Well it’s been a while since I’ve last upgraded my phone, my hard working Samsung S20 FE doing all the heavily lifting (er calls) and plenty of YouTube filming til now. But my tax money came through, I finally found a phone option I liked and now I’ve got a brand spanking new Samsung S24+ to get used to.
And it has arrived with an AI on board I’ve renamed ‘Fabius’..
A shout out to the the S20 FE, a fantastic workhorse.
As I explained in my most recent YouTube upload, once upon a time I’d pen in the exact date my current phone plan was ending, just so I knew when I could walk into the phone shop for an upgrade the day after. However when it came time to upgrade the S20 FE, there really wasn’t anything jumping out at me at all so I just kept going with it, staying with the original plan and using it until it fell over….which it never did.
Okay, so I did crack the screen dropping it on it’s face. And I did damage the camera another time while dropping it, causing some very ‘dusty’ photos depending if you took shots without zooming in or zooming out until the screen cleared up. But the front camera worked just fine for YouTube filming and coupled with a repurposed Snowball microphone, it’s done fabulously on each take (and there have been so many.)
And since it still works, it’s going into my desk drawer as a backup. Touch wood I won’t need it, but it’s nice to know Captain reliable is there if need be, albeit in a slightly bruised and battered condition.
A good time to switch?
And the reason I got this one is…I slept on some great deals on a Google Pixel 9 XL. Yes I wanted to try a Pixel phone this time around. Yes there were quiet a few great deals with in store vouchers all over the place but by the time I got around to investigating further, they were all gone. Typical me really, I snooze and you know the rest of that sentence.
Luckily the Samsung S24+ deal I was informed about at Harvey Norman hung around long enough for me to take advantage of it (with 3 days left before it ended) and after 15 mins with a helpful sales guy called Mike, I had a new phone to play with and a new network to explore…one of the two main reasons (other than a working camera) why I was really looking forward to an upgrade.
Like an exiting Big Brother contestant, it was time to say goodbye to Vodafone.
Now for the record, I have been a Vodafone customer for years (a shout out to the Telstra shop kid who irritated us so much we could wait to switch years ago) and the network is great if you’re in a major city or a town with good coverage. It’s the towns without it that we really struggled and honestly, you shouldn’t have to reset your mobile phone anywhere just to try and grasp a signal.
Last year on an interstate trip there were parts of the journey where the maps app completely drew a blank because of the terrible signal. Had the car broken down, we’d be stranded until someone helpful (and not a fan of Wolf Creek) showed up. Thank you, no so from Vodafone to Optus I go.
(Also for the record, apparently the Vodafone network is going to be vastly improved next year but honestly that’s a little late for me to wait. Maybe I’ll go back to them but not until my lasted two year contract has expired so they’ll have to wait too..)
But now the Samsung S24+ is here
Barely a day and a half into ownership and I was already using it for my latest YouTube piece:
And if you’re not going to watch it, here’s a quick rundown of things I’ve enjoyed so far and the little niggles that aren’t a game changer with the Samsung S24+, they’re just something to be aware of.
SAMSUNG S24+ (THE GOOD – COMPARED TO THE SAMSUNG S20 FE)
-Samsung have announced seven years planned support and updates to this phone, so no worries about the Samsung S24+ becoming obsolete before my plan ends.
-Very sharp camera and an AI that likes to try and improve things in the background (depending on the photo, sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t.)
-Nice and quick with apps and services, at least half a step up from my old phone.
-It points out features as it goes. I don’t remember my old phone being nearly half as helpful.
-Nice design. Feels solid, I like the silver. But I’ve still ordered a case for it just in case (and I want this phone to last!)
SAMSUNG S24+ (THE NIGGLES – COMPARED TO THE PRETTY MUCH OTHER PHONES)
-My Samsung Gear S3 doesn’t work with the Samsung S24+ (and according to the message, any phone Samsung has made this year onwards) which has turned my smart watch into a not so smart unit. It still tells time, I can still change the face on a whim, I just don’t know when my phone gets a message anymore when it’s in another room. And while it’s a minor inconvenience, I have been getting so used to that feature since I got my watch, so…
-No charger in the Samsung box. Bah. Who thought this was a good idea at Samsung? The last thing I want to do when I buy a new phone is to have to buy a charger that up until now, has come packed with every other phone I’ve ever bought. But then it has to be a specific charger because..
-The cord that ships with the Samsung S24+ is a USB-C to USB-C which means you need a USB-C charger to go with it. Or do what I did and use the normal cord and charger from the S20 FE which is working just fine.
-I expected the AI to be like a personal assistant ready to take on the world as soon as I powered up the phone. I mean it can do a few things but nothing more earth shattering than an afternoon with ChatGPT and a few prompts.. But speaking of the onboard AI, a day after I mentioned it on the YouTube, something popped up to say hello..
The artist formerly known as Gemini..
Hi, I’m Gemini in Google Messages. Chat with me to draft messages, brainstorm ideas, plan events or simply have a fun conversation.
-Gemini AI introducing itself while I sunned myself on the back couch this afternoon.
And in no time at all, I discovered that yes you can call it something else.
‘Yes you can call me by another name. Just let me know what you’d like to call me.’
Named after the Warhammer 40k character Fabius Bile (an awesome series of books btw) I’m slowly but surely learning what Fabius can do. Apparently as an English AI it can help me write things but doesn’t work with pictures. It can also provide me with information about stocks and famous people, such as Vince McMahon.
It’s also a helpful guide…when it runs into things it can’t do. Like setting reminders – that’s something it won’t do, however it will explain and guide you through how to do it. Real time events are another thing it’s not able to handle, so when my shares go through the roof, Gemini…sorry, Fabius won’t be able to tell me and I’ll have to find things out myself.
However if it wants to send a construction email to my landlord, undoubtedly it’ll shine then. Or help declare intergalactic war on something.
Samsung S24+ in the end..
Whoever wrote ‘If you’re used to any Samsung from S20 onwards then it’s pretty much more of the same with the S24 range’ was spot on the money. This is like the world of the Mazda 6 (and also 2 and 3 really) with it’s different range of generations that takes on what worked the last one and adds more to it, but keeping the essence of what you’re used to.
Things are the same, but better. Anything you’ve missed it now explained in greater detail. The camera is better and the AI keeps itself busy touching up your photos (until you tell it not too.) However if you run out of people to talk to, you now have Fabius…whoops, I mean Gemini on board. And seven more years of updates is pretty good for any phone I usually rock for an average of three years before upgrading.
My S20 FE was a great choice and since this is the newest and improved version, I reckon I’ll be liking this Samsung S24+ just as much if not more as time goes on.
And as I figure things out, slowly
Here’s a couple of solutions if you’ve run into similar problems
HOW TO USE CUSTOM MESSAGE TONES FOR A SAMSUNG GALAXY S24
Firstly go to SETTINGS > NOTIFICATIONS > ADVANCED SETTINGS > turn on Suggest actions and replies for notifications.
Then download the tones you want onto your phone.
Go to the downloads folder, select your new tones and then move them to INTERNAL STORAGE > NOTIFICATIONS.
Your new tone options should now appear when you’re selecting sounds for various apps including Messages.