That being said, what I see is a purple Galaxy S24/S24+, which seems to belong to Samsung’s CEO. For the record, I also noticed a white Galaxy S24/S24+ sitting in the far right corner, which belongs to a mystery guest at the not-so-last supper.
But it’s TM Roh’s purple Galaxy S24/24+ that quickly sparked a bunch of conspiracy theories on tech Twitter, and I’m willing to join in…
“Why isn’t TM Roh using Samsung’s best, most premium flagship phone – the Galaxy S24 Ultra?” It’s quite unlikely that he’s “testing” the company’s more affordable flagships – they’ve been out for a while now.
Sure, the Galaxy S24 Ultra costs $1,300, or a whopping $500 extra compared to the more affordable Galaxy S24, but TM Roh is probably able to afford the splurge. Oh, and… HE’S SAMSUNG’S smartphone CEO guy…
See, as somebody who finds my Galaxy S24 Ultra to be uncomfortable to use with one hand, I won’t be surprised if Mr. Roh feels the same way. So, I guess that’s the “conspiracy theory” I’m going with…
Come to think about it, there really shouldn’t be any other reason Samsung’s CEO wouldn’t choose to daily drive the company’s best phone. In the end, the S24 Ultra trumps the vanilla Galaxy S24 models in every single way – particularly in the display, battery and camera departments.
Is it alarming if Samsung’s CEO doesn’t use the company’s most premium flagship phone?
In an interview with major tech YouTuber, Sundar Pichai said he tests many phones – even the iPhone. However, he carries a Pixel 8 Pro in his pocket (not pictured here).
Now, is it a big deal that Samsung’s CEO isn’t using the Galaxy S24 Ultra (for one reason or another)? Speaking from my POV, not really…
That said, I do find it a little bit ironic, or perhaps even controversial that Samsung decided to convert the most premium “S” flagship into a bulkier Galaxy “Note” with an S Pen, and now even Samsung’s own boss could be avoiding this awesome phone.
In other words, Samsung markets the Galaxy S24 Ultra as the best Samsung phone, but the current form-factor of the device seems to make it unappealing for certain types of people – unless price is an issue, of course.
And while I’ve written my fair share of stories criticizing how big, bulky, and uncomfortable the Galaxy S23 and S24 Ultra feel to me, seeing that Samsung’s CEO might be avoiding the company’s best phone (likely) for the same reason I do… hits a little differently.
Is the Galaxy S24 Ultra too “Galaxy Note” to go mainstream, and become universally loved?
Google’s premium Pixel 8 Pro is round and curvy, and it feels great! Should Samsung take a page out of Google’s Notebook?
This begs the question… Is the Galaxy S24 Ultra too “Galaxy Note” to go mainstream? It’s certainly a reason this phone stays and will stay out of my pocket. And Mr. Roh’s too.
Here’s a confession… As an iPhone user who has the chance to test phones like the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra, I love the AI capabilities of Samsung’s new flagships, and find a few of them to be game-changing. In fact, if I wasn’t immersed into Apple’s wider ecosystem, I probably would’ve given the Galaxy S24 a shot for that reason alone!
But one thing’s for sure… Even if I made the switch to a Samsung flagship, I would’ve gone with the Galaxy S24 or Galaxy S24+ – just like Samsung’s CEO. And that’s despite the noticeably superior display, endurance, and camera system of the square-ish Ultra model. Which (in an ideal world) is a compromise I wouldn’t like to make…
Is the form-factor holding the Galaxy S24 Ultra back from becoming more popular, and should Samsung put an end to the “Ultra compromise” with a new, more ergonomic design? I sure know one man who can make that happen…