- In our detailed comparison, we find that the Galaxy S24 Ultra only brings a minor upgrade over the S23 Ultra.
- The Galaxy S24 Ultra brings a titanium frame, brighter display, better performance, and seven years of OS updates.
- However, the S23 Ultra is also quite good in all these departments and doesn't warrant an upgrade for existing users.
Samsung unveiled its much-anticipated Galaxy S24 series at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event on January 17. Among the three models, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the highlight of the show as it brings top-tier specs and features. So, we have compared the Galaxy S24 Ultra with Samsung’s last year’s flagship, the Galaxy S23 Ultra to see what big upgrades Samsung has packed into its latest S-series smartphone.
We have thoroughly compared the S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra in various aspects, including design, display, cameras, performance, and more. On that note, let’s jump to the comparison.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Design
First off, let’s compare the design of the Galaxy S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra. In terms of dimensions, both devices are almost similar. However, this year, Samsung has gone with a titanium frame and a flat screen on the S24 Ultra. Last year’s S23 Ultra had an armor aluminum frame and a slightly curved display. The weight of both devices is also identical; S23 Ultra weighs 234 gm and S24 Ultra weighs 233 gm.
As for protection, Samsung is using Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 3 on the latest S24 Ultra for superior drop and scratch resistance on both front and back. The older S23 Ultra had Gorilla Glass Victus 2 applied on both sides. As for water and dust resistance, both smartphones are IP68 rated.
Overall, in terms of design and build quality, both are solid phones and the S24 Ultra doesn’t depart from its long-held Note design language. That said, the S24 Ultra with its titanium frame is likely to offer stronger resistance against hard drops, making it more durable.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Display
Moving to the display comparison between the S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra, both smartphones have a 6.8-inch screen and offer QHD+ resolution. Both devices feature an LTPO AMOLED panel with support for variable refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz.
That said, Samsung has finally ditched the curved display and gone for a flat display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Those who love flat screens with symmetrical bezels will love the S24 Ultra.
Apart from that, the display has gotten much brighter this year. The S24 Ultra has a massive peak brightness of 2,600 nits and can sustain high brightness at 1,500 nits. In comparison, last year’s S23 Ultra could only go up to 1,750 nits and offer up to 1,200 nits under high-brightness mode.
The display was already vivid and bright on the S23 Ultra, and Samsung, as an industry leader, has again set a new benchmark for smartphone displays.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Cameras
Let’s now go through the camera comparison between S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra. As far as hardware is concerned, both smartphones pack powerful image sensors to deliver great imagery. Samsung has enhanced the 200MP sensor and using an upgraded version of it on the S24 Ultra. In addition, the company has replaced the 10x periscope telephoto lens (10MP) with a 5x periscope telephoto lens (50MP) on the S24 Ultra.
It may seem like a downgrade to many, but Samsung asserts that having a 5x zoom lens is more suitable for smartphone photography. It’s also using a larger 50MP periscope lens (in place of the previous 10MP one) for producing detailed and sharp images. Moreover, there is a separate 3x telephoto lens (10MP) and a 12MP ultrawide lens — same as S23 Ultra.
On the front side, you get a 12MP sensor for selfies and both smartphones are equipped to offer digital zoom up to 100x. In summation, both devices have a great set of cameras, but some might find the lack of a 10x periscope lens on the S24 Ultra disappointing.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Performance
Just like last year, the Galaxy S24 Ultra only comes with a Qualcomm chip with no Exynos variant. The S24 Ultra features a Galaxy-exclusive Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset that offers slightly faster clock speed than the standard 8Gen3. The peak frequency of the Cortex-X4 prime core has been increased to 3.4GHz from 3.3GHz. And the Adreno 750 GPU runs at 1,000 MHz (1GHz), up from 719MHz on the S23 Ultra.
Devices Single-core score (GB 6) Multi-core score (GB 6) S23 Ultra
(Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy)1894 5021 S24 Ultra
(Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy)2297 7104
The previous-gen S23 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, which is also a capable SoC. However, when compared with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it offers better performance and efficiency, as we can see in the table above.
As for dissipating heat, Samsung employs a large vapor chamber (1.9x larger than on the S23 Ultra) for optimized cooling performance. So be it gaming or everyday tasks, the S24 Ultra will give you the best performance available on any Android smartphone.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Software, Battery & More
Battery and Charging
In the battery department, the S23 Ultra and S22 Ultra feature a 5000 mAh battery pack and it can be charged from 0% to 65% in just 30 minutes. Both support 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
Software Updates
In terms of software updates, Samsung has hit it out of the park this year with its new Galaxy S24 lineup. Samsung has committed to seven years of Android OS upgrades for the S24 series.
This means Galaxy S24 Ultra will receive Android updates till Android 21. In comparison, with the old update policy governing the S23 Ultra, it will only get four OS updates, till Android 17. However, keep in mind that S23 Ultra users will get five years of security updates.
Connectivity
When it comes to connectivity, both the S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra are on a similar footing. Except for Wi-Fi 7 support on the S24 Ultra, all the connectivity features are available on both devices — NFC, 5G (SA/ NSA), Bluetooth 5.3, and Ultra-wideband (UWB).
There were earlier rumors that the Galaxy S24 Ultra would come with Emergency SOS via Satellite, but Samsung has skipped on the feature this year as well.
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs S23 Ultra: Key Specifications
Here is the specs comparison between Galaxy S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra. Take a quick look at the full specifications sheet to find the difference between the two flagships:
Specifications Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra Dimensions 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in 6.38 x 3.11 x 0.33 in Weight 234 gm; Aluminum frame 233 gm; Titanium frame Display 6.8-inches QHD+ LTPO AMOLED curved panel, 1Hz – 120Hz refresh rate, 1750 nits peak brightness, 1200 nits HBM, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 6.8-inches QHD+ LTPO AMOLED flat panel, 1Hz – 120Hz refresh rate, 2600 nits peak brightness, 1500 nits HBM, Gorilla Glass Victus 3 Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Rear Cameras 200MP primary shooter
10MP periscope telephoto lens (10x optical)
10MP telephoto lens (3x optical)
12MP ultrawide
Up to 100x space zoom200MP primary shooter
50MP periscope telephoto lens (5x optical)
10MP telephoto lens (3x optical)
12MP ultrawide
Up to 100x space zoomSelfie Camera 12MP 12MP Battery and Charging 5,000 mAh
45W wired charging
65% in 30 minutes
15W wireless charging5,000 mAh
45W wired charging
65% in 30 minutes
15W wireless chargingConnectivity 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, USB 3.2 Type-C, NFC, UWB 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, USB 3.2 Type-C, NFC, UWB Water and Dust Protection IP68 IP68 RAM/Storage variants UFS 4.0, LPDDR5X
8/256GB, 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 12/1TBUFS 4.0, LPDDR5X
12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 12/1TBColors Green, Phantom Black, Lavender, Cream, Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, Red Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Pricing
Here is the pricing difference between the Galaxy S23 Ultra and S24 Ultra.
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (8GB+256GB): Starts at $1199
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (12GB+256GB): Starts at $1299.99
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Verdict
Considering all the points discussed in this comparison, it seems as though the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a minor upgrade over the S23 Ultra. Yes, the Galaxy S24 Ultra brings a titanium frame, a much brighter display, seven years of OS updates, and better performance, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra is not a slouch in any of these categories. It holds up as one of the best Android phones, even in 2024. So if you are a Galaxy S23 Ultra user, you can give it a pass this year. And if you get massive discounts on the S23 Ultra, don’t waste time and pick it up.
