As I unboxed my new Samsung phone, the familiar feel of its sleek black frame brought back memories of my first ever smartphone. But this time, I wasn't just reuniting with a phone - I was rejoining the full Samsung family. From the compact but powerful Buds Pro 3 to the futuristic Galaxy Ring on my finger and the impressive Galaxy Watch 24 Ultra on my wrist, everything worked together seamlessly in perfect harmony. The vibrant green color of my phone immediately caught my eye, encased in a clear case for protection. And when I turned on the screen, the vivid hues and crisp display took my breath away. It was like coming home after years of being away - and I couldn't be more thrilled to have you back in my hands, Samsung.
Upgraded from the Note 20 Ultra 5G and love the new phone. I missed having a flat screen. AI features are phenomenal. Still learning the phone features but very happy with the purchase so far! Bonus that it has the SPen which is what I loved about the Note series so much!
I like my new phone, but a lot of my appreciation is probably due to the fact that I was upgrading from a six year old Note 8 (my Note 8 was an upgrade from a S3 mini, so it is obvious I keep and use my phones for a long time.) Btw, I loved that if I dropped my S3 mini and the cover and battery broke apart from the phone that I could just put the pieces back together again like Humpty Dumpty. The screen never broke or scratched and the phone kept working. The newer glass screens make me nervous, and I don't want to install a cover on the screen so I'm constantly having to baby the new phone.
There was nothing wrong with my old Note 8 other than Samsung had stopped providing updates for it a couple of years ago and two of my financial apps no longer worked. I hope Samsung provides updates for the S24 for a longer period of time.
Transferring the data between phones was pretty easy, but some of the settings in my apps needed to be reset. I use the Clock app a lot to set reminder alarms, and I still haven't figured out a way to change the default alarm sound (Homecoming). I really dislike the default, and it is another unnecessary step to change it every time I set an alarm.
The fingerprint unlock is also consistently not working. I reset my fingerprints and it still doesn't work most of the time. I am in the middle of an international move and will try to fix it again when things have settled down.
I purchased an unlocked phone directly from Samsung because I got a government discount, which made the price competitive with Best Buy, and because there were a few unique colors. I got orange (one of my favorite colors), but it's a muted, dull color. I would not have purchased orange if I had seen it in person. I would go with the green color if I got a do-over or even one of the regular colors offered in stores.