Whether you're on team Android or team iOS, there's no taking away from the fact that when Apple launched the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max the higher-end models' new titanium finish was an attractive new exterior statement that made both handsets even lighter and even better-looking than the best iPhones from before.
Well, now Samsung is here to bring a slice of that titanium magic to its latest Galaxy S24 Ultra flagship model. Revealed at Samsung's first Unpacked event of 2024, the S24 Ultra is the top-tier model in the company's incoming range, and you can only buy it in the new titanium finish. There are four key colour options – Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Black, Titanium Grey – just to hammer home that 'Titanium' message.
Whichever hue you pick, however, Samsung's use of the new metal hasn't achieved a lower weight compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which was a generation-on-generation benefit that Apple achieved. Per surface area titanium is actually heavier than aluminium, but you needn't utilise as much of it for an even more robust finish.
That's why Samsung has opted for utilising the metal in the S24 Ultra: it's tougher, more bump- and scratch-resistant overall. It also brings a visual aesthetic that's softer and more subdued (especially in its more colourful variants, Titanium Yellow as pictured above) which sets it apart from the standard S24 and S24 Plus models.
While on the subject of Apple and Samsung, it's also interesting how both iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra each offer a new 5x optical zoom lens in their camera setups. I've already written about how the top-tier iPhone's 48-megapixel zoom camera is the one to beat, but Samsung's removal of a 10x optical zoom (as per S23 Ultra) in favour of a 5x zoom at 50-megapixels (in the S24 Ultra) shows where the market is moving.
With the addition of a titanium shell and that new camera upgrade you might expect the Galaxy S24 Ultra to clock up a higher asking price than the handset it replaces, just as the iPhone 15 Pro Max did compared to its predecessor (well, sort of, no 128GB model is available so there's more value incentive). But, no, the S24 Ultra is available for pre-order from £1,249 / $1,199 / AU$1,949, maintaining the same pricing as last year's model.
