One UI 8.5 quietly fixed my biggest problem with the Galaxy S24 Ultra

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.