgrades.
Of course, if the quality of those updates isn’t solid, who cares? Thankfully, Samsung’s done an excellent job, and the most recent One UI 8.5 upgrade on the Galaxy S24 Ultra proves it.
Are you more willing to buy an older flagship with extended software support?
306 votes
Absolutely. I love to save money!
82%
No way. I don’t trust pre-owned phones.
18%
Samsung finally fixed a sore spot
Stephen Radochia / Android Authority
Samsung’s multitasking felt perpetually stuck in 2017. The experience hadn’t fundamentally changed in years, despite fantastic examples from other companies, such as OnePlus’s Open Canvas. That started to change with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and One UI 8. Samsung introduced 90:10 multitasking, and it’s brought that over to the Galaxy S24 Ultra with One UI 8.5.
I don’t always need an even split when multitasking, especially if I’m just copying information from one app into an email or my calendar. A 90:10 multitasking split is the perfect solution. I can swipe one app almost completely off my screen when it’s not needed, but still have it there for easy access. It’s an added layer of flexibility that makes Samsung’s multitasking feel less rigid.
Whenever there is a new software update, I’m always curious how the battery life will be affected.
Smoother app resizing also helps create a better multitasking feel. Getting each app’s ratio just right is more enjoyable, and app pairs will now remember those positions, so I don’t have to fumble around each time I open Discord and Gmail together.
Floating windows are easier to use, and everything feels a bit snappier and stickier, ideal for when you are using Samsung DeX. Samsung’s multitasking needed an overhaul, and you’ll enjoy what the company has done with One UI 8.5.
One UI 8.5 has plenty of quality-of-life improvements
Stephen Radochia / Android Authority
Overall, One UI 8.5 does make my Galaxy S24 Ultra feel smoother. Animations are silky, and I’ve turned them back on for the first time I can remember. It’s not a complete visual overhaul, but I appreciate small items like enhanced Quick Panel customization. I like having full control over what I see when I swipe down, and I appreciate that Samsung puts personalization front and center. That also extends to the lock screen, where Samsung added different clocks and layouts. These are small additions, but they add up.
Whenever there is a new software update, I’m always curious about how it will affect battery life. It wasn’t that long ago that new software updates on older hardware were devastating for batteries, and I still hold my breath when there’s an upgrade. Thankfully, Samsung nailed it with One UI 8.5 on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I never had bad battery life from its 5,000mAh cell, but there is a noticeable improvement with One UI 8.5. Some users are reporting a 10% increase, and I have no reason to dispute that.
Your Galaxy S24 Ultra now has a feature that more casual users have asked me about than anything — AirDrop support in Quick Share. It’s much easier to transfer photos and videos between iOS users, helping break down barriers between the two ecosystems.
Galaxy AI also gets upgrades on the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Stephen Radochia / Android Authority
I’m not a huge fan of Galaxy AI, but Samsung has added some features to your Galaxy S24 Ultra. You already had Now Brief, for better or worse, but there’s now more to dig into with One UI 8.5. Call Screening can answer calls for you, record information about who is calling and why, and route the caller to you. I’ve used it plenty on my Pixel, and it’s a useful feature, especially if you get as many spam calls as I do.
Samsung also beefed up Audio Eraser, a feature that lets you remove unwanted sounds from your videos. It’s refreshing to see Samsung at least attempt to bring more of its AI innovations to older hardware — a lesson Google would be wise to learn. I won’t say I’m completely sold on Galaxy AI, but as long as Samsung focuses more on practical uses than on superfluous assistants, I won’t mind it being included on older hardware.
Samsung is on the right track
All told, I’ve been impressed with Samsung’s software support over the last few years. There was a time when TouchWiz was a disaster, and the company released only quarterly updates. That feels like a lifetime ago, and One UI has been a significant advantage for Samsung. Extended software support doesn’t matter if it makes my phone worse, and Samsung has avoided that.
The company isn’t just slapping a new version on older phones and calling it a day. It is taking time to optimize and bring additional features to the devices in a meaningful way. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is fantastic, and One UI 8.5 highlights why it still deserves a spot in your pocket.
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