I didn't realize my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra — hair flip — would elicit so much envy from my fellow travel companion. He proudly owns an iPhone 15 Pro, finding every chance he can get to tell me why his iOS device is better than my "Android trash."
However, when life got real — I'm talkin' using our devices in the wild, whether it's on a plane or in a foreign country — the iPhone 15 Pro struggled to keep up with my, er, "Android trash." As it turned out, it was the most convenient device for the most inconvenient hurdles of travel.
Here are three features that had my iPhone 15 Pro-owning travel companion seething with green envy.
1. The 'palm gesture' to take hands-free photos
When I'm in a new country, I, of course, want to memorialize the experience. However, as an introvert, I absolutely detest the thought of approaching passers-by to take photos of me.
Consequently, I brought a portable tripod (like this one) to take photos of me and my travel partner without pestering strangers. The problem is, once you place your phone on the tripod and step several feet back to capture the stunning background, how do you trigger the shutter button?
My iPhone 15 Pro-owning friend had to purchase an Apple Watch — that means spending an additional few hundreds for the Apple Watch SE, for example — to take hands-free photos, triggering the shutter button from his wrist.
I, on the other hand, didn't need an extra accessory. When I placed my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra on the tripod, I simply employed the "palm gesture" (raising my hand to the camera). It recognized the gesture, and in a split second, it took a picture of us.
Oh, if only you could see the steam coming out of my travel companion's ears.
2. Use the S Pen to communicate with flight attendants
The window seat is the best seat in the cabin (argue with your mama), but it's also furthest away from the aisle where the flight attendants ask you questions.
This often means you have to shout over two passengers for the flight attendant to hear whether you want black tea, orange juice, soda or coffee.
While my travel companion had to yell over the drone of the plane to tell the flight attendant which beverage he wanted, I simply whipped out my S Pen and calmly wrote my drink order on the Galaxy S24 Ultra's display. (Keep in mind that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the only model in the Galaxy S24 series that features the S Pen).
I then showed my scribbled drink order to the flight attendant, without even raising my voice, and everyone was happy. The flight attendant needn't struggle to hear what I was saying and I didn't need to shout at the top of my lungs.
Oh, you should have seen the frustrated sigh my travel companion let out.
3. 'Galaxy AI' to quickly remove unwanted objects
Galaxy AI is a set of, you guessed it, AI features that released alongside the Samsung Galaxy S24 series in January. It includes cool features like Circle to Search (using the S Pen to circle objects in pictures to trigger Google to identify them) and Chat Assist (AI steps in to translate your texts while you're speaking to someone with a different language).
However, when it comes to taking photos while traveling, you're bound to have someone or something step into the shot to ruin it, whether it's a stranger's foot or a whizzing bird.
In this shot of the “SJO ¡Vive!” sign in Costa Rica, a tourist stood in front of the structure. No offense to him; I'm sure he's a nice guy, but we don't want him in the picture.
Use the slider below. Thanks to Generative Edit, now you see him, now you don't!
My iPhone 15 Pro-owning travel companion would have to download a third-party app or use sort of photo-editing software to remove him.
However, thanks to Galaxy AI's Object Eraser feature, I can simply circle the photobuster and get him out of there in seconds.
Seethe, iPhone 15 Pro owner. Seethe!
Final thoughts
This isn't to say, though, that the iPhone 15 Pro didn't have its advantages over the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
For example, I was fuming when I found out that you can text your flight number to a friend or any other loved one, allowing you to track your flight details, including departing and arrival times, flight duration, baggage claim location, and more. (I couldn't do that on my phone.)
Other than that, while traveling, my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra showed that iOS device who's boss. My iPhone 15 Pro-owning travel companion found himself envious of my Android phone far more frequently than he had anticipated. Haha!
