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People still don’t believe that I’ve switched, full-time, to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra from the iPhone.
In the comments sections of my YouTube videos, people will take one of two approaches to this. Some will ask outright: are you still using the S24 Ultra? How’s it going? Others will be far more cynical about it: why is the iPhone on the table next to you? Where’s the S24 Ultra?
Regardless of what you may think you’ve seen on my YouTube channel, I can categorically confirm that I haven’t used my iPhone for at least two months. Bar a couple of shoots for sponsor segments, it has remained powered down in my smartphone review unit drawer.
I know that this switch has fascinated (and confused) a lot of people, which is why I thought it’d be an opportune time to provide an update on how things have been thus far.
We’ll start with the most obvious question.
Do I miss the iPhone?
Yes. A little bit.
You have to remember that I was an iPhone user for many, many years. Dropping it entirely made me feel like a bit of a traitor and I have no problem admitting that I was worried I’d miss Apple’s smartphone way too much.
The truth is that it’s pretty easy to slip into a different set of smartphone shoes. The stuff you miss is, often, the most mundane features or small reliance you’ve built over time.
For me, the main thing I’ve missed about the iPhone – and continue to miss each day – is the ability to transfer stuff easily from my Mac to it, and vice-versa. Yes, I know there are options for this with Samsung devices, but I lack the time and motivation to try them all out, so I’ve simply developed workarounds.
The ‘it just works’ nature of the Apple ecosystem is its greatest strength – that’s been my biggest learning so far.
iOS is more polished than Android, too. It’s hard to put a finger on specific examples, but there’s just something about Android that feels a bit strapped together at times. I’ve talked about this before – Google’s operating system often feels like it’s on the verge of doing something daft or crashing, even if that never really happens. It can also feel a bit ham-fisted to navigate at times.
That’s about it, though. I haven’t really ‘suffered’ (come on, this is a smartphone, guys) apart from that. I can still use Apple Music, and WhatsApp is my messaging platform of choice, so no issues there. Equally, everything I’ve reviewed recently that had a companion app has worked fine on Android.
I miss the iPhone, genuinely. Just not enough. Yet.
What I love about the S24 Ultra
The display remains the crowning glory of the S24 Ultra, with just one huge problem (on my part). I’ve scratched it. Rather, the Ultrahuman ring I’ve been testing for the last few weeks has scratched it. Badly. Several times.
This has resulted in me opting for a screen protector to save any more blemishes. It now looks horrible, feels horrible, and has scratchy edges all around which interfere with swipe gestures. It’s no fault but my own (or, arguably, Ultrahuman’s) but it has dampened the impact of my favourite S24 Ultra feature. Even if it is still the best smartphone display on the market right now – no arguments.
Something I haven’t damaged is the camera system, which has been pretty much flawless. For photos, it’s a dream, thanks to the 5X optical zoom, brilliant 10x digital zoom, and just the overall look and feel of the images it produces. For video, it has been even more impressive; I’ve used the S24 Ultra exclusively for short-form content and it has even been used for b-roll shooting duties.
If you’re wondering, I don’t use any of the AI stuff. And, no, the S-Pen hasn’t played a role at all because I still can’t think what that role might be. Sorry.
Overall, the S24 Ultra remains my favourite smartphone to date, and the two months I’ve spent with it – bar the blemishes and minor Android niggles – have only strengthened that belief.
Will I go back to the iPhone?
Inevitably, I will go back to the iPhone one day. This will anger some people, and others will see it as a failure both on my part and that of Samsung. But it isn’t – this is my job.
Switching to any smartphone is never going to be a long-term strategy for me because it is my job to review as many phones as possible so that my audience can make informed buying decisions. Therefore, as I always say, you shouldn’t use my user behaviour as a yardstick.
If I didn’t do this for a living, I’d have absolutely no reason to return to the iPhone, and I wouldn’t. Doing so is too much of a faff, and I don’t miss enough of it to put that effort in. The lack of an Apple Watch on my wrist these days makes that decision even easier.
The question is when I’ll return to the iPhone, and it’s most likely to be – as one would expect – whenever we get our hands on the iPhone 16 series.
However, that’s still quite a way off, and there’s a more pressing question to address right now.
Should you make the switch?
I know that some members of my audience have been inspired by my switch of platforms. If that’s you, and you’re considering jumping from the iPhone to the S24 Ultra, or vice-versa, I urge you to give it a try.
We only live once, and while this isn’t a life-or-death scenario, it is a healthy idea to spread your wings a little. Try new stuff. See what’s going on over the other side of the fence.
If you’re bored of the phone you’ve been using for several years, why not give yourself a break? You never know – you might be surprised by what you find on the other side. And, trust me, I’m pretty sure you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to use a completely different type of smartphone.
